academics: Does the chemical industry tempt top candidates away from academia because it can offer better salaries and career opportunities?
Gerd Romanowski: Good salaries and outstanding prospects are the factors with which the chemical industry is able to attract career starters. Universities can only pay academic personnel according to fixed public-sector pay agreements, and even for some professorships, salary bracket W2 is as far as it goes. That's why there are people who move into industry during the course of their habilitation, because aspects such as salary and career opportunities are better there.
academics: But if a lot of scientists did that, the industry would at some point no longer be able to recruit well-trained graduates, because there wouldn't be enough qualified teachers ...
Gerd Romanowski: That wouldn't be in our interests either. That's why we support young university lecturers through our grant programmes.
academics: You have a doctorate in chemistry. What made you decide to work in industry?
Gerd Romanowski: Mostly the applied approach. In academic research, the focus is on gaining knowledge. In industry, on the other hand, the specific usefulness, of research is emphasised.
academics: What abilities should a recent graduate ideally have to offer the chemical industry?
Gerd Romanowski: In addition to excellent skills in chemistry or other specialist disciplines, soft skills such as the ability to work in a team and social competence are very important. Knowledge of economics and language skills are also desirable.
academics: Is chemistry valued as highly as it should be?
Gerd Romanowski: We need to make even clearer how chemistry and chemical processes benefit us in everyday life. No mobile phone, no computer and no car would work without chemistry. If everyone understood that, it would be much more accepted. People are not fundamentally sceptical of new technologies, quite the opposite: most people are actually technophiles.
