 I’ll be attending a university-industry workshop next year to give a keynote talk. One of the topics I’ll be covering is what’s expected of industrial scientists after earning a Ph.D.—a question I often pondered during my time in school.
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 I often think about how I ended up here, doing what I do. Looking back, it's kind of paradoxical that the more I disliked certain topics and tried to distance myself from them, the more I found myself being drawn to them and actually enjoying them.
 Just hit the 2-year mark in the industry. Myself, still deeply immersed in adhesion science. Working with some top-notch chemists and formulators who tackle technical problems way different from my mechanics of materials background, it's making me see the value I bring to the team. Back when I graduated and was about to dive into this new gig, I had this clear goal of serving as a bridge between industry and academia. Looking back, I'm not even sure why I set that goal. Maybe it was because I loved my time with the adhesion science community and didn't want to lose touch with them.
 A third of July has passed, and half of this year has gone by. It’s the time of the year when people get to enjoy a well-deserved vacation with their families. This is also a great time for reflecting on how the first half of the year has unfolded and making or revising plans and resolutions for the remainder of the year. Lately, I have been working on an Employee Development Plan (EDP), which involves identifying my strengths, opportunities, and longer-term visions, including where I see myself in 5 to 10 years.
 During a captivating conversation last week, a dear friend of mine, who possesses an uncanny ability to delve into the depths of scientific research and life philosophy, shared his hard-earned thoughts on the fundamental difference between elastomers and gels from multiscale arguments as well as a fundamental reason why numerous academic studies on hydrogels are focused on designing polymer networks. With this enlightening perspective in mind, he reiterated a profound statement: “Multiscale approach is the jewel of adhesion science".
 It's been just over a year since I started my new journey in the chemical industry. I am not a chemist by training. I probably can't even make the simplest chemicals that high school graduates who have studied chemistry could create. I still remember the time when I was going over my job offers and had to make a decision within a couple of weeks. I felt relieved to see the end of the job search process and the approaching completion of my PhD, but at the same time, I was a bit overwhelmed and nervous about entering a field without any formal training.
 I like traveling. I love talking with people. They are great sources of countless food for thought and new insights. They allow for correcting unconsciously formed biases and learning new knowledge. These outcomes are hard to be achieved if I were to settle for a comfortable life.
I previously thought that merely staying prolific in high-quality publications is enough to be considered an excellent engineering graduate student. Don’t get me wrong, publishing in prestigious journals is, without a doubt, challenging. However, it is not impossible. With proper knowledge, wit, perseverance and strong work ethics it is attainable.
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