Unstoppable People - Josh Wolfgang

Milliken’s Unstoppable People series highlights Milliken & Company associates who guide us to success and embody our values: integrity, excellence, innovation, sustainability, and people.

“I completed my post-doctorate at the Naval Research Laboratory, which was built upon work I did with my bachelor’s and PhD in chemistry and polymer chemistry, respectively. Applied science defined my education, then I moved into a research scientist position at Milliken, which continued my journey with applied sciences,” shared Josh Wolfgang, an Advanced R+D Professional with Milliken’s Textile Business. He paused and laughed, “My work—polymer science—is about as applied science as you can get!”

Josh is a highly skilled polymer chemist working in Milliken Research, problem-solving current textile needs and looking forward to new textile applications. “The coolest part of my job is the future-proofing and forward-looking aspect. That's where you gather relevant information, brainstorm novel ideas, and get into the lab to see what works.”

Josh joined Milliken in the summer of 2022 and admittedly didn’t know what to expect from his transition from academia. “Milliken has such a range of expertise, between chemical, textile, floor covering, and healthcare applications, and I wasn’t sure where my skills would be best applied. The chemical business is very polymer-based, which is my technical background, but polymers are the building blocks of almost everything. Interestingly, textiles rely heavily on precise polymer application to achieve their core functionalities.”

Josh bounces between troubleshooting challenges plant teams face to developing and refining key engineered textile functionalities like flame resistance or soil release. You can tell that passion radiates from everything he does, especially when he talks about his “serendipitous discoveries” in the lab.

“Ninety-five percent of the time, what you’re working on doesn’t pan out, but we only hear about the 5% of the time when you achieve success. It can be frustrating when things don’t work out like you’d hope they would—unless a property or feature of the ‘failed’ experiment actually translates to a different project. Those are probably my most enjoyable moments in the lab: When you have those light bulb moments of ‘Hey, it didn't work for this project, but we can pivot and apply this finding somewhere else.’”

It is probably no surprise that Josh’s trajectory as a research scientist was brought on by his interest in how things worked. Outside his professional day-to-day, he spends his time bodybuilding and woodworking when he’s not completing his latest home-improvement project alongside his wife. These interests all share the act of creating something new, often with the help of scientific or technical knowledge. It’s easy to see the connectedness of his work and his hobbies stemming from a base-level appreciation of what makes up the world around us.

“Milliken is a leader in materials science, and it shows because our innovations are connected through shared scientific application. Rarely does our work stay in defined boxes; everything is connected.”

Want to join our team of #UnstoppablePeople? Visit our careers webpage to learn more about your next opportunity.

Do you know an Unstoppable Person you’d like to recognize? Nominate them at [email protected].