Colleges/Universities Attended; Degrees Awarded:

PhD, Chemistry, 1996, The University of Akron, Ohio.

Science Teaching Diploma, 1991, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

BS, Chemistry, 1989, The American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Hobbies/Interests Outside of Chemistry:

• Tennis

• Walking my dog

• Listening to music

• Gathering with family and friends (often over big meals!)

• Travel

Contributions to the NC-ACS and the ACS:

I am a member of the American Chemical Society. I serve as a reviewer for the Journal of Chemical Education. I have also helped to judge undergraduate oral or poster presentations at Southeastern Regional Meetings of the American Chemical Society (SERMACS). I was a panelist at the IUPAC Global Women’s Breakfast, GWB2024, sponsored by the local ACS Women Chemists Committee (ACS-WCC) and I am currently a co-organizer of the GWB2025 event.

Most Significant Professional Accomplishments:

Professional experience:

• Teaching Professor, August 2023-present, NC State University, Department of Chemistry, NC

• Teaching Associate Professor, August 2018-2023, NC State University, Department of Chemistry, NC

• Teaching Assistant Professor, 2012-2018, NC State University, Department of Chemistry, NC

• Lecturer, 2007-2012, NC State University, Department of Chemistry, NC

• Postdoctoral Scientist, 2005-2007, NC State University, Department of Chemistry, NC

• Adjunct Chemistry Instructor, 2005-2007, Wake Tech Community College, Natural Sciences Department, NC

• Product Manager, 1999-2002, Acros Organics, Geel, Belgium

• Postdoctoral Scientist, 1998-1999, Institut Curie, Laboratoire de Biophysique Moleculaire, Orsay, France

• Postdoctoral Scientist, 1996-1997, Case Western Reserve University, Dept. of Physiology & Biophysics, OH

Plans for Service to the NC-ACS, if Elected:

As teaching faculty at NC State University, one of my primary activities includes developing interdisciplinary undergraduate research experiences in collaboration with researchers from across campus as well as local industry partners. I was also appointed last year as College of Sciences Dean Faculty Fellow with the primary responsibility to support the expansion of multidisciplinary curricular opportunities for students throughout the college. In that role, I led the organization of a one-day ChemEd Summit hosted by NC State University’s Integrative Sciences Initiative (ISI) in partnership with the Departments of Chemistry and Molecular and Structural Biochemistry. The summit brought together members from the industrial, academic and state and federal chemical sciences community that include many NC State Alumni to explore important Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) and initiatives necessary for chemical sciences students to successfully transition to the workforce. The impact of this summit has already been felt and the perspectives gained from professional partners is helping to frame the development of various collaborative and advisory activities. Further activities are being planned to encourage insightful conversations on best practices and strategies when considering curricular revisions.

I have also served on department, college and university committees tasked to advise on matters concerning curricular development, instruction, safety and community engagement and was chair of the NC State council on undergraduate education during the 2017-2018 academic year

I am also very interested in developing and supporting initiatives within our NC section that focus on emerging areas of importance in the chemical sciences such as sustainability, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and interdisciplinary experiences.

I believe this blend of experiences and networks will be valuable for my potential role as vice-chair of the NC section of the American Chemical Society. I will work closely with the chair and other board members to build on my experience at NC State University to organize events and initiate discussions that engage the broader NC ACS community. The aim is to strengthen partnerships with local educational and professional institutions and promote networking opportunities for our members and especially our students. I believe my interests align well with the mission of the NC section of the ACS to “forge connections between chemistry practitioners and enthusiasts by inspiring creativity and providing resources, programs, and opportunities for the benefit of our members and our entire diverse community”. I am excited about the opportunity to work with and contribute to the local NC ACS community.

Candidate for Secretary

Colleges/Universities Attended; Degrees Awarded: NC State University, BS Chemical Engineering and PhD Chemical Engineering; University of California Berkeley, MS Chemical Engineering

Hobbies/Interests Outside of Chemistry: Tabletop RPGs, writing science fiction and fantasy, video games

Contributions to the NC-ACS and the ACS: Have served as local section secretary for two terms, attended and volunteered at several events

Most Significant Professional Accomplishments: Published 13 journal articles, developed scalable purification processes for multiple biomolecules

Plans for Service to the NC-ACS, if Elected: I plan to continue taking accurate meeting minutes and using my past experience to make our activities successful. One of my goals for the next term is to establish workflows and instructions for the Secretary position, support Mike David and the 2025 Chair Elect in their activities, and expand the local section’s outreach.

Colleges/Universities Attended; Degrees Awarded:

Ph.D., Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (1997).

B.S., Chemistry, Northeastern University, Boston, MA (1993).

