Questo sito utilizza cookies tecnici (necessari) e analitici.
Proseguendo nella navigazione accetti l'utilizzo dei cookies.

“MEET YOUR WOMAN IN SCIENCE” SPEED MENTORING EVENT

Locandina evento "MEET YOUR WOMAN IN SCIENCE"

“MEET YOUR WOMAN IN SCIENCE”

Embassy of Italy in Washington DC

February 13, 2025 at 5:00 pm

 

Overview

In the framework of the 2025 Week of Women and Girls in Science, the Embassy of Italy hosts the “MEET YOUR WOMAN IN SCIENCE” speed mentoring event that brings together accomplished women from various scientific disciplines to mentor and inspire all participants.

This event aims to provide attendees with the opportunity to engage in rapid, focused conversations with experienced professionals, fostering connections and offering guidance on career development in science.

 

Objectives

Empowerment: Inspire and empower mentees to pursue and advance in scientific careers.

Networking: Facilitate meaningful connections between emerging scientists and established professionals.

Guidance: Provide personalized advice on career progression, research opportunities, and overcoming challenges in the scientific field.

 

Event Structure

The Speed Mentoring session will consist of a series of short interactions between mentors and mentees. Each mentee will have the opportunity to engage with multiple mentors, allowing for diverse perspectives and advice.

 

Duration: Total event time of 2 hours, including opening remarks, mentoring sessions, and a closing networking opportunity.

 

Participants: Women scientists from academia, industry, government and international organizations, serving as mentors. Mentees ranging from students, early-career professional and established experts.

 

LINK TO REGISTER: https://embassyofitaly2.swoogo.com/meetyourwomaninscience/register

 

***

 

Mentors

 

Dr. Alessandra Barelli

Alessandra Barelli

Alessandra Barelli was born in Milan. She graduated in Chemistry and holds a doctorate in Physical Chemistry from the University of Basel, Switzerland.

Alessandra developed her professional career mainly in the private industry, in Europe as well as in the United States. She specializes in polymers and their applications in various industries, including automotive, paints, construction and furniture industries. She has also held adjunct chemistry professor positions at several universities in the Washington DC area.

Alessandra retired in December 2024 from her position as Director of R&D at REHAU Industries, a multinational plastics manufacturing company with headquarters in the Washington DC metro area. She is now a freelance consultant with interest in polymers, plastics, microplastics, biodegradable polymers and value-added recycling of plastics.

 

Dr. Duilia de Mello

Duilia de Mello

Duilia de Mello is an internationally recognized astrophysicist and academic leader. She is currently Vice Provost for Global Strategies and a Professor of Physics at The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C. With a PhD in Astronomy from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, she has held research and faculty positions at esteemed institutions, including NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

Dr. de Mello’s groundbreaking research focuses on the formation and evolution of galaxies, starbursts, and intergalactic stars. She has contributed significantly to major astronomical surveys using cutting-edge space telescopes such as Hubble and GALEX. An advocate for science outreach, she is committed to inspiring future generations through education and public engagement.

Her work has not only advanced our understanding of the universe but also fostered international collaborations in science and education.

 

 

Meredith Gibson

Meredith Gibson

Meredith Gibson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS). With a community of over 7,700 members, AWIS provides a sense of belonging, recognition, and career advancement for women in all scientific disciplines and employment sectors so they can achieve their full potential. AWIS also advocates for gender equity and safe, inclusive spaces for STEM students and professionals. Ms. Gibson has been serving the AWIS mission in various capacities since 2007. As CEO, she oversees all facets of the organization including driving mission impact, strategic planning, advocacy and outreach initiatives, member benefit programs, HR, financial management, business development, operations, and engages with the board of directors. Under her leadership, AWIS has doubled its membership, fundraising, and corporate partnership programs and established a new Strategic Plan for 2023-2026.  Ms. Gibson is a graduate of the University of Washington, with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies.

 

Dr. Ann Ginsberg

Ann Ginsberg

Ann Ginsberg, M.D., PhD, is Deputy Director, TB Vaccines, Global Health, at the Gates Foundation, where she leads the TB vaccine strategy. Ann has been engaged in TB research and product development for over 25 years, including 15 years leading teams and designing clinical strategy for development of TB vaccines and treatment regimens of high priority for the developing world. Before joining the foundation in January 2020, she served as Chief, Respiratory Diseases Branch, NIAID, NIH, Director, Project Management at Merck Research Laboratories, as Chief Medical Officer at the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development and then Aeras before joining the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) as Senior Technical Advisor.

