Fostering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Respect in the Chemistry Community

Raj Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D.

Vice President; Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Respect, ACS

"Dr. Rajendrani (Raj) Mukhopadhyay is the Vice President of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Respect at the American Chemical Society. Raj and her team ensures that the ACS core value of DEIR permeates all ACS actions; they also implement the new ACS Strategic Plan Goal, “Embrace and Advance Inclusion in Chemistry.”

After earning her Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University, Raj began her career as a science writer at the American Chemical Society. After several years at the ACS and then running her own freelance business, Raj shifted to the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology where she eventually became the managing editor for the society's magazine, ASBMB Today.

In 2017, she was tapped by the American Chemical Society to be the first executive editor for C&EN BrandLab. The mission of the trailblazing studio is to pull in advertising revenue by creating compelling and authentic sponsored content for clients. Under Raj’s leadership, the studio now brings a 7-figure revenue stream every year. In 2019, C&EN BrandLab was a finalist for the prestigious Best Content Marketing Agency award from Digiday. The studio has also been featured in several publications, including Forbes, for its innovations in content marketing in the scientific advertising space.

Besides her storytelling and leadership skills, Raj’s passion for equity and inclusivity as well as her ability to give voice to issues and concerns of marginalized people got her noticed. She brings that passion and ability to implementing DEIR initiatives across ACS."

Shaina Lange, MPS

Senior Publications Ethics Manager, Publishing Integrity Office, ACS Publications

"Shaina Lange (she/her) is the Senior Publications Ethics Manager in the Publishing Integrity Office at the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Shaina joined ACS Publications in 2015 and the Publishing Integrity Office in 2020. As Senior Publications Ethics Manager, she oversees the overall strategy and activities to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect in ACS Publications. She also supports ethics policy, case management, and education. Shaina represents ACS in several cross-publisher working groups and committees to improve diversity and accelerate change within the scholarly publishing industry and larger research ecosystem.

In her previous role at the ACS, she led editorial analytics efforts for ACS journals to monitor performance and support data-driven editorial, marketing, and product development strategies.

Shaina holds a Master's of Professional Studies in Publishing from the George Washington University and a Diversity & Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University. Prior to the ACS, Shaina worked in non-profit book publishing following several years in the special events industry."

Kiyomi D. Deards, MSLIS

Associate Professor and Subject Librarian for Chemistry, Biochemistry, Forensic Science, Physics and Astronomy, and Water, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

"Kiyomi Diane Deards is an associate professor and the librarian for Chemistry, Biochemistry, Forensic Science, Physics & Astronomy, and Water at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) University Libraries. Currently, she serves on UNL’s Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of Gender and Sexual Identity and is the secretary for the ACS Nebraska Local Section. Kiyomi is also a member of the Chemical Information Section of ACS. In 2019 and 2020 she was the visiting program officer for Leadership and Diversity with the Association of Research Libraries. She has worked with and led librarian mentoring programs since 2010.

Kiyomi has co-led the interactive SciPop: Where Science Intersects Pop-Culture talks and events since 2014, and is a founding member of the SciComm conference planning board at UNL. She researches, writes, and presents about issues of management and equity in libraries; and science literacy, education, and outreach.

Deards, K., and Puente, M. A. “Improving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Libraries: Programs and Methodologies to Consider.” Research Library Issues, no. 301 (2020): 43–70. https://doi.org/10.29242/rli.301.4"