DIRECTOR
BROWN
AMY BROWN, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Neumann University
Education: BS Biochemistry, Lafayette College, 2000; Ph.D. Organic Chemistry, University of Buffalo the State University of New York, 2006; Post-doctoral fellow, University of Pennsylvania, 2006-2008
Honors and Professional Societies: American Association for the Advancement of Science; ACS; Faculty Advisor to Gamma Iota, Neumann University chapter of the Sigma Zeta National Math and Honor Society (2015-present); Site director for the Southeast Regional Science Olympiad (2020); Excellence in Teaching Award for Undergraduate Teaching, Neumann University (2014); William Forris Hart ’27 Organic Chemistry Prize (2000), Lafayette College
ACS Membership: 1998-present; Philadelphia Section
Local Section participation: Philadelphia Section Board of Directors, 2019-present
It has been an incredible six years serving as a Director on the Board for the local Philadelphia section of the American Chemical Society. Most of these years I’ve spent listening and learning about the ins and outs of the organization from my more experienced colleagues. This has been such an enlightening journey, one that I would like to continue if given the opportunity. As a disabled person, I am learning to find my voice and would like to use it this upcoming term to make a positive impact in the local section. By providing a different perspective, I can advocate for a more inclusive environment that would accommodate all members. As part of this charge, I would really like to serve on the subcommittee for Disabled Chemists this term and see how to better incorporate its visions into the local Philadelphia section.
DYER
ROBERT (ROB) DYER, Research Scientist, Adesis.
Education: BS Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 2016; PhD, Organic Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 2022
Professional Societies: POCC Member 2022-present, Secretary 2024-present
ACS Membership: 2024-present; Philadelphia Section: 2024-present; Organic Chemistry (ORGN) 2023-present
Statement: I am excited to run as a Board of Director to support the needs of the chemistry community. While relatively new to the area and ACS, I believe the local section plays a vital role in enhancing the visibility and the impact of chemistry. I believe a strong local community of diverse backgrounds provides a critical asset in these times and will continue to shape the future of our field.
My specific interests include supporting members’ professional careers and communicating science. The gap between education and employment is particularly important as our work force continues to grow and develop from students to professionals. I pledge to continue to work to further these interests and those that are of particular importance to our section.
FAN
XUETONG FAN, Lead Scientist, USDA, ARS, Eastern Regional Research Center
Education: BSc, Horticulture, China Agricultural University; MSc. and PhD. Postharvest Biology and Technology, Washington State University
Professional History: Assistant Researcher, China Academy of Agricultural Science, 1984-1989; Visiting Scientist, USDA, ARS, 1989-1990; Research Assistant, Washington state University, 1990-1996, Research Associate, USDA, ARS, 1996-1999; Research Food Technologist/Lead Scientist, USDA, ARS, 1989-present.
ACS Membership: 2003–present; Philadelphia Section, 2003-present; Agricultural and Food Chemistry Division, 2005-presnt
Honors and Professional Societies: ACS, Agricultural and Food Chemistry Division fellow, 2019; Institute of Food Technologists fellow, 2023; Distinguished Service Award, ACS Agricultural and Food Chemistry Division 2024; Chair, ACS Agricultural and Food Chemistry Division, 2018; Chair, Institute of Food Technologists, Fruit & Vegetable Products Division, 2009; President, Asian Pacific American Network in Agriculture, Philadelphia, 2006. Institute of Food Technologists member (2000-presnt); International Society for Food Protection member (2010-presdnt).
Statement: I will be honored to serve on the Board of Directors for our local section, where I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues to develop new programs and initiatives that expand our membership, and member involvement. Having actively participated in the ACS Agricultural and Food Chemistry division, including serving as chair and on the executive committee, I will be happy to apply my experience at the local level. My initial focus will be to learn from our experienced directors, councilors and other leaders of Philly section. I also plan to organize food chemistry-related webinars, which I believe will appeal to a broad public audience. My research expertise lies in developing chemical methods to enhance food’s microbial safety while maintaining its flavor and nutrients and other quality attributes, as well as assessing the formation of undesirable chemicals during food processing. I hope my area of expertise will be a unique contribution. Being a location section member for about 20 years, I hope I can actively be involved by participating in activities and decision-making, and supporting others.
GANESH
SAIRAM GANESH, Sr. Scientist, Global Business Technology, Axalta Coatings System.
Education: BS Chemical Engineering, Anna University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, 2019; MS Chemical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, 2021.
Professional Positions: Graduate Student Researcher, Univ of Maryland, College Park, MD, 2019-2021; Process Engineer/Chemist, Axalta Coating Systems, Front Royal, VA, 2021-2025, Sr. Scientist, Axalta Coating Systems, Philadelphia, PA, 2025- Present.