Ann earned an A.B. in Biology from Harvard University, a PhD in Molecular Biology from Washington University School of Medicine and an M.D. from Columbia University. She serves on numerous vaccine and global health advisory committees and as a peer-reviewer for several international journals.

 

Dr. Anna Grassellino

Anna Grassellino

Anna Grassellino is the Director of the National Quantum Information Science SQMS Center, a Fermilab Senior Scientist and the head of the Fermilab SQMS division. Her research focuses on radio frequency superconductivity, in particular on understanding and improving SRF cavities performance to enable new applications, spanning from particle accelerators to detectors to quantum information science.

Grassellino is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the recipient of numerous awards for her pioneering contributions to SRF technology, including the 2017 Presidential Early Career Award, the 2017 Frank Sacherer Prize of the European Physical Society, the 2016 IEEE PAST Award, the 2016 USPAS prize, a DOE Early Career Award and the New Horizons in Physics Prize by the Breakthrough Foundation. She holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s of Electronic Engineering from the University of Pisa, Italy.

 

Dr. Lynn R. Goldman

Lynn R. Goldman

Lynn R. Goldman, M.D., MPH, M.S., is a pediatrician and an epidemiologist with broad experience and publications in applied public health, pediatric environmental health research and policy. She has been a pioneer in understanding the unique vulnerabilities of children to adverse environmental conditions early in life and has researched biomarkers of exposure and adverse health responses, adverse birth outcomes, developmental and environmental epigenetics and pediatric environmental public health policy. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and currently a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health Executive Committee.

 

Dr. Alison K. Hall

Alison K. Hall

Alison K. Hall, PhD, is Senior Associate Dean for Research at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Professor of Neurology and Rehabilitation Sciences. For many years, Dr. Hall led a highly productive and well-funded research program focused on brain development and sensory neurons at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and she continues to make major contributions to training the next generation of scientists. Before joining GW, she was deputy director for Training, Workforce Development and Diversity at NIGMS. Dr. Hall earned her PhD in Neuroscience at Case Western Reserve University and her B.S. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from the University of California, San Diego.

 

Dr. Lucie Low

Lucie Low

Dr. Lucie Low is the Chief Scientist for Axiom Space, where she formulates the strategic research priorities for Axiom Space and advises on the design of Axiom Station to support science and commercial innovation. She works with global governments, researchers, and industrial partners to develop and grow commercial space economies, and facilitates the development and successful implementation of Axiom Space’s customers’ and partners’ scientific research portfolios. Lucie has 20 years of research experience across academia and government and prior to joining Axiom Space was the Scientific Program Manager for the Tissue Chips for Drug Screening program and the liaison to NASA at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Low received her undergraduate degree from Oxford University in the UK, and holds Master’s and PhD degrees in Neuroscience from University College London. She also enjoys skydiving, paragliding, and anything that alters gravity’s dominance.

 

Makenzie Lystrup

Makenzie Lystrup

Dr. Makenzie Lystrup is the director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center guiding the direction and management of one of NASA’s major field installations. Goddard is responsible for the oversight and execution of a $4 billion portfolio and is home to the nation’s largest concentration of scientists, engineers and technologists dedicated to Earth and space science. Its workforce consists of more than 10,000 employees, both civil servant and contractor.

Prior to joining NASA, Dr. Lystrup was vice president and general manager of Ball Aerospace’s Civil Space Strategic Business Unit, where she was responsible for the company’s portfolio of civil space systems spanning across all science fields, operational weather and Earth observation, as well as advanced technologies development objectives.

Dr. Lystrup holds a Bachelor’s in Physics from Portland State University and attended graduate school at University College London earning a PhD in Astrophysics.

 

Dr. Annarita Mariotti

Annarita Mariotti

Annarita Mariotti is the NOAA Climate Program Office Principal Science Advisor, informing strategy to advance climate science and services across the portfolio of office activities. Annarita has 20+ years in climate and Earth system research working in academia and government, with 60+ research publications, reports and book chapters. At NOAA, she was the Director of the NOAA Modeling, Analysis, Predictions and Projections program that she developed. She later worked at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in prominent leadership roles including as Assistant Director for Climate Science, Modeling and Predictions, Co-chair of the Earth System Predictability Fast Track Action Committee, and lead for the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services. Annarita is the recipient of two DOC medals for Meritorious Federal Service. She holds a B.S. in Physics from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, and a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University Pierre et Marie Curie.

