Anh Nguyet (Luna) Nguyen is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Chemical Biotechnologies - Merck, where she focuses on developing biocatalysts that integrate her expertise in organic synthesis and enzyme-catalyzed reactions. Luna earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Vietnam National University in 2012 and completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2023 under the guidance of Dr. Vinayak Agarwal.

Her career journey includes several internships in organic synthesis during her undergraduate studies, followed by research on ribosome-synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides during her Ph.D. Luna further honed her analytical skills during a three-month internship at Merck. Currently, she aims to expand her knowledge in automation and ultra-high-throughput screening while exploring innovative enzymatic reactions.
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Luna's research interests lie at the intersection of organic chemistry, biochemistry, analytical chemistry, automation, and data science. Outside of her professional pursuits, she enjoys taking weekend naps, which she considers a must for recharging her creativity and energy.
Anne Marie Sweeney-Jones possesses extensive experience in the chemical industry, having worked across various functions including manufacturing, quality control, analytical services, and research & development at multiple companies. She earned a BS in Chemistry from Canisius College and an MS in Chemistry from the Rochester Institute of Technology where she studied PET imaging agents under Dr. Hans Schmitthenner. She received her PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Georgia Tech in 2020, working on isolation and structure determination of bioactive marine natural products under the mentorship of Dr. Julia Kubanek. She joined BASF’s Leadership Development Program shortly after her dissertation defense where she completed 3 rotations in manufacturing, technology scouting, and research & development. In 2022, she joined the Professional and Specialty Solutions division in BASF’s Agricultural Products business unit in the operations group as a Global Product Launch and Technology Manager. Over the past year, she has expanded her responsibilities to include contract manufacturing management, focusing on the cultivation of relationships with third-party manufacturers, driving continuous improvement initiatives, and executing strategic portfolio management in collaboration with a diverse set of stakeholders.
Dr. Evelyn Ligon is a Greenville, SC native. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry and B.A. in Spanish from Wofford College in 2014, then went on to earn her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Georgia Tech in 2019. Her dissertation focused on organic synthetic methodology development of Friedel-Crafts-type reactions to access pharmaceutical frameworks. Additionally, as a DoD SMART Scholar, Evelyn collaborated with the US Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) Office of Forensic Research (OFR) to develop both a synthetic route and a forensic analytical scheme to capture previously unknown positional isomers of designer benzodiazepines. Evelyn started her career as a Chemist with the Forensic Exploitation Division (FXD) in 2019. Highlights from the past six years include deploying twice, leading internal research to detect and classify heavy petroleum products, training new employees, and most recently serving as the Chemistry Technical Authority, which includes managing technical projects for a team of sixteen forensic examiners to ensure compliance with FXD’s accreditation body. In her free time, Evelyn enjoys reading, whiskey- and wine-tasting, attending the Atlanta Opera with her husband, and spending sunny days on the farm with their daughter and two spaniels.
Belma Erdogan-Haug is an innovative and strategic business leader who leverages deep technical expertise to drive business growth. She is recognized as a transformational leader who builds strong teams and collaborate across functions.
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Belma has a PhD in Chemistry from Georgia Tech and an MBA from MIT-Sloan. Over her 18 years career at 3M and Henkel, she led cross functional global teams to develop new products for diverse applications in various markets including Consumer Electronics, Solar Energy, Aerospace and Medical.
She is the author of over 20 patents and 13 peer reviewed scientific articles.
Belma continually helps her community, actively mentor and coach women and underrepresented / minority college students about STEM and career development. She has been serving as a Georgia Tech College of Sciences - Advisor Board Member for since 2020.  
Dr. Rakesh Nambiar is a Global Technology Leader of R&D, Engineering and Technical Services where he is responsible for shaping worldwide innovation and investment strategies for the Vespel® and Molykote® product lines. With a strong focus on directing innovation strategy and managing technical resources, Dr. Nambiar has played a pivotal role in enhancing DuPont’s portfolio in critical sectors such as aerospace, transportation, industrial and electronics.
With over a decade of research management experience, Dr. Nambiar excels in creating and leading large, multidisciplinary product development teams. He is recognized for his innovative contributions, holding over 20 patents in the chemical and electronic materials markets, showcasing his commitment to advancing technology and sustainability.
Dr. Nambiar began his career at DuPont in 2010 as a research chemist and quickly ascended through various technical roles within the Central Research organization. In 2015, he took on the role of R&D Manager for DuPont's Clean Technologies business, where he spearheaded initiatives aimed at promoting sustainability and improving industrial process efficiencies. His leadership continued in 2018 as Technical Manager for the Emerging Technologies group, where he focused on the development of next-generation products for the electronics industry. In 2021, Dr. Nambiar was appointed Global Technology Leader for the Vespel® and Molykote® lines of business, where he currently directs innovation efforts across multiple industries.
He holds a doctoral degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai. Dr. Nambiar is based in Philadelphia, PA, and remains dedicated to driving technical excellence and sustainable practices within the industry.