Hobbies/Interests Outside of Chemistry: Volleyball, cooking, reading, swimming

Contributions to the NC‐ACS and the ACS:

Councilor (2017 to present)

Program Chair for SERMACS recently hosted by the local section in Durham (2023)

Program Chair for entire meeting (1,972 attendees participated in 48 symposia with 77 volunteer organizers/presiders)

Also Organizer for the following Technical Sessions at the Meeting:

Biochemistry Research and Development

Organic Chemistry Research and Development

Physical Chemistry: Theory Development and Experimental Frontiers

Polymer Chemistry and Materials Science Research and Development

Poster sessions personally organized: 7 sessions, 235 poster presenters

Oral sessions personally organized: 22 sessions, >200 speakers

Wrote funded grant proposal for ACS Local Section Activities grant to provide SERMACS travel assistance to students as part of our DEIR effort (2023)

Chair (2022) ACS National Division of Chemical Education (CHED) Long Range Planning Committee, Committee member (2020-2022)

Co-Chair Higher Education, AP Chemistry Development Committee (2022-present), Member of Higher Education Assessment Committee (2018-present)

ACS National Society Committee on Education (SOCED) (2021-2022)

ACS National Women Chemists Committee (WCC) (2019-2020)

Marcus E. Hobbs Award for long term contributions to the NC section of the American Chemical Society (2020)

Chair, NC ACS local section (2016)

Chair-elect, NC ACS local section (2015)

ACS Leadership Development Institute, Dallas (2015)

Alternative Councilor, Executive Committee, ACS North Carolina Section (2009-2017) 

Attended semi-annual ACS National Council meeting and voted on behalf of the section since 2009

ACS North Carolina Polymer Discussion Group:  Chair (2000-2001), Program Chair (1999-2000), and Treasurer (1998-1999)

Work as Organizer for many ACS Technical Conferences and Symposia (Organizer and/or Presiding):

·         Advances in e-Learning, Digital Learning, and Online Chemical Education, Organized and presiding, Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, Purdue University, August, 2022, 5 sessions, 24 speakers

·         Research about Early Research: High Schoolers and Undergraduates in Research Organized and presiding (Brett McCollum, Mt. Royal University, Canada, co-presiding), International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basic Societies (Pacifichem), virtual, Dec, 2021, 3 sessions, 10 speakers

·         Advances in e-Learning, Digital Learning, and Online Chemical Education, Organized and presiding (M. Gallardo-Williams, NCSU, co-presiding)

ACS National Meeting, Orlando, FL, April, 2019, 2 sessions, 11 speakers

·         Advances in e-Learning and Online Chemical Education

co-organized with P. Sorensen (Harvard) & L. Morsch (University of Illinois)

ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, April, 2017, 3 sessions, 24 speakers

·         Online Approaches in Chemical Education

co-organized with P. Sorensen (Harvard)

ACS National meeting, San Diego, CA, March 2016, 2 sessions, 18 speakers

·         Chemical Education II (presiding)

Southeastern Regional Meeting of the ACS (SERMACS), Raleigh, NC, November, 2012, 9 speakers

Most Significant Professional Accomplishments:

The year that I was Chair of the local section, we won the ACS National Chemluminary Award for Outstanding Local Section, Large size

Currently employed as Associate Professor of the Practice at Duke University

Previously taught at North Carolina State University and also spent five years in industry at Lord Corporation before returning to academia.

My open online introductory chemistry course (Introduction to Chemistry: Reactions and Ratios) has been translated into 22 languages.

36 Peer‐reviewed publications

Scholarly work has been funded by grants from the NIH, Gates Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Bass Connections Institute in Education and Human Development. 

Teaching excellence recognized by: David and Janet Vaughan Brooks Award – Excellence in undergraduate teaching (Duke, 2017), university-wide recognition for course evaluations among the top 5% of all undergraduate instructors at Duke for medium and large classes (2013), named on “N.C. State’s 2011 Most Loved Professors” list (Top 5 faculty cited in university-wide poll administered to 1700 students by MyEdu.com.)  (2011)

Winner of Inclusive Excellence Award for Graduate Education as co-PI of BioCoRE program (2017)

Co-Recipient, Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (National Research Award) (1997)

Eastman Chemical Fellowship (1996-1997)

Plans for Service to the NC‐ACS, if Elected:

As 2023’s SERMACS that was hosted by the NC-ACS local section was very successful, our local section coffers filled with the substantial funds from that event. So, this year will focus on planning several local section activities of interest to members as part of developing a strategic plan to spend some of those funds appropriate to benefit ACS members. For example, the Mystic Distillery tour in Durham contains quite a bit of chemistry explanation, so that will be a specific event I will target organizing this year.