 

Dr. Sarah K. Martin

Sarah K. Martin

Sarah K. Martin, PhD, M.S., currently serves as senior director of global regulatory policy and strategy for oncology at Lilly, where she leads their regulatory policy initiatives on RWD/E, dosage optimization and interim interpretability of oncology endpoints. She previously served as senior director of science and regulatory advocacy for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) where she led their regulatory advocacy efforts on key issues including real-world evidence, clinical development, human drug review program, and cell and gene therapies. Sarah also worked for the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) where she led their efforts to modernize the regulatory process and engage in the development and implementation of programmatic and policy initiatives with the US FDA Oncology Center of Excellence. Sarah holds a Doctorate in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry and a Master’s Degree in Animal and Food Science from the Colleges of Medicine and Agriculture respectively from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY.

 

Dr. Whitney Mason

Whitney Mason

Dr. Whitney Mason is the acting deputy director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and director of the Microsystems Technology Office (MTO).

Previously, she held the deputy director role in the agency’s Strategic Technology Office (STO) from June 2022 to October 2023. Prior to joining STO, Mason served as a program manager in MTO from November 2017 to May 2022.

Her research interests include imaging sensors that provide multifunction capability. In particular, she is interested in novel device structures, optics, and electronics that enable new capabilities compared to current state-of-the-art imaging systems.

Mason joined DARPA from the Army C5ISR Center, formerly the Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, where she was the director of the Science and Technology Division within the Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. In that role, she led a team of scientists and engineers in the pursuit of new and improved focal plane array materials and devices; advanced read-out circuits; and enhanced optical materials and designs, lasers, and image processing.

Mason holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in physics from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Georgetown University.

 

Dr. Julia Omotade

Julia Omotade

Dr. Julia Omotade is a cellular and molecular neuroscientist whose expertise spans the academic, nonprofit, and policy sectors. She received her PhD from Emory University, where she used advanced microscopy to investigate mammalian brain development and synapse formation, contributing to our knowledge of neuronal growth, plasticity, and repair. Currently, Dr. Omotade is a Senior Science Policy Specialist at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), where she serves as a trusted voice in our nation’s pressing biomedical policy issues. Her portfolio includes scientific training of and diversity, equity and inclusion in the US scientific biomedical workforce; sexual harassment in academic medicine; and new, national and regional research initiatives. Prior to joining AAMC, Julia was a Senior Healthcare and STEM Executive Search Consultant at Isaacson, Miller, where she recruited leaders to drive discovery, health, education, and patient care in our nation’s scientific enterprise.

 

Dr. Rita Sambruna

Rita Sambruna

A native of Lake Como in Italy, Rita Sambruna has a Laurea Degree in Physics from the University of Milan and a Master and PhD in astrophysics from the International School of Advanced Studies in Trieste. Rita built an international scientific career through original research on extragalactic relativistic jets in galaxies, which led to ~400 papers. She was the Clare Booth Luce Professor of Physics and Astronomy at George Mason University (tenured), before being recruited by NASA to work on the Fermi Gamma-ray Observatory as a senior scientist (civil servant). She was the Physics of the Cosmos, NICER, and LISA Program Scientist at NASA HQ, receiving an Agency Exceptional Achievement Medal for her work on Decadal Studies. Currently, Rita is the Deputy Director of Astrophysics at NASA’s GSFC, leading a Division of ~400 scientists. Rita holds an OMRI award from the Italian Republic with the title of “Commendatore”.

 

Ms. Mary Lou Valdez

Mary Lou Valdez

Mary Lou Valdez was appointed Deputy Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in February 2020. Ms. Valdez’ portfolio includes serving as Secretary to PAHO’s Governing Bodies, managing the official relations with the Governments of Canada, the United States, and Puerto Rico, among other responsabilities.
Ms. Valdez retired from U.S. Government (USG) service in 2020. Throughout her career, she represented the USG in multilateral organizations, including the WHO, UNICEF, PAHO, UN-ECOSOC, and OECD.

In March 2019, Ms. Valdez became the FDA’s Associate Commissioner for Diplomacy and Partnerships within the Office of Global Policy and Strategy. She joined the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2009 as Associate Commissioner for International Programs. In 2003, Ms. Valdez was appointed Deputy Director of the Office of Global Health Affairs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).