Honors and Professional Societies: Robert Ma Scholarship Award for Exceptional International Graduate Student, 2021.
ACS Membership: 2021- Present.
Local Section Participation: Head Judge + Category Judge for Prince William Regional STEM fair, 2025; Head Judge for Engineering- GUA, 2025; Graduate Mentor, STEM, University of Maryland, 2020.
Statement: I am excited to run for Director, where I see immense potential to bridge our local community through multiple initiatives. As an industry professional, my excitement for chemical sciences remains as vibrant as it was during my school days. Having navigated the arduous transition of translating academic theory into industrial application, I believe organizations like ACS can play a pivotal role in bridging the gap.
I wholeheartedly believe that our section policies should emphasize cross sector collaboration connecting academia and industry to create a more rounded professional network. In today’s age of AI and rapid innovation, our policies should reflect and adapt with the times, conducting hands on workshops, career panels and improvement opportunities that will help everyone stay relevant. These programs should be aimed to DEMYSTIFY chemistry for public.
Beyond mentorship, I am passionate about creating platforms for peer-to-peer learning, where early career professionals can grow, exchange ideas and build consequential networks. I also advocate for expanding our digital presence in platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube to reach broader audiences and make it accessible.
I would be honored to contribute to a section that celebrates innovation and builds bridges across generations and disciplines.
IRWIN
MATTHEW IRWIN, Technology Manager, Process Technology, Axalta Coating Systems
Education:
PhD Chemical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 2016
BE Chemical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, 2011
Professional Positions:
Process Technology Manager, Axalta Coating Systems, Philadelphia, PA (2024 – Present)
Principal Investigator, DuPont, Wilmington, DE (2021 – 2024)
Team Manager, Axalta Coating Systems, Philadelphia, PA (2019 – 2021)
Scientist, Axalta Coating Systems, Philadelphia, PA (2016 – 2019)
Honors and Professional Societies:
NSF GRFP Fellow (2011 – 2016)
Tau Beta Pi
ACS Membership:
Philadelphia Section (2020 – Present)
National Participation:
Committee on Professional Training, Associate Member (2023 – Present)
Local Section Participation:
Immediate Past Chair (2025)
Chair (2024)
Chair-Elect (2023)
Program Planning Committee (2020 – 2022)
Statement: I am pleased to run for the position of Director of the Philadelphia Local Section. As Chair in 2024, I was honored to guide a year that blended renewal with tradition during our Section’s 125th anniversary. We offered a balance of new and established programming, ranging from a “Meet Our Committees” networking event at Workhorse Brewing to hallmark events like the Edgar Fahs Smith Lecture and the Excellence in Teaching and Student Awards. Our 125th Anniversary Gala at the Weitzman Museum, featuring Dr. Joseph DeSimone, ACS CEO Albert Horvath, and Councilmember Mark Squilla, brought together partners across academia, industry, and government to celebrate our Section’s enduring legacy.
Looking ahead, I hope to strengthen the Section’s structure to make volunteering more engaging, purposeful, and sustainable. A key priority will be improving how we communicate committee activities and volunteer opportunities to the broader membership, helping members clearly see what each committee does, how to get involved, and where their interests align. I also plan to work with committees and volunteers to refine volunteer terms (for example, January-to-January cycles) to promote consistency, accountability, and smoother transitions. By creating clearer pathways for participation, we can highlight opportunities and make volunteering a more fulfilling experience. My goal is to leverage my experience as a past Chair and as a manager to enhance our structure so that every volunteer feels informed, supported, and connected to the Section’s broader mission.
MCINNIS
CHRISTINE E. MCINNIS, Senior Lead Scientist and Team Lead, Biochemistry and Interfacial Sciences, IFF.
Education: B.S, Chemistry and Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 2006; Ph.D., Organic Chemistry, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2011.
ACS Membership: 2006; Wisconsin Local Section Younger Chemists Committee, founder: 2009; Phila. Section: 2011-present.
Local Section Participation: YCC Chair, 2012-2019. Board of Directors, 2016-2019. Councilor, 2017-2022. Chair Succession 2020-2022, currently Immediate Past Chair.
National Participation: National Younger Chemists Committee (YCC): 2010 [Local and Regional Affairs working group chairman, 2011-2018]; Career Consultant, 2016-present; CEPA member 2019-present.
Statement: I have enjoyed serving the Philadelphia Local Section for several years as a member of the Board of Directors. I feel passionately about helping all chemists find careers that they enjoy and also love serving as a Career Consultant on a Local and National level. On the National level, I hope to continue serving on Committee for Economic and Professional Affairs also known as CEPA. I currently serve on the subcommittee working to improve the course content of the Career Services Courses, coming up with plans to help our fellow chemists in cases of mass layoffs, and honoring local sections and divisions with ChemLuminaries. I would like to help our local section continue to enhance the participation of industrial members and find ways of including people in diverse geographical areas into our meetings.
