Linda Davis - Office of Professional Practice - Purdue University

In 2007, Davis began a career at Purdue University, as the industrial education director for the School of Chemical Engineering. She administered the ChE co-op program, managed the fundamentals lab, chaired the ChE safety committee and advised hundreds of chemical engineering students in job searches. With Professor Mike Harris, she championed and developed a Process Safety Management elective course.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the College of William and Mary, Davis joined the Atlantic Research Corporation as a development chemist before completing a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Virginia. Subsequently, she began a storied career with Air Products and Chemicals. Initially, she enrolled in the career development program and then became a process engineer in the gases group. Due to her excellent performance, she was soon promoted to lead process engineer, a role she held until 2000. She then worked in varying leadership roles until 2007.

Co-op impact

Davis was an invaluable partner to the Office of Professional Practice in her role administering the chemical engineering co-op program. During her tenure as industrial education director, she succeeded in enrolling more than 20% of chemical engineering students in a co-op plan of study.