I have represented our local section at national Council meeting at the ACS meetings many times, and I am happy to serve in that capacity again and continue my service organizing technical sessions at those periodically. I will continue my service by working with the 2025 executive committee to support ongoing local section activities and programs, such as the discussion groups, Project SEED, numerous public outreach events, and member events sponsored by WCC, YCC, senior chemists, and other committees. 

Colleges/Universities Attended; Degrees Awarded:

University of Illinois at Chicago, PhD

Augustana College, BA

Hobbies/Interests Outside of Chemistry:

Cycling, Hiking

Contributions to the NC-ACS and the ACS:

• Councilor 2022-2024

• Local Section Chair 2010

• SERMACS 2012 Program Chair

• SERMACS Board member

• TRIMR Discussion group organizer

• Volunteered for the state fair booth

Most Significant Professional Accomplishments:

·         Research Professor, 2023-present

·         A lead organizer for the UNC Department of Chemistry’s staff diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic plan.

·         Served on the UNC Department of Chemistry’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

·         Served on the inaugural UNC College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Staff Diversity Advisory Committee (committee disbanded in 2024)

·         Major instrument funding through NSF proposals

·         As a staff director for an open-use laboratory, mentored students who went on to careers in NMR Spectroscopy.

·         Organized technical events for the Association of Managers in Magnetic Resonance Laboratories at the annual, national Experimental Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Conference.

·         Vice-Chair of the UNC Employee Forum.

Plans for Service to the NC-ACS, if Elected:

My focus remains on improving the experiences of ACS members and guests at National and Local meetings by fostering and supporting interactions among attendees. This is paramount at National meetings where the plethora of talks, posters and events can be overwhelming. Directed communication and interactions can improve both the attendee experience as well as encourage participation in the future. Within the ACS, engagement with elected councilors can be improved by streamlining the assignment of councilors to committees. While there are more people interested in serving than open positions on committees, priority should be given to individuals who have been elected by their peers to represent them and selection decisions should be made in a timely manner. 

In addition to developments in engagement and committee assignment initiatives, I welcome the opportunity to represent and advocate for the NC-ACS local section at the national level and to bring information from National and other local sections back home.

James Lee Chao received his B.S. and M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois - Urbana in 1975 and 1976.  He earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of California-Berkeley in low-temperature solid-state molecular spectroscopy in 1980.

Local Section Service: Jim has served the North Carolina local section in a number of capacities including Chairman in 1991, alternate councilor in 1992, and councilor from 1993 to 2017.  While serving as chair-elect of the section, he reinstated the section’s participation in Project SEED.  In the area of outreach, in 1996 Jim lead the initiative for an interactive NC-ACS exhibit at the NC State Fair, which became an annual activity.  For over 20 years, Jim has served on the selection committee for the Undergraduate Scholarship program, including six years as the Chair.  He received the Marcus E. Hobbs Service Award in 1997.  Jim served as the 2012 SERMACS Awards Program Chair for the Southeast Region. Currently Jim serves as alternate councilor and Co-Chair of the Senior Chemists Committee.

National Service:  In 1990, he was sent to Washington, D.C. to work on strategies for local fund raising for the National ACS Campaign For Chemistry.  From 1997-2001, he served on the International Activities Committee.  In 2002 he was appointed to the Committee on Patents and Related Matters and served as the National Chair for three years, 2011-2013.  From 2008-2011, he was subcommittee chair of National Awards.  He was responsible for preparing nominations for the National Inventors Hall of Fame, the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, and the National Women’s Hall of Fame.  Jim was appointed in 2012 to the Presidential Task Force On Jobs And Advocacy, which led to an invited paper in 2013 at the Presidential Symposium On Alternative Careers In Chemistry based on his unique experience in intellectual property licensing.  In 2013, Dr. Chao was named an ACS Fellow through nomination by the North Carolina Section.

Most Significant Professional Accomplishments

Dr. Chao is best known for his work in developing FT-IR sampling methods, particularly in time-resolved step-scan and stroboscopic methods as well as photoacoustic and photothermal methods which he helped make possible.  His instrumentation expertise was used to deliver special design and implementation for NASA programs and for the Plutonium Storage Facility at the Los Alamos National Lab.  

IBM remembers that Dr. Chao was its first appointment to the RTP Technical Interchange Program to encourage Industrial researchers to collaborate with the major universities surrounding the newly formed Research Triangle.  From his collaboration with Professor Richard Palmer, over 100 papers, manuscripts, and books were published with over ten Ph.D. graduates!

