BROOKE KUEI
Content Marketing Manager, ALBERT INVENT
Could you please share your current role, what it entails, and what excites you most about it?
I am currently a content marketing manager at Albert Invent, where I hope to inspire chemical and materials companies to invent faster through R&D digitalization. My day-to-day includes writing blog posts, sharing customer success stories, and creating email marketing campaigns—combining my love for writing with my passion for science. Whether I’m blogging about a technical conference or interviewing scientists who use Albert, every day I’m inspired learning about new technologies, industry trends, and the age of artificial intelligence (AI).
What brought you to the coatings industry? Was it part of the plan, or did you discover coatings along the way?
In my last year of graduate school, a door to the coatings industry opened up and I tentatively stepped inside. It hadn’t been the plan, but after years of research in a specialized area, I was enticed by the opportunity to work on products that were closer to commercialization and had a broader impact on everyday life. As it turned out, I really found my stride in the coatings industry and had a rewarding research career working on products like electrocoat and nonstick coatings.
How important has mentorship or a piece of advice from someone been in your career—and have you had the chance to mentor others in return?
One piece of career advice that has been really helpful was the reminder that— just like research—career paths are often nonlinear, and each job will give you more information about where your interests are. Despite the untraditional path I’ve taken, I’m really happy with where I’ve ended up—and I love taking opportunities to remind others that it’s okay for your career path to include twists and turns, and that even steps in the wrong direction will teach you something about where to go next.
How, if at all, did your educational background shape your path into coatings?
During my Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, my research centered around advanced electron microscopy techniques for imaging polymers. This ended up being a natural segue for a career in coatings, as it provided me with a strong foundation for polymer characterization and led me to the microscopy team within the analytical department at PPG Industries.
What’s one project or innovation you’ve worked on that you’re especially proud of?
One of my most memorable projects involved exploring new imaging techniques for electrocoat to better understand the variability of edge coverage, the coating thickness over sharp edges, and a crucial indicator of corrosion resistance. Using a combination of 3D imaging techniques, we were able to visualize coverage along an inherently irregular edge and quantify the variability in coating thickness. As a result, the team was able to reassess their routine procedure for measuring edge coverage to improve its accuracy and, in turn, improve their predictions for corrosion performance.
How do you stay current with advancements in coatings technology?
Albert Invent frequently attends coatings conferences and I help with preparing presentations beforehand, blogging about our team’s key takeaways after the event, and occasionally attending conferences myself. Being involved in coatings events has been a fun way to stay connected with the coatings community and keep up with industry trends.
Have you ever taken a detour or changed directions in your career? What did that pivot teach you?
When I was in the coatings industry, I pivoted from a more traditional technical role in the lab to being a proposal and contract manager, a role in which I helped write research proposals to secure government funding and negotiated awarded contracts. The proposal and contract manager role helped solidify my interest in technical writing and empowering other scientists, while also helping me realize that I didn’t want to specialize in government contracting. This led me toward a new career direction and my current role as a content marketing manager where I can continue writing about scientific topics and working with other scientists, but from a much more creative angle.
Have you faced any significant professional challenges, and if so, how did you overcome them?
When it became clear to me that I wanted to veer off the more traditional technical career path, I struggled with the fear that I was “throwing away” my Ph.D., which had been hard earned. I ended up continuing to work full-time in the coatings industry while working part-time in the evenings and on the weekends as a freelance science writer. While challenging, this process helped me not only realize what brought me more enjoyment, but also that my technical background was still helpful in many ways during my writing projects.
How has the coatings industry changed since you entered it?
R&D digitalization was becoming more common right as I joined the coatings industry. Since then, companies have continued to build their structured data foundations and are starting to reap the benefits of automation and AI. We are also seeing digitalization overlap with another big shift in the industry—the raised awareness of sustainability and regulatory concerns—through real-time compliance using digitized inventory information or raw material replacements enabled by AI.
What skills or traits do you think are essential for success in this industry?
I think that being able to see the big picture is crucial for long-term success. As scientists, we sometimes tend to get into the weeds of a technical challenge, but this shouldn’t come at the cost of losing sight of context. Sometimes, this might involve stepping out of the comfort zone of the bench and communicating effectively with product managers or other cross-functional collaborators, but it is well worth it. For example, a novel coating will have less impact if it doesn’t satisfy specific constraints from a customer or doesn’t align with the business’s growth strategy.
What advice would you give someone just starting out in the industry or considering a career in coatings?
I am grateful to have been in an analytical lab when I started my career in the coatings industry because it gave me the opportunity to work with different types of technologies across different business units. Similarly, the proposal and contract manager role I took after that exposed me to the business and strategy side of the industry. In the complex world of coatings, it is valuable to gain experience in different areas early on so that you can see how the different pieces fit together.
What’s something people outside the industry might not understand or be surprised to learn about working in coatings?
Before I worked in the industry, I never would have realized how complex coatings science is. I used to joke when I worked in a microscopy lab that it was my job to watch paint dry—but in reality, I was mostly imaging cured coatings and actually watching paint dry in-situ is a nontrivial experiment! From protecting surfaces to improving aesthetics to providing additional functionality like flame-retardance or self-healing properties—all under real-world constraints and rising regulatory pressures—developing new coatings technology is a challenging endeavor involving high-dimensional optimization.
What keeps you motivated and eager to come to work each day?
When I was in the coatings industry and worked in a microscopy lab, what kept me motivated was developing new imaging methods for augmenting our understanding of coatings. Whether I was figuring out how to cross-section complex substrates like wood or how to safely heat up a nonstick coating under the microscope to mimic cooking conditions, my everyday lab tinkering involved figuring out new and creative ways to do science. In my current role at Albert, I hope to influence the industry with a similar sentiment, inspiring scientists to evolve the way they invent through digitalization.
How does company culture impact your work and ability to perform successfully?
Company culture is very important to me, especially when it comes to the people around me. I am grateful to have been a part of teams where I feel a sense of belonging, have made close friends, and where I’ve been supported to speak up and grow more confident. I also value being surrounded by a team that is so passionate about what they’re working on and the quality of their output that it motivates me to always put my best foot forward to match the talent that surrounds me.
Brooke Kuei is content marketing manager at Albert Invent. Prior to Albert, Kuei worked at PPG Industries—first as a microscopist in an analytical lab, and then as a proposal and contract manager, writing research proposals to secure external funding. She holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Penn State and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Carnegie Mellon University.
Email: brooke@albertinvent.com