Three oustanding EESA women were chosen for the 2018 Women @ The Lab awards – Lisa Kelly (EESA Operations Manager); Shi Wang (Principal Research Associate); and Romy Chakraborty (Ecology Department Head). They join an esteemed cohort of 16 women awardees across Berkeley Lab who have made and continue to make significant contributions in the areas of leadership, science, operations, mentorship, and outreach.
Their nominations were rich with multiple examples of the efforts to which these women go to enable science and operations of the highest quality here at Berkeley Lab. Kelly’s nominators cited her leadership role in restructuring and enhancing the functions of EESA Operations, proactively advancing the careers of her staff, facilitating a smooth transition of the EESA reorganization, and her decades of Lab experience that have made her an invaluable expert resource for EESA leadership and around the Lab.
Chakraborty was called out for her role in leading the Ecology Department and WSEC Empowerment Subcommittee, and her commitment through mentoring and community service to increase the visibility, funding potential and scientific impact of women scientists at Berkeley Lab and beyond. She has also made important, high-profile discoveries to advance our understanding of microbial physiology and biogeochemistry, including pioneering approaches to identify novel microbes and microbial function from diverse ecosystems and in the cultivation of ‘microbial dark matter’.
Wang was commended for her outstanding contributions to EESA’s safety culture, serving as an exemplary safety role model in her capacity as a lab manager and serving on the EESA Safety committee and Building Emergency Team. She was also noted for being proactive in leading independent research efforts or engaging in collaborative ones that have resulted in high-profile papers, and for helping instill her passion for science in younger students and scientists through her numerous mentoring experiences and commitment to nurturing the STEM pipeline.
The Women Scientists and Engineers Council (WSEC) and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Office will host an awards ceremony to honor the 2018 Women @ The Lab awardees on Monday, July 9th, at 3pm in the Bldg 50 Auditorium. This celebration will highlight just a handful of the many success stories across the Lab of women scientists, engineers, technical and operations professionals who work tirelessly to advance the Lab’s mission and change the world for the better.
Additional information about the awardees and ceremony will be announced in a TABL article later this month.