She’s not an alumna, but Paula Watt felt that, in coming to The University of Akron in 2010 to earn a Ph.D. in Polymer Science, she was coming home.
“It’s been a stroll down memory lane,” says Watt, the current Open Innovation Leader at Citadel Plastics, who spoke at the Dec. 10 Board of Trustees meeting about her Akron Experience. “I have a history with the University that spans my entire career, and I feel like I grew up with the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering.”
Paula Watt speaking to Board of Trustees.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh in 1984, Watt landed a job with Premix — which is currently part of Citadel Plastics — where she collaborated with polymer scientists at UA and worked with Frank Kelley, dean emeritus of the college, who was then a member of Premix’s board of directors.
“He was an inspiration and a role model for me and the company,” says Watt, who went on to earn a master’s degree in macromolecular science at Case Western Reserve University in 1987.
Pursuing degree with wealth of experience
She has 30 years of experience in product development and commercialization in the polymer industry and 20 years of managerial experience. Watt also has been active in a variety of industry-related posts, including her work as a business mentor for a UA I-Corp site team, and as an adjunct professor at Kent State University, all the while continuing to collaborate with universities, most notably UA, she says.
Student Trustee Garrett Dowd, left, Paula Watt and Dr. Coleen Pugh are pictured here at the Dec. 10 Board of Trustees meeting.
“Throughout my career, I never quit reaching out to academia for innovations, collaborating with numerous universities,” notes Watt. “Without exception, The University of Akron has provided the best bang for the technology-buck and has been the easiest to work with. It has a great reputation in the polymer field.”
Watt, the author of numerous technical publications, including two book chapters, has written grants that secured more than $500,000 for UA research through sponsored research agreements, during her time here.
She is working with Mark Soucek, professor of polymer engineering, on commercializing a composite resin made from plant oil, and with Coleen Pugh, chair of the Department of Polymer Science, to develop resins, fillers and composites from biomass feedstocks. She will present her dissertation on the filler and composites later this year.
“Paula is an exceptional student,” says Pugh. “I have not known any other student who came in saying they were writing a proposal, much less do so successfully.”
Grateful for mentors and peers
“My time here has been a thoroughly enriching experience,” Watt says. “The professors and staff are incredibly supportive and inspiring. Personally, to be affiliated with Dr. Pugh, a top-notch synthesis researcher, makes me extremely proud. I can’t thank her enough for all the support and guidance she has provided. I am also very thankful for Dr. Soucek, a leader in the field of polymer engineering, and for Brinda Mehta, my fellow researcher. All the students in the Pugh research group are remarkable young researchers who have been very helpful to me.”
Watt will graduate later this year, but, if her past is any indication of the future, she will not be bidding farewell to the University anytime soon.
In fact, Pugh is currently awaiting response on a GOALI proposal in collaboration with Citadel Plastics, which she co-wrote with Mehta and Watt, to continue her plant-based resin development.
“We, at Citadel, understand the promise of breakthrough technologies from UA researchers and will continue to seek ways to harness that potential as a means to differentiate our technology in our markets,” Watt says.
Story by Nicholas Nussen
Media contact: Denise Henry, 330-972-6477 or henryd@uakron.edu.