Rutgers graduate students enjoys his transition from industry, is researching sustainable chemical methods

Tariq Bhatti, a Ph.D. candidate at the Rutgers School of Graduate Studies, continues his studies in chemistry at Rutgers, looking for sustainable solutions, according to an article on Rutgers Today. Having received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Maryland in 2009, Bhatti said he initially took a job in retail and at his father’s gas station, according to the article. He did ultimately find a job as a chemist for the conglomerate, W.R. Grace and Company, according to the article. “My last position at Grace was really great,” Bhatti said. “They trusted me with important problems while giving me generous support and mentoring." But during Bhatti’s five years as an analytical chemist, he felt restless and that he could do more with his abilities and talents, according to the article. Eventually, a colleague’s offhand comment changed his way of thinking about his life, Bhatti said, according to the article. “He said that if those are the questions that interested me, then I ought to go to graduate school,” he said. “So I did.”Now, Bhatti has returned to school as a Ph.D. student working on a research team for Alan Goldman, a distinguished professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, according to the article. Bhatti is helping Goldman pursue and conduct research they think could have an enormous impact on the environment and energy production, according to the article.