Qualitative Investigation to Identify the Knowledge and Skills That U.S.-Trained Doctoral Chemists Require in Typical Chemistry Positions

In 2012, the National Research Council and the American Chemical Society criticized many graduate education programs in the chemical sciences for not adequately preparing graduate students for the interdisciplinary careers that they will likely occupy. These and other reports anecdotally suggest that soft skills, broad versus specific knowledge, and interdisciplinary skills will make graduate students more competitive and better prepared for careers. However, relatively few efforts have been made to empirically evaluate and assess what specific knowledge and skills doctoral chemists require to be successful in their future careers. The qualitative study here expands on the previous anecdotal data by empirically identifying the knowledge and skills required for chemistry careers and compares those required in the academic and nonacademic sectors. A total of 31 U.S.-trained doctoral chemists from academia, industry, and government were interviewed about the activities they conduct on a day-to-day basis and the knowledge and skills required to successfully complete these activities. Twelve distinct, nonduplicative knowledge and skills that enable these chemists to successfully perform their jobs in different chemical sectors have been identified by thematic analysis of the interviews. Three inter-rater reliability (IRR) metrics were used to evaluate coding and demonstrate the trustworthiness of data. The results provide evidence that technical knowledge, communication, management, and several other skills are required for chemists in both academic and nonacademic job sectors, but these skills could be fundamentally different across sectors. The results of this study imply that different skill sets are required for diverse career pathways, and graduate programs should consider tailoring their programs for students accordingly.