Career Story by Kurt Schilling, PhD, SVP Basic Science Research and Advanced Technologies at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
I don’t think too many people really know much about R&D careers in the consumer products industry. Although I was partially aware of some of the work happening behind oral care brands during my PhD program at URSMD, I didn’t really know what I was getting into when I joined Unilever back in 1989. After spending the last 28 years or so at Unilever, Johnson and Johnson and Estee Lauder, I can say without reservation that my journey has proven to be as exciting and rewarding as any R&D career out there. Why do I say that?