Finding the Right Career Chemistry

As a research scientist at Colgate-Palmolive, Hakeem Henry (Ph.D. ’21, chemistry) develops unique formulations for the personal care products millions of people use every day. 

Hakeem Henry (Ph.D. ’21, chemistry) knows the key to making a great product is creating the right chemistry. As a research scientist at Colgate-Palmolive, Henry develops unique formulations of active ingredients, fragrances and textures for everything from body wash to sunscreen, taking new and improved personal care products from the lab to your local drugstore.

“I love the work. It's exciting, it's diverse, it's always changing. Whether it's a new challenge or a new product, you're always going to learn something,” Henry said. “I get to use my chemistry background and all those lab skills I learned in a way I never expected.”

For Henry, working for a global consumer products company puts his chemistry skills to work in a wide variety of real-world applications.

“You get a sense of pride in the work, because you know it's going to go somewhere and benefit someone in some way, whether it's skincare or personal care,” he noted. “We have so many brands, so not only do I have pride in the specific work, but also in the company. Our products are sold in over 100 countries and territories, so I know how popular they are, and it’s exciting to be a part of that as well.”

‘Chemistry is everywhere’

For Henry, research experiences as an undergraduate at Binghamton University sparked a fascination with chemistry.

“Participating in research and seeing grad students and their research was when I got really interested,” Henry recalled. “Initially, chemistry did feel a little bit abstract—there was just so much to it that it almost felt like learning a new language because you're like, ‘What are all these terms? What do they mean?’ By studying, decoding and learning it, it all made sense. And of course, I appreciated the applicability of it as well, I mean, chemistry is everywhere.”

Inspired by his studies in electrochemistry and energy storage as an undergrad, Henry entered the University of Maryland’s Ph.D. program in chemistry in 2015, hoping that it would put him on a path toward a research-oriented career—and his experience at UMD delivered in ways he never expected. 

In 2016, he was named a Milligan Fellow, an award for graduate students in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry that includes an annual stipend, tuition remission, and an internship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). With the fellowship—which is supported by the department and NIST’s Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory—Henry took on the challenges of battery technology, working with Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Sang Bok Lee to develop electrodes for magnesium-ion batteries. And when Henry wasn’t doing research in the lab, a strong support system in the department helped him stay motivated and build the kind of professional connections that could guide his future.

“I really appreciated the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department staff—people like Dolores Jackson and Carl Womack—they were always pushing us to think about what’s next, keeping us motivated and telling us, ‘You've got this. Make those connections. Look for jobs,’” Henry recalled. “We were encouraged to go to conferences, so I went to American Chemical Society, Electrochemical Society, and NOBCChE conferences—and that’s where I met the representatives from Colgate.”

After that initial contact, and later, an on-campus visit from a Colgate-Palmolive rep, Henry began to see product development—and Colgate-Palmolive—in his future.

“I never would have thought about Colgate or that there could be a position for me there,” Henry explained. “Initially, I thought Colgate was just toothpaste, but they shared all of the brands that they have—Softsoap, EltaMD, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Fabuloso and more--and the R&D work that goes into each product. When I got to see the science behind the products, that’s when I got really interested in a role with the company.”

By the time Henry earned his Ph.D. in 2021, he had landed a two-year postdoctoral position at Colgate-Palmolive, which exposed him to a variety of product categories. He went on to a full-time research scientist position at Colgate in 2023 and hasn’t looked back. Though this work in product development marks a dramatic shift from his battery research at UMD, he says every aspect of his Maryland experience set him up for success.

“Going from batteries to consumer products and product development, that was completely different, but it was really the transferable skills I learned at UMD that gave me the foundation I needed, those skills that really make you marketable,” Henry explained. “I developed the problem-solving mindset and the focus—it was totally about being able to come into a new problem or a new project, understand it from all aspects and drive it forward. I learned all that in grad school at Maryland, and that's something you carry over into a career; you can take it anywhere. I’m eternally grateful for that.”

A problem-solver and investigator

For Henry, every new project at Colgate means a unique set of problems to solve. In his current work, he’s formulating new, more effective sunscreen products, and, as always, it’s all about leaning into the chemistry. 

“You think, ‘Okay, I have to make a sunscreen, here's how you make it.’ But as the challenges come up, that's where the chemistry has to jump right back in, whether it's to focus on hydration or anti-aging or acne, we have to put it all together and make it work,” Henry explained. “When you hit those challenges, that's when you really have to dive back into the deep chemistry to decode and solve the problem. You have to constantly be a problem solver and an investigator.”

Every product and every formulation is unique, which keeps the work interesting and fun. 

“I definitely like creating things, and I like that I'm making an actual product, something that will go on, so I like being able to tailor it to what it needs to be,” Henry said. “You know, not every product is the same. They all have all sorts of different actives, different applications, different benefits, and so being able to make all these different things is pretty cool.”

It may not be the career path Henry expected, but he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

“I definitely never imagined that I would be doing large corporate R&D on consumer products, but when you stay open and flexible, you never know where you can end up—and I’m definitely where I want to be,” Henry noted. “I'm happy that I have a job that's interesting and challenging, and I'm motivated to do it. I think it's something I can continue to build on.”