This talk will describe a career in chemistry that began with my intention to work in industry, and ended in academia. I spent a short period in industrial research, but circumstances changed and, after relocating from the UK to France, and then from France to Minnesota, I began teaching in a private liberal arts college. This became my career and I found out that teaching undergraduates was something that I enjoyed and that I could do it successfully. This also began a learning experience: this was the time when ideas of how to teach chemistry were changing because of the ongoing research in chemical education. I found this research interesting, and began to adopt some of the ideas that I read about. Eventually, I did my own chemical education research and became involved in science education at all levels. After retirement I had another “career” change and found myself editing the Senior Chemists Newsletter and organizing a local Senior Chemists' group.

I never intended to teach: An outline of a non-linear career path

255th National Meeting (2018)

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