Process safety is a core part of chemical engineering, but knowing the principles and applying them in complex industrial environments aren’t always the same thing. As engineers move from the classroom into practice, building process safety competency means translating technical knowledge into decisions made under the realities of plant operations.
At the 2026 AIChE Annual Meeting, taking place November 8–12 in Minneapolis, the session Process Safety – From the Classroom to Industrial Competency will explore how engineers build and apply process safety knowledge throughout their careers. Chaired by Sean Dee of Exponent, the session brings together a panel of young professionals and experienced industry leaders to examine gaps between academic preparation and industry needs and how those gaps can be addressed.
We spoke with Sean about why the Process Safety Division is bringing this conversation to the Annual Meeting, what engineers can learn from examining the transition from classroom to industry, and the perspectives he hopes the panel will bring to the discussion.
The Process Safety Division hasn’t had a significant programming presence at the Annual Meeting in several years. Why was it important to bring this conversation to the 2026 Annual Meeting?
It’s important because it aligns with the Process Safety Division’s mission to be the key resource for chemical engineers when it comes to process safety. The PSD has maintained a strong and consistent presence at AIChE’s Spring Meeting through the Global Congress on Process Safety, but we recognize that many students, academics, and researchers are more likely to attend the Annual Meeting. By offering programming at the Annual Meeting, we can reach a broader and more diverse audience while continuing to share our membership’s experience and expertise.
Process safety is a cornerstone of chemical engineering, yet many engineers first encounter its practical challenges on the job. Why is it important to examine the transition from classroom learning to industrial competency?
Developing process safety competency is a key challenge identified by both industry and academia. While students learn the underlying science and core concepts during their studies, they often face unique factors in industry: competing priorities, legacy equipment, imperfect data, organizational culture that can’t be fully captured in textbooks and coursework. Examining these issues helps students, professors, and experienced professionals develop strategies to build robust process safety competency in the next generation of the workforce.
This panel brings together both early-career professionals and experienced industry leaders. What perspectives are you most looking forward to hearing during the session?
I’m really looking forward to hearing from the early-career professionals. Their candid experiences, whether it’s their first PHA or the first time they raised a safety concern, are incredibly insightful. I’m also eager to hear how experienced industry leaders view those same situations, both reflecting on their own early-career experiences and seeing them through their present-day lens. Together, both viewpoints can help us identify opportunities for improvement and develop solutions for gaps in education, onboarding, and mentorship.
Explore more PSD programming at the 2026 AIChE Annual Meeting
