Finding inspiration for problem solving in unlikely places
Growing up in Richmond, Va., Madelaine Simmons 's dream job as a kid was to be a marine biologist or photographer. Her curiosity and interest in learning new things ultimately led to her entering Virginia Commonwealth University as a biomedical engineering major, later switching to mechanical engineering. She was not entirely sure of her career path and others around her had a different perception of her.
“Most people thought I was going to go to art school,” Simmons says. “I believe my French teacher thought I was pranking her when I told her I was actually going to start out with engineering.”
Diverse opportunities
After completing a two-year internship at Afton Chemical in Richmond while in college, Simmons had left one job and was actively seeking a new position when a job posting from the Carpenter Co. piqued her interest. The position was for a research engineer that incorporated engineering, technical research, and product development, and could provide her exposure to a variety of roles and different aspects of the company.
“You don’t need to have a chemical background to get into the polyurethane industry – it takes a lot of different skillsets,” Simmons says. “There are so many opportunities – product development, operations, and marketing & branding – for example.”
Cultivating creativity
As a research engineer, Simmons describes her job as “a mix of engineering and creative.” Her cubicle is filled with creative tools, including modeling clay, a sewing machine, and different pieces of foam and elastic.
She enjoys taking nontraditional approaches in her projects, reflecting Carpenter’s “out of the box” approach to the research process. A workplace that is open to new ideas and approaches supports how she ideates tackling new challenges and pushes herself outside of her comfort zone.
Problem solving for the future
Simmons names sustainability and circularity as major driving forces for the polyurethane industry’s future. In particular, she highlights how Carpenter is exploring new technologies to help improve durability and longevity of products.
Within her own portfolio, Simmons is focusing on product design and development for the circular economy, like decreasing waste and increasing the lifespan of polyurethane products.
“We’re asking questions like ‘How can we make products last longer while still being durable through design?’” Simmons highlights. “Our foam group has done a great job producing more innovative foams, lower densities that perform just as well if not better than similar high-density foams.”
Through her work she hopes when products hit their end of life, she can be part of the creative, problem-solving process to design ways to make these products easy to reuse or recycle. In her words, the benefits are, “less waste, more efficiency for manufacturers, and increase the lifespan of products.”
Making the most of strengths
On professional advice she would give to others, Simmons emphasizes building on existing strengths in creative ways and adjusting her mindset to meet new challenges. She perceived herself as not being a confident public speaker, so she found another way to demonstrate this skill. ?
“For example, public speaking isn’t my strong suit, so I’ve gotten really good at creating engaging presentations,” she explains. “I’m able to take technical information and distill it down in a way that’s easy to understand, which has not only helped me be a better presenter but has also opened a lot of doors for me.”
She also suggests taking advantage of online resources like LinkedIn and researching different job opportunities and niches. ?
“It okay to read or hear about an industry and think that your background isn’t a perfect fit at first,” Simmons says. “Figure out what your strengths are and how to apply those in a creative way that might not seem expected.”
About Madelaine:
Age: 31
Title: Research Engineer
Company: Carpenter Co.
Educational Background: