Spring 2026 WCC Rising Star Award Symposium 

WCC RISING STAR AWARD SYMPOSIUM 

Monday, March 23, 2026 | 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET

Georgia World Congress Center | B5 – Exhibit Hall Chempod 1 

WCC Chair: Indu Kheterpal WCC Program Chair: Danniebelle Haase 

Organizer: Linda Shimizu Presiders: Indu Kheterpal and Linda Shimizu 

8:00 AM Welcome and Introduction 

8:05 – 8:30 AM 

From foundational science to field impact in environmental remediation 

Sarah Saslow, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 

8:30 – 8:55 AM 

Unpacking grit with small-molecule cancer immunotherapies 

Emily Cherney, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. 

8:55 – 9:20 AM 

Sustainable polymer material solutions for mobility and e-mobility: Advancements in low-VOCs/odor interior and battery assembly 

Haiying Li, DOW Inc. 

9:20 – 9:45 AM 

Designing vaccines to target chronic and infectious diseases in Native American communities 

Naomi Lee, Northern Arizona University 

9:45 – 10:10 AM 

Relational leadership: Driving medicinal chemistry success in matrixed R&D environments 

Michelle Garnsey, Pfizer Global Research and Development 

10:00 – 10:20 AM Break 

10:20 – 10:45 AM 

Metabolic crosstalk between microbiome members, drugs and the host using mass spectrometry and genetics 

Neha Garg, Georgia Institute of Technology 

10:45 – 11:10 AM 

Fate of organic molecules in our atmosphere 

Nadine Borduas-Dedekind, University of British Columbia 

11:10 