2022 Speakers
2022 PANELISTS
Professor Malika Jeffries-EL
Malika Jeffries-EL is the Associate Dean of the Graduate School in Arts and Sciences and Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Division of Materials Science at Boston University. She is also an Associate Editor for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C and the new RSC title Materials Advances. Dr. Jeffries-EL's research focuses on the development of organic semiconductors –materials that combine the processing properties of polymers with the electronic properties of semiconductors. She is a fellow of the American Chemical Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry and has won numerous awards including the Percy Julian Award from the National Organization of Black Chemist and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), the ACS-Women Chemist Committee Rising Star award, the Iota Sigma Pi Agnes Fay Morgan Award (2013). She has authored over 40 publications, received over 4000 citations, and given over 160 lectures domestically and abroad.
Professor Jeffries-EL, is also a staunch advocate for diversity and dedicated volunteer that has served in several activities within the American Chemical Society including the advisory board for the Women Chemist of Color Initiative and the Women Chemist Committee. She is a science communicator who seeks to encourage students from underrepresented groups to pursue STEM degrees an recently appeared on NOVA to talk about plastics. She also serves the community through her work with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA). Dr. Jeffries-EL is a native of Brooklyn, New York.
Dra. Nicole Cabrera Salazar
Dra. Nicole Cabrera Salazar is a Latina astrophysicist who is passionate about social justice in science and technology. After years of creating higher education initiatives for marginalized people, she decided to shift from scientific research to transforming the culture of STEM through her company Movement Consulting.
Like many marginalized scientists, Dra. Nicole left her field due to a toxic work environment. Determined to make sure others never had to follow in her footsteps, she started Movement Consulting to improve scientific workspaces for people from minoritized groups. At Movement, we believe the world of science can be better - not in six months or ten years, but now. A world where marginalized people can thrive. A world that values scientists as whole human beings. A world where many worlds fit.
Nancy Ryan Gray
Nancy Ryan Gray is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of the Gordon Research Conferences. Nancy received her B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame and her Ph.D. in Fuel Chemistry from The Pennsylvania State University. Prior to joining GRC, Nancy served as the Director of Membership at the American Chemical Society and as a Research Specialist in Organic Chemistry at Exxon Production Research Company. Nancy has served on the Board of Directors of Ligand Pharmaceuticals since August 2017. Ligand is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing or acquiring technologies that help pharmaceutical companies in drug discovery, early-stage drug development, and product reformulation. Nancy has also served on the Board of Directors of Slater Technology Fund since March 2021. Slater is a not-for-profit seed fund dedicated to supporting new technology ventures founded by entrepreneurs to build companies that aim to achieve transformational impact in the industries or markets they serve. Nancy is recognized for her efforts in establishing and growing the Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) initiative to enable graduate students and postdocs to share in the GRC experience. The GRS is a two-day meeting designed specifically for early career scientists to present and discuss research and build collaborative relationships with colleagues. She is also recognized for founding the GRC Power Hour initiative as a forum for conversations to promote inclusion and addressing the challenges women and all underrepresented groups face in achieving equity in science. Nancy is the recipient of the 2013 Providence Business News Industry Leader Award for Non-Profit Organizations. Nancy is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the American Chemical Society. Nancy received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Colby-Sawyer College in 2019 for her leadership and the commitment she has offered to Gordon Research Conferences and the scientific community.
