ChE senior Allen credits Industry Knowledge Certificate in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing with new career path
Seth Allen was getting bored with car parts.
The Industry Knowledge Certificate in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing gave him the perfect opportunity to pivot to a new career path, by adding the course plan and a pharma internship to his chemical engineering graduation plan.
“Some people have cars, but almost everyone takes medicine,” said Allen, a senior from Evansville, Indiana. “Pharma lets me directly impact a lot of lives, which is exactly what I’m looking to do.”
To make such a pivot would be unheard of in most places. But at Purdue University, it was more than possible: It was ahead of the curve.
The Office of Professional Practice (OPP) offers students skill-building opportunities that broaden their professional horizons. The three Industry Knowledge Certificates — Allen’s chosen Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Semiconductors and Microelectronics, and Innovation for Public Service — combine what employers are looking for and unique student interests into high-level coursework and at least one experiential learning experience, such as a Co-op, study abroad, research or an internship.
“Taking the grad-level classes can really highlight your resume and show that you're going above and beyond to find skills that employers are really in need of,” Allen said. “The certificate is a great chance to stand out.”
Allen’s experiences since starting the certificate in 2023 have spanned from private networking with pharmaceutical companies and spending his spring break in pharma hubs like AbbVie, Lilly, Merck and the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research throughout Ireland.
The 2024 spring break let Allen meet others on the certificate path and glean new professional insights.
It didn’t take long for pharmaceutical industry hiring reps to notice Allen.
“The certificate helps me stand out and find really unique networking opportunities,” said Allen, who had ENGR 10301 (Pharma Careers & Drug Development) in spring 2023. “An associate vice president at Lilly I met at this event in February actually reached out to me (in late July) asking for my updated resume so it could be circulated.”
For Kimberly Graham, OPP’s Senior Program Manager for Pharma and the Lilly Scholars at Purdue program, Allen is a quintessential example of what Purdue’s Industry Knowledge Certificates can do.
“Seth is a standout example of what the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Certificate is designed to cultivate: curious, driven, adaptable engineers,” Graham said. “Whether in the classroom or halfway across the world in Ireland, Seth consistently demonstrates initiative and a genuine passion for learning. In earning this Industry Knowledge Certificate, he’s not just building a resume, he’s building experience and a career rooted in purpose.”
Progressive manufacturing
Progesterone is a key component in many hormone therapy treatments. It’s also one of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in Pfizer’s 24/7 production lab reactors.
The only problem: A reaction can take 18 or more hours to complete, which costs time and money to all who benefit from Pfizer’s products.
Allen’s summer at Pfizer was focused on tackling the timing, starting with potential improvements for the tech. His background research on the plant indicated that the reactors were last updated in the 1950s when the Kalamazoo, Michigan, site was constructed.
It was certainly time for an update, Allen concluded.
“Not only does updating the machine reduce the cycle time on this process, but it opens up facilities to do more processes each day,” Allen said. “You have to be present to take samples as the reaction’s going on to figure out where it is in the process, so this would mean we wouldn’t have to come in at 2 a.m. or have another shift take samples.”
Updating the equipment was the best option, but Allen would need data to support that suggestion to Pfizer leadership at the end of the summer. Allen spent hours learning MATLAB coding software and how to effectively interpret data.
"My manager had a PhD in chemical engineering with an emphasis in data analytics, and I had to rely on him and YouTube videos to learn this summer,” Allen said. "Data analytics and coding are really important skills to have in the job market, and it was nice to learn from a professional."
With 20 data points in three months at Pfizer, Allen presented his findings in August 2025 on the caveat that more data collection would be needed. The next goal would be to reduce the percent error from 6% to less than 1%, thereby increasing the accuracy, affecting consistency and keeping products within a federally accepted level.
Allen said the Pfizer leads who listened to his presentation were impressed with his projected savings if an update was executed. Allen’s ideas would shave the 18-hour cycle time to six hours and save the company an estimated $3.5 million on production alone.
In early September 2025, Allen accepted a full-time offer for the Pfizer Global Supply Rotational Program at the same site. Over the course of two years, he will work three 8-month rotations: one immersed in APIs, one examining drug products and one of his choosing.
Having his next move after graduation lined up so early gave Allen the opportunity to act as an involved mentor to other chemical engineering students, providing help with coursework and guidance for career fairs.
Mentorship is one of Allen’s primary goals as a senior is to encourage other students in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and Omega Chi Epsilon, the honor society for chemical engineering students, to learn and embrace coding, for the thrill of discovery — as well as their resumes.
“Every single day, I feel like I'm doing something important that will actually be used in the future,” Allen said. “I’m excited to give back to campus and to new students.”
The Purdue Life Sciences and Pharma career fair will be held at the Purdue Memorial Union on Sept. 15, 2025, 2-6 p.m. An annual event, students and employers devote time to connecting and discussing new technologies and future career paths.