University of Pittsburgh, Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry (2014)
The Pennsylvania State University, Master of Professional Studies in Forensic Science (2010)
The Pennsylvania State University, B.S. Chemistry (2008)

While earning her master's degree, Dr. Smith worked as a Forensic Auxiliary Officer for the Pennsylvania State University Police.  In her doctoral program, she focused on using mass spectrometry to understand the metabolism of novel anti-cancer agents.  After graduation, Dr. Smith was a Senior Scientist at MilliporeSigma in the Workflow and Technologies R&D group for a couple of years before working on biochemical research and development activities at PerkinElmer Genomics until 2023.  Now, she leads a team of talented scientists at Revvity Omics to develop and validate new clinical assays with a primary focus on the utilization of mass spectrometry methodologies to measure the presence of disease biomarkers in various biological sample types.  Overall, Dr. Smith is a passionate leader with expertise in biochemical clinical assay development and dried blood spot technology.  She aims to apply these skills to further develop the future generation of science, increase global access to clinical testing, and improve the quality of life for individuals in situations requiring routine testing.

LinkedIn profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarasmith5028/

University of Pittsburgh, Ph.D. Physical Chemistry (2011)
University of Pittsburgh, Secondary Education & Teaching (2006)
University of Pittsburgh, B.S. Chemistry (2005)

Dr. Madison has been at the University of Pittsburgh since 2002, where she majored in chemistry and followed the education path.  There, she was involved with the Varsity Marching Band and a member of Tau Beta Sigma, a national co-ed sorority comprised of marching band members dedicated to serving the community, promoting the advancement of women in music, and service in band programs that focus on equity, inclusion, and empowering women.  After earning her bachelor's degree, she completed 22 credits as part of the Masters in the Art of Teaching program in secondary science and joined Pi Lambda Theta, which recognizes outstanding students pursuing careers in education.  Dr. Madison then began her doctoral program under the direction of Geoffrey Hutchison and the late Peter Siska, completing thesis work on "Electron and Molecular Dynamics:  Penning Ionization and Molecular Charge Transport".  She was also accepted into the Graduate Student Chapter of Phi Lambda Upsilon Honorary Chemistry Society.  Since 2006, Dr. Madison has worked at the University of Pittsburgh as a graduate student researcher until she began teaching undergraduate chemistry courses in 2018.

LinkedIn profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamika-madison-7375731b/

University of Pittsburgh, Ph.D. Organic Chemistry (2017)
Colgate University, B.A. Chemistry (2012)

Dr. Lauren Burrows is a Research Scientist on NETL’s Geochemistry Team under the Geological and Environmental Systems directorate.  She received her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh in 2018 and earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Colgate University in 2012.  Dr. Burrows has worked at NETL for over five years, first as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) research associate in 2018, then as a research scientist through Leidos starting in 2021, before joining the federal team in August 2023.  Dr. Burrows is currently the Principal Investigator for the Produced Water Characterization Field Work Proposal studying subsurface reactions of chemicals in fracturing fluids and the effect of these processes on wastewater contamination.  She is also working on developing a mobile laboratory to monitor gas-phase emissions of nitrosamines and other pollutants from point source capture pilots and demonstrations under the Point Source Capture Multiyear Research Plan.  As the nitrosamines emitted into the atmosphere could potentially accumulate in nearby water sources and present a public health concern, the project aims to monitor — and if needed, prevent — any emissions of nitrosamine compounds into the environment.  Dr. Burrows has published extensively in Energy & Fuels, and she has also mentored as part of NETL’s Internship program in the summer of 2022.

LinkedIn profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-burrows/

Duquesne University, Ph.D. Chemistry (2021)
Duquesne University, Master's Degree, Forensic Science & Law  (2012)
Duquesne University, Bachelor's Degree, Biochemistry  (2011)

Watching “Cold Case Files” and reading about the unsolved murder of JonBenét Ramsey were what drove Dr. Penefsky into the forensic science field after high school graduation – she wondered "How could I contribute?".  While pursuing her master’s degree, she chose to intern with Dr. Cyril Wecht and Dr. John Delmastro at Carlow University where she was able to participate in many of the autopsies conducted there.  After such an invaluable experience, she chose to pursue her doctoral degree with a focus on toxicology and analytical chemistry, developing a two-dimensional liquid chromatography method of analysis to quantify cannabinoids and bath salts in urine.  During Dr. Penefsky's doctoral program, she applied to an open position at Valspar (acquired by Sherwin-Williams) in analytical chemistry and completed her thesis work on the weekends.  Even though she had no prior experience working with polymers and packaging coatings, she performed a variety of LC/GC-MS analyses in support of Regulatory Affairs, problem-solving, and R&D projects while mentoring lower-level technical professionals.  After almost 3 years, she was promoted to Senior Chemist and was the project leader for LC-MS analyses of monomers and oligomers, including the characterization of novel polymer systems.  Thereafter, she was promoted to Staff Chemist and was the lead LC/GC-MS chemist for flavor scalping, retained solvents, and oligomer analyses with 7 direct reports.  Most recently, Dr. Penefsky was promoted to Senior Group Leader where she now directs all R&D Analytical activities in Pittsburgh’s Global Technical Center.  Her team provides the necessary support for new polymer synthesis and formulations, problem solving in production and finding root cause determination, and supports their Regulatory Affairs teams, globally, for food contact migration compliance/confirmation, REACH, and polymer exemptions.  She leads an incredibly talented team of 9 chemists who are frequently “chasing zero” with limits of quantification:  yes, they are routinely asked to see and count to the parts per trillion level.  Think of 1 drop of food coloring into 20 Olympic sized swimming pools!  As a passionate leader, she believes that "If we are successful in educating and growing those underneath us, then we all get to win together".  When not at work, Dr. Penefsky spends most of her time with her 3 amazing little girls, traveling (finally), gardening, and attending metal shows around the Pittsburgh area.

LinkedIn profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-penefsky-ph-d-81897634/

University of California Santa Barbara, Ph.D. Chemistry (2021)
Nanjing University, B.S. Chemistry (2016)

Dr. Li earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from UC Santa Barbara, where she focused on heterogeneous catalysis mechanisms using advanced synchrotron techniques under the direction of Susannah Scott.  As a graduate research assistant, she discovered a new route to synthesize a highly active Mo-based olefin metathesis catalyst, built a microflow gas reaction system to test air-sensitive catalysts at high temperature, and identified fundamental mechanisms for Ga-based propane dehydrogenation catalysts.  She was also a visiting researcher at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, a division of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, where she utilized various synchrotron-based methods (XANES, HERFD, EXAFS, and XES) to analyze materials such as air-sensitive solids and pyrophoric liquids.  After graduation, Dr. Li started working at Braskem as a catalysis researcher specializing in the development of new catalysts for the polyolefin business.  She has been a member of the Pittsburgh-Cleveland Catalysis Society since 2023 and has experience in the Technology Management Program, which gave her valuable insights into the connection between innovation and entrepreneurship.  Overall, Dr. Li is passionate about driving innovation in the polyolefin industry and leveraging her multidisciplinary background to contribute to sustainable solutions. 

LinkedIn profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lili805/

University of Pittsburgh, Ph.D. Medicinal & Pharmaceutical Chemistry (2023)
University at Buffalo, Bachelor's Degree, Chemistry (2018)

Dr. Vaughn was born and raised in Rochester, New York and in 2014 began her academic journey at the University at Buffalo (The State University of New York) to obtain her bachelor’s in chemistry with a minor in medicinal chemistry.  Throughout her time at UB, she was very involved in two research labs, the Western New York Prosperity Fellowship, the gospel choir, and the UB Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program.  In 2018, she was accepted into The University of Pittsburgh's pharmaceutical science Ph.D. program where she began her journey in the medicinal chemistry track.  Dr. Vaughn's research involved being a scientific liaison between synthesizing novel inhibitors as well as testing these inhibitors in various biological assays for use in acute kidney injury.  Within her graduate school experience, she had the opportunity to intern at Merck where she worked on, and subsequently published, her work on diastereoselective reductive etherification via high throughput experimentation.  In 2023, Dr. Vaughn became the first African American woman to graduate with a Ph.D. from the pharmaceutical science program at the University of Pittsburgh!  Directly after completing her Ph.D., she relocated to outside of Baltimore, Maryland and begin her post-doctoral work at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, the Department of Defense’s lead laboratory for medical chemical defense research. Her current work focuses on the design and synthesis of novel countermeasures for the treatment of chemical warfare agents.

LinkedIn profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-vaughn/