The Division of Professional Relations (PROF) congratulates Dr. Jessica Lamb on being selected for the inaugural PROF Leadership Development Award. She will be representing the division with her attendance at the ACS Leadership Development Institute 2022 in Atlanta, GA.
Dr. Lamb is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota. Her current research interests include developing new routes to make and un-make sustainable polyurethanes, designing new pre-catalysts for latent organocatalysis, and making new materials by controlling polymerization mechanisms in situ. Prior to Minnesota, she was a National Institute of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Jeremiah Johnson at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She earned her Ph.D. as an National Science Foundation graduate research fellow at Cornell University with Geoff Coates and her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of North Dakota.
Get to know more about Dr. Lamb as she shares some insight, advice, and fun with us:
- What is a facet of professional development that you are interested in learning more about?
I am interested in getting involved at the national level. I’ve held leadership positions in local and regional organizations, but I am interested to learn how responsibilities grow and evolve when serving a larger and more diverse constituency.
- What’s a piece of advice that you would give to someone interested in doing more leadership and professional development?
Do it! Find the organizations that are already doing the work you are interested in and get involved. Whether you want to develop your own skills or give back to a community you care about, you don’t have to re-invent the wheel.
- How did you get involved with PROF?
I had heard of the ACS Women Chemists Committee in graduate school, but I did not realize it was part of a larger PROF division until Prof. Amanda Morris from Virginia Tech told me about the GTCA and the opening for the Chair-Elect position. I decided to run to increase visibility and representation for ace (asexual) chemists. All of the different PROF sub-divisions are so important to foster community and provide professional development opportunities.
- What’s something you enjoy outside of your work?
I have too many hobbies to keep up with these days, but I enjoy crafting and playing board/tabletop/video games. Those things have kept me sane during the pandemic because they are easy to do individually or online. I look forward to social dancing (particularly swing dancing) again when that can be done safely.
You can follow her research group’s Twitter @TheLambLab.
The Division of Professional Relations of the American Chemical Society is a division for all
chemists, representing all types of chemical professionals of all identities, career stages, and
chemical disciplines. PROF aims to empower chemical professionals for success in a diverse
world through the creation of inclusive communities, resources, and programming. Visit
acsprof.org and follow on Twitter @acsprof to learn more.
Want to share content or an announcement our members may be interested in?
Contact:
ACS Division of Professional Relations
Annabelle Lolinco
communications@acsprof.org
(559) 644-8891