At IBM, Jim was equally prolific, having published more than 200 technical reports, releases, and news articles and being identified twice as the IBM RTP Author of the Year. When he retired in 2008, he held the title of Emerging Technology Strategist which combined his training in intellectual property licensing and business development!

Dr. Chao is currently serving as alternate councilor and Co-chair of the NC Senior Chemists Committee that just won him another Chemluminary Award for the Section!

Hobbies and Interests Outside of Chemistry

In his free time, Jim enjoys gardening, taking care of his Koi pond, attending musical performances, and investing in the stock market. 

Plans for Service to the NC-ACS, if elected

Dr. Chao has served as Councilor for over 25 years for the Section, and looks forward to maintaining a perfect record for attendance at National Meetings. I hope to quickly receive a Joint Board-Council appointment having been known to be a contributor. I was appointed as Chair of the Committee on Patents and Related Matters and served my Statutory limit.

Colleges/Universities Attended: Concordia University, River Forest, IL - B.A.,

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL - M.S., North Carolina State University,

Raleigh, NC - Ph.D.

Hobbies/Interests Outside of Chemistry: Board gaming, baking, walking my dog,

women’s soccer, and local politics.

Contributions to the NC-ACS and the ACS:

• Secretary for the local section for four years

• Served a three-year term as Chair-elect, Chair, and Past Chair

• Co-chair of the Education Committee, and we have awarded more than $1000 to

area high school teachers

• Served for six years as an alternate councilor

• Attended two national meetings and one online as an alternate councilor

• Written two national meeting reports for the TarHelium

• 2023 winner of the Marcus Hobbs Award

My most Significant Professional Accomplishments are receiving my Ph.D. from the

Oliver-Hoyo group in 2010 and working at the University of Kansas as a remote science

test developer.

Plans for Service to the NC-ACS, if Elected: I plan to attend more national meetings

in person and online if I can not make it in person. I will continue contributing to the

TarHelium reports and hope to join the disability national committee.

Colleges/Universities Attended; Degrees Awarded:

·         Millikin University, BS Chemistry and Biology (2012)

·         Florida State University, MS, PhD Chemistry (2017)

Hobbies/Interests Outside of Chemistry: Strength training, running, anything active and/or outdoors with family and friends! I also like cooking and baking.

Contributions to the NC-ACS and the ACS:

·         Alternate Councilor (2021-present)

·         Faculty Advisor for Student Affiliates of American Chemical Society at NC State (2021-present)

·         I have been a member of ACS since 2008.

Most Significant Professional Accomplishments:

·         I have been a faculty member at NC State since 2019.

·         I currently am an Assistant Teaching Professor and Co-Director of Undergraduate Programs in Chemistry at NC State University

·         During COVID (2021) I was selected as a member for the UNC System Digital Organic Chemistry Course Enhancement Initiative and the Chemistry Adaptive Learning Initiative.

·         I have been collaborating with colleagues in the Department of Chemistry and Department of Biological Sciences to create a Bio-integrated General Chemistry course at NC State

·         I recently completed writing and editing an OER ebook and solutions manual jointly with Cassie Lilly for our Introductory Organic Chemistry course, so we are pretty excited about that!

Plans for Service to the NC-ACS, if Elected:

I hope to further my contributions in local education by participating in outreach through the Student Affiliates ACS section at NC State. I hope to become more involved local education and outreach efforts, and to connect students to opportunities available through the NC-ACS and local industries in general.

Colleges/Universities Attended; Degrees Awarded: University of Missouri–Columbia, B.S.; Texas A&M University, Ph.D.

Hobbies/Interests Outside of Chemistry: Away from work, I enjoy digging in the dirt, playing outside, and cooking.

Contributions to the NC-ACS and the ACS: Division of Business Development and Management, Chair succession 2018 – 2020, Committee on Corporation Associates, 2010–20, chair, 2013–15; Younger Chemists Committee, consultant, 2018; Leadership Advisory Board, 2010–2019; ACS National Awards Canvassing Committee, 2020-2023, 2014–16; Polymer Industrial Advisory Board, 2017– 2020; ACS Safety Summit Organizing Committee, 2018–19; ACS National Award Selection Committee, 2017–2020, 2014, 2012; ACS symposia organizer, 2019, 2017, 2016

Most Significant Professional Accomplishments: I have a broad spectrum of experience ranging from bench chemist to enhancing workforce capabilities. I have used my combination of scientific expertise and affinity for people to drive a safety culture which has resulted in zero injuries to direct reports without sacrificing business results. I am currently influencing front end innovation at Eastman Chemical Company by working with a great team to capture value from relationships with academic institutions. I am also an ACS Fellow.

Plans for Service to the NC-ACS, if Elected: I plan to represent the NC-ACS to the best of my abilities as alternate councilor.