CACHE Trustee Jean Tom to join the University of Virginia's chemical engineering department as visiting faculty for spring 2024

CACHE Industrial Trustee Jean Tom (Bristol Myers Squibb) will retire from BMS at the end of 2023 and join chemical engineering faculty at the University of Virginia as the Brenton S. Halsey Distinguished Visiting Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Virginia for spring 2024.

In describing the role, the university highlighted (LINK):

Tom will share knowledge and wisdom gleaned over her 36 years in pharmaceutical development with Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck. She also brings her experiences as a leader in the broader chemical engineering community who has been recognized at the highest levels as a member of the National Academy of Engineering and fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

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The Halsey Professorship was endowed by the James River Corporation to honor Halsey (B.S. chemical engineering, 1951), a company founder, to bring to Grounds industry leaders in chemical engineering and related fields. The idea is to share their broad practical experience in business or government to influence the education, scholarship and professional development of students in the UVA School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The principal responsibility of the role is to develop and teach a one-semester business and technology leadership course focused on themes of human values and practices in business and industry for fourth-year undergraduate and graduate students.

Tom commented:

“I’ve spent a lot of my career mentoring and helping engineers and scientists transition from being individual contributors to technical leaders,” Tom said. “It’s exciting to see how I can share these learnings to impact the next generation of UVA engineers.”

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“I’m looking forward to opportunities to engage with women students, both undergraduate and graduate, who do not see enough role models in engineering fields,” Tom said. “I’m also excited to contribute where an industrial perspective might be useful, such as the BRIDGE TO BIO [workforce development] program, the fourth-year capstone design course and in making connections between academic research and industry applications.”

More info about Tom's career and her role at UVA is available in a recent article by Jennifer McManamay:

• Pharmaceutical Development Exec Brings Decades of Leadership Experience to Visiting Professorship