Chemical & Engineering News celebrates women entrepreneurs in chemistry with its first annual Trailblazers issue

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2020 — Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society (ACS), is celebrating women entrepreneurs in chemistry with a special Trailblazers issue highlighting 20 women who work across the fields of biotechnology, solar energy, pharmaceuticals and more. Guest edited by CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D., this special issue showcases women in chemistry who are increasingly launching their own firms despite grappling with a gender gap in funding.

“This issue spotlights the work of some of the most creative and successful entrepreneurs, who happen to be female, leading the charge from across the scientific and engineering spectrum. These women have excelled in their fields, often breaking through cultural and societal barriers,” Doudna said in recent remarks. “By adding their diverse voices and perspectives to the entrepreneurial landscape, our trailblazers are opening up new possibilities that will transform our society and help to correct the underrepresentation of women among entrepreneurs.”

In addition to serving as guest editor, Doudna, who has herself founded five companies while running a successful academic research group, shares her top tips for new entrepreneurs with C&EN. And a profile of Doudna follows her through a day in her fast-paced life.

Other entrepreneurs featured in the Trailblazers issue include Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D., who has founded seven biotechnology companies; Cristina Sáenz de Pipaón, Ph.D., founder of Orchestra Scientific, which is working to develop technology that can trap carbon dioxide; Paula Hammond, Ph.D., whose company LayerBio develops drug-delivery systems for improved wound healing and tendon repair; and Miranda Wang and Jeanny Yao, who work to improve plastics recycling through their company, BioCellection.

“C&EN has been championing diversity within the American Chemical Society, the chemistry community and beyond for some time,” says C&EN’s Editor-in-Chief Bibiana Campos-Seijo. “In this first edition of Trailblazers, we are delighted to be able to celebrate women entrepreneurs who have created innovative chemistry and have the vision to use those discoveries to solve important problems.”

All original content in C&EN’s 2020 Trailblazers issue is written and edited entirely by women. All commissioned photos of the Trailblazers were also taken by women photographers. The print issue, which was produced with funding support from Pfizer, will release on March 9.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people. The Society is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a specialist in scientific information solutions (including SciFinder^® and STN^®), its CAS division powers global research, discovery and innovation. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.