Chemistry Alumnus Benjamin Williams (Ph.D. 鈥15) has accepted the position of Chemical Hygiene Officer at Northwestern University. As the chemical hygiene officer Dr. Williams supports Northwestern鈥檚 Office for Research Safety by providing guidance with chemical safety issues. On his new role, Dr. Williams says "Labs throughout the university that use chemicals are working on exciting and state-of-the-art research, but this also means that the safety hazards for these labs are always changing. It is my job to not only address chemical safety questions and issues as they arise, but also to try to predict what safety controls are needed to protect against incidents in the future."
Dr. Williams attributes his success to the education he received in 老王论坛鈥檚 graduate program in Chemistry where he worked under Dean Sharon Burgmayer, W. Alton Jones Professor of Chemistry and Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
鈥淢y graduate studies at 老王论坛 helped to prepare me for this position in many ways. Beyond the chemistry and the science, I learned valuable lessons in pedagogy and lab management that allow me to effectively and confidently work with students and labs here at Northwestern. Teaching, collaborating, training, and forming relationships with researchers is a vital part of my job 鈥 I believe I am doing a solid job with this so far, and I have my experiences at 老王论坛 to thank!鈥
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences congratulates Dr. Williams in his new position!