Characterizing Engineers who Return from Industry to Earn a PhD, and Their Impact on Innovation

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This engineering education research project seeks to understand the motivations and contributions of engineers who return from industry positions to pursue Ph.D. degrees. This project hypothesizes that such students can play key roles in building bridges between academia and industry, and may play important roles in the innovation ecosystem. By helping to increase understanding of this student population, the proposed research can help universities recruit, retain, and maximize the potential of such students.The broader significance and importance of this project will be to impact academic policy and recruitment strategies, as well as contribute to research-based best practices. If the project is successful, the research can have broad impact on the research community, innovation policy, as well as government programs designed to support student research. This project overlaps with NSF's strategic goals of transforming the frontiers through preparation of an engineering workforce with new capabilities and expertise. Additionally NSF's goal of innovating for society is enabled by creating results and research that are useful for society by informing educational policy and practices.