MILLER
DANIEL MILLER, Senior Research Scientist, Dow Industrial Solutions, Dow Inc.
Education: BEng Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 2009; Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 2014.
Professional Positions: Dow Inc., Collegeville, PA, 2014-present; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 2009-2014.
Honors and Professional Societies: AIChE 2024 Polymers in Industry – Rising Stars Award; Business Intelligence Group™ (BIG) Innovation Award 2023 – DEXCARE™ CD-1 Polymer; R&D 100 Finalist 2023 – DEXCARE™ CD-1 Polymer; Independent Commodity Intelligence Services (ICIS) Innovation Awards 2023 – UCARE™ Extreme Polymer and EcoSense™ GL-60 HA/HL Surfactant; Business Intelligence Group™ (BIG) Innovation Award 2022 – UCARE™ Extreme Polymer; American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS; 2014-present); AIChE (2014-present).
ACS Membership: 2016; ACS COLL; ACS POLY; Philadelphia Section: 2016
National Participation: ACS COLL Program Chair, 2022-present; ACS COLL Strategic Planning Retreat, 2024; ACS Leadership Institute 2023, 2024.
Local Section Participation: YCC Participation, 2016-2020; Industry Committee, 2020.
Statement: I am excited to run as a Director on the Board of Directors for ACS Philadelphia Section. For the past four years, I have had the privilege to serve ACS COLL as Program Chair. In this role, I led initiatives to grow our national programming back to pre-pandemic levels. I also organized events that brought Industry, Academia, and National Laboratories together to further the field of Colloid & Surface Chemistry and initiate fruitful collaborations.
In the past, I have been impressed with the commitment of the Philadelphia Section to bring Industry and Academia together. If elected, I would like to leverage my extensive network to continue these initiatives and bring new ideas to the table. I would also like to further support STEM activities to mentor the future generation of Chemists. Finally, I would like to represent the interests of the Section on a national level as I am running for Vice Chair of the COLL division.
SALAS-DE LA CRUZ
DAVID SALAS-DE LA CRUZ, Associate Professor, Director of Chemistry Graduate Program, Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University – Camden, and Rutgers University Senator.
Education: BS, Chemical Engineering, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; MS, Chemical Engineering, Villanova University; PhD, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania.
Professional Position: Salas-de la Cruz has more than 25 years of industrial and academic research experience. He has worked at Kimberly-Clark, LifeScan (a Johnson and Johnson Company), Rohm and Haas (Dow Chemicals), and Holtec International. In addition, he served as Consultant for Local Motors, Shell Oil Company, and Director of Fabrication Laboratory and STEM Consultant for the LEAP Academy University Charter School in Camden, NJ, for the past 10 years.
Honors and Professional Societies: ACS Board Director 2020-2025, President of the Thermal Analysis Forum of the Delaware Valley (2020-2022), Vice President of Thermal Analysis Forum of the Delaware Valley (2018-2020); Leap Academy University Charter School Board Member (2013-2014); American Institute of Chemical Engineer Board of Director Members (2004-2009)
ACS Membership: Since 2013; Philadelphia Section: Since 2014. Served as ASC SEED Mentor in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
National Participation: Cellulose Division and PMSE (San Diego 2022, San Francisco 2023, San Diego 2025, and Atlanta 2026). Participates as Session Chair in the last two.
Honor Societies: Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa
Statement: It is indeed a great pleasure to be nominated for a new cycle for both Board of Directors Member, for the Philadelphia Section of the American Chemical Society. I am excited about this opportunity to represent my colleague and my local scientific community and to be one of the spokesmen to the general public.
If elected, I will continue to:
- Expand Student and Professional Engagement: Strengthen participation across New Jersey and the Delaware Valley by supporting career growth, mentoring, and networking. With over 20 colleges and universities in the region, we have an incredible opportunity to connect students and professionals to career training, continuing education, and professional development events. In the next three years, I will focus on bringing together collaboration between other professional organizations in the area.
- Support Minority Scientists and Professionals: As a minority myself, I understand the challenges that come with language and cultural barriers. I aim to foster a supportive network that helps underrepresented students and professionals strengthen their writing, communication, and leadership skills.
- Advocate for Educational and Research Freedom: Promote initiatives that protect students’ rights to learn, question, and participate in federally funded research without fear of political interference. Academic inquiry must remain free, open, and driven by curiosity.
VAZQUEZ-LOPEZ
ANDRES VAZQUEZ-LOPEZ, Research Scientist, Adesis Inc.
Education: BS Chemistry, Lebanon Valley College, 2018; Ph.D Chemistry, Temple University, 2023
Professional Positions: Research scientist, Adesis Inc., Wilmington, DE (June 2023 – Present)
Honors and Professional Societies: Merck Research Award for Underrepresented Chemist of Color, American Chemical Society (ACS); Alliance in Science and Engineering (ADSE) – Fundraising Coordinator; Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
ACS Membership: 2017; Philadelphia Local Section (2019 – Present)
Local Section Participation: YCC Co-Chair, 2025-Current; ACS Board of Directors, 2023-2025
Statement: I am honored to be nominated for the position of Director for the Philadelphia Local Section. Since I was graduate student from 2018 to 2023, I have been involved in ACS events such as presenting at YCC poster sessions, career consultations, and local seminars. I have now been officially a member of the section from 2023 to present serving as director.
Since joining the local section, I have served on its board and gained insight into its current offerings. Additionally, I have been involved with restoring YCC and serving as Co-Chair for 2025 and had the privilege of hosting the 2025 Fall Poster Symposium, which attracted over 90 registered attendees and more than 50 poster presenters ranging from undergraduates to graduate students, alongside numerous industrial scientists serving as mentors.
My vision for the section is to increase programming aimed at underrepresented and first-generation scientists. I believe that bringing early career scientists from diverse backgrounds as panel speakers and mentors will provide invaluable guidance to students as they pursue their career paths. I look forward to continuing my collaboration with the Philadelphia local section committees to organize events and symposiums that promote diversity in chemistry and encourage underrepresented groups to pursue advanced degrees, academic roles, and careers in industry.
WANG
KUNYU WANG, Vagelos Institute Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania.
Education: BS in Chemistry, Nankai University, 2018; PhD in Chemistry, Texas A&M University, 2023
Professional Positions: Postdoctoral Scholar, Philadelphia, 2023-present.
Honors and Professional Societies: Forbes 30 under 30 Asia, Forbes (2025); RCSA Fellow, Research Corporation for Science Advancement (2025); CAS Future Leader, ACS Chemical Abstracts Service (2024); Distinguished Graduate Student Award, Texas A&M University (2023); Younger Chemist Leadership Development Award, ACS Younger Chemists Committee (2022); Dow Chemical Company Charlene Black Miller ’79 Endowed Memorial Fellowship in Chemistry (2021); Chair of National Student Committee, Chinese American Chemical Society (2023-2024); Early Career Network Representative, Department of Energy (2020-2021)
ACS Membership: 2020; Texas A&M University ACS Poly/PMSE Student Chapter, secretary: 2021
Local Section Participation: Philadelphia Section YCC Co-Chair, 2025-present
Statement: I would appreciate the opportunity to serve on the Board of Director. For years, I have devoted myself to educational equity. My teaching experience at a Hispanic-Serving Institution in South Texas revealed how scarce educational resources might shape students’ futures. From K-8 career imagination to graduate students seeking jobs, they all need timely information and assistance. As a volunteer, outreach organizer, and scientific content creator, I stay active in the chemistry community, such as delivering outreach activities and scientific lectures in Philadelphia schools and libraries, partnering with local industries to organize career workshops, and leading state-level academic conferences. For instance, as 2025 ACS Philly YCC co-chair, I organized the Poster Symposium at the University of Pennsylvania, giving students across Philadelphia a platform to present their research and consult with industry mentors.
As a Director, I envision expanding our volunteer base, broadening the Section’s network, and increasing participant diversity in activities. I plan to promote durable partnerships across K-12, universities, and industries to deliver targeted and sustained support for students and early-career scientists.
ZHANG
XIANG ZHANG, Senior Scientist, AR&D, Merck.
Education: BS Chemistry, Nanjing University, China; MS Analytical Chemistry, Nanjing University, China; PhD Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE.
Professional Positions: Frontage Lab Inc, Exton, PA, 2019-2022; Merck, West Point, PA, 2022-present.
Honors and Professional Societies: NA
ACS Membership: 2024
National Participation: ACS Fall 2016, ACS Fall 2024 Poster Presentation
Local Section Participation: NA
Statement:
I am a Senior AR&D Scientist at Merck with expertise in chemistry and early drug discovery, and I am eager to volunteer for the ACS Local Section. I bring experience leading cross-functional teams, mentoring students and junior scientists, and organizing technical seminars and outreach programs that connect industry research with academic training. I am committed to strengthening our local chemistry community by supporting professional development events, student scholarships, and public engagement initiatives, and I will contribute reliably and collaboratively to committee activities while ensuring appropriate protection of proprietary information. I welcome the opportunity to apply my organizational skills, industry perspective, and passion for mentoring to help the Local Section grow its membership and impact.
PhillyACS 