Sponsored by the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, the annual Gender Equity in Chemical Sciences Conference is open to all graduate students and post-docs in both departments who are passionate about advocating for and supporting the professional advancement of women in the chemical sciences. The main objectives of the conference are to provide professional and social networking opportunities, offer advice and information regarding early graduate school decisions, and provide career development information and perspectives. The event is offered at no cost for all participants.
2025 GEICS Conference
"Struggles and Resilience in the Path Towards Gender Equity in Science"
Friday, September 12, 2025
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Illini Union Room 314
Register
Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Brenda Andrade Rounds
Assistant Professor, California State University, Los Angeles
Illinois Alum (PhD, '19, chemistry)
Program
9 am - Registration, Breakfast, and Welcome
Breakfast provided to registrants
10 am - Guest Speaker Datia Flowers
Datia Flowers
Assistant Director for Bias Response Initiatives, for Campus Belonging, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
From Awareness to Action: Advancing Gender Equity in Chemical Sciences
Abstract
This one-hour session will unpack what gender equity truly means in chemistry and chemical engineering. We will explore structural barriers in academia, clarify common misconceptions, and highlight the roles of allies in creating change. Through brief case examples and interactive prompts, participants will learn practical strategies to advocate effectively, respond to inequities, and foster lab and classroom cultures where all can thrive. Open to all genders and allies, this session equips graduate students with actionable tools to connect awareness with impact.
Bio
Datia Flowers is the inaugural Assistant Director for Bias Response Initiatives, for Campus Belonging, in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Datia has been with UIUC for just over 11 years, with 1 ½ years in her current position. Datia holds a master’s in social work from UIUC and has made it her life’s mission to advocate for social justice. Datia is inspired by her husband and their four children, as well as her journey in life as an African American, woman, first-generation, college student.
11 am - Faculty Panel
Join faculty members from both the Chemistry and the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Departments for a dynamic panel as they provide insights based on their perspectives and journeys related to gender equity in the STEM sciences and more specifically in the areas of chemistry and chemical engineering.
Jordan Axelson, Ph.D.
Director of Undergraduate Studies, and Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry
Bio
Jordan Axelson is an alumnus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, receiving her B.S. in Chemistry in 2010. After completing her PhD in inorganic synthetic chemistry at the University of California Berkeley under the direction of Prof. Jeffrey Long in 2016, she returned to Urbana to join the instructional faculty here at the University of Illinois.
Despite organic chemistry’s somewhat notorious reputation on college campuses, Jordan is enthusiastic about sharing the subject with her students. While the material may be challenging at times, she believes that the best remedy is to ask questions and have a conversation about any sticky spots. Office hours are a great resource!
In addition to teaching, Jordan has strong interests in science outreach, communication, and writing and held a AAAS Mass Media Fellowship at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel during the summer of 2017.
Joomyung (Vicky) Jun, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
Bio
Professor Jun (she/her) received a B.Sc. degree in chemical biology at UC Berkeley, where she conducted undergraduate research with Ken Raymond. She then worked with Ron Zuckermann at the Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She received Ph.D. degree in chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania as the first joint student under David Chenoweth and James Petersson. She was a Shurl and Kay Curci Postdoctoral Fellow of the Life Sciences Research Foundation with Ron Raines at MIT. In 2024, she joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a faculty member in Chemical Biology.
Mary Kraft, Ph.D.
Chien Family Professorial Scholar Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Bio
Mary L. Kraft is Professor and Robert W. Schaefer Scholar in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. She also is an affiliate professor in the Department of Chemistry. Her research group is developing new bioimaging approaches for individual cells to understand and predict biological function. They use these techniques for applied research, such as detecting stem cell differentiation for tissue engineering, and for basic research on the roles of plasma membrane organization in influenza virus replication and other important biological processes. Professor Kraft joined the department in 2007 after working as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University. She received her BS degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her PhD degree in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2003.
Alexa S. Kuenstler, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Bio
Alexa joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as an Assistant Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in January 2023. Alexa completed a Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with Professor Ryan Hayward studying photochemical and photothermal methods to control shape morphing in polymer constructs. In 2020, Alexa joined the group of Prof. Chris Bowman at the University of Colorado Boulder and pursued research on how dynamic covalent chemistry can be used to control self-assembly in polymer materials and interfaced with additive manufacturing. There, Alexa’s work was recognized with an Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chemical Sciences. Outside of lab, Alexa enjoys cheering for Philadelphia sports teams, reading novels, and going on hikes with her partner and dog.
Lisa Olshansky, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
Bio
After earning her B.S. in Chemistry from UC San Diego in 2009, Dr. Lisa Olshansky completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry at MIT in 2015 as an NSF Graduate Research and Presidential fellow under the mentorship of Profs. Daniel Nocera and JoAnne Stubbe. She then went on to work with Prof. Andy Borovik at UC Irvine as an ACS Irving S. Sigal Postdoctoral fellow. In 2018, Lisa began her independent career as an Assistant Prof. of Chemistry at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign where her team is working to mimic and exploit mechanisms in which macroscopic structural control is used to control the properties of metal centers. During her early career, Olshansky has been recognized with Searle, Cottrell, and Vallee Scholars awards, Carver Trust and DOE Young Investigator awards, and an NIH Early Stage Investigator award. Olshansky was recently named an NAS Kavli Fellow, received the Paul Saltman Young Investigator Award for her research on Metals in Biology, and was recently named a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awardee. Finally, since joining the faculty at Illinois, Olshansky has spearheaded an initiative called C2 that aims to foster inclusivity and diversity in the School of Chemical Sciences.
12 pm - Lunch
Lunch provided to registrants
1 pm - Keynote Speaker Brenda Andrade Rounds - Lecture and Q&A
Dr. Brenda Andrade Rounds, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, California State University, Los Angeles
Overcoming Barriers in STEM Education
Abstract
Despite decades of progress, underrepresentation in STEM persists, particularly for women, first-generation students, and individuals from underserved communities. This interactive presentation is a platform to explore the systemic and personal barriers that hinder access, persistence, and success in STEM education. It shares strategies for overcoming these challenges through the lens of a first-generation Latiné Chemistry doctoral student who is now a tenure-track professor at a primarily undergraduate-serving institution(PUI). It's an opportunity for us to engage in reflective and collaborative discussions, to share our challenges, such as navigating academic systems, overcoming financial constraints, and managing imposter syndrome. By doing so, we can generate solutions that foster resilience and persistence, a shared sense of belonging, and a community that knows we are not alone in our experiences.
Bio
Dr. Brenda Andrade Rounds is an Assistant Professor at California State University, Los Angeles. Her research integrates organic synthesis and physical organic chemistry to design supramolecular antidotes that sequester toxins from complex environments. A core mission of her lab is to provide undergraduate students with a robust foundation in scientific research by emphasizing the relationship between molecular structure and function. In addition to hands-on technical training, she mentors students in professional development skills, including literature review, scientific writing, and presenting research.
Dr. Andrade Rounds earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemistry from California State University, Los Angeles. She received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where her doctoral research focused on developing amphiphilic hyperbranched polyglycerols as nonionic surfactants with enhanced thermoresponsive behavior. Her postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Diego, centered on pharmaceutical sciences, during which she was a fellow in the NIH-supported San Diego Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) program. There, she received comprehensive training in responsible research conduct, mentorship, and fostering an inviting scientific environment.
A committed advocate for research training for all, Dr. Andrade Rounds leverages both her academic background and personal experience as a CSU alumna to support all students. She actively implements practices that foster a sense of belonging, create a supportive environment, and promote increased access to scientific careers. Her scholarly contributions span multiple interdisciplinary applications of hyperbranched polymers, including the development of SPION- based MRI contrast agents, the creation of hydrogels for 3D microenvironments, and encapsulation technologies.
Dr. Andrade Rounds is a long-standing member of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and has served on the Chapter Subcommittee for the past six years. Her research and mentoring activities continue to shape the next generation of diverse scientists committed to rigorous, ethical, and impactful science.
2:15 pm - Award Presentation and Closing Remarks
Annual Gender Equity in Chemical Sciences Inclusive Leadership (GEICSIL) Award
The 2025 GEICSIL awards will be awarded respectively to an outstanding Department of Chemistry graduate student or postdoc and an outstanding Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) graduate student or postdoc committed to promoting full and equal participation of women, minoritized populations, persons with different able-bodiedness status, and/or persons of differing sexual orientations and gender identities in research, teaching, and service in the chemical sciences.
To learn more about past recipients of the GEICSIL award, visit https://chemistry.illinois.edu/diversity/diversity-initiatives/diversity-awards.
Award Details
Two awards will be administered, one each from chemistry and ChBE. The recipients will receive an award certificate, presented at the Annual Gender Equity in Chemical Sciences Conference on Friday, September 12, 2025, recognition on the chemistry and ChBE websites, and $500 disbursed through the recipient’s university account. Funds can be used for participation in conferences or receiving additional certifications, among other professional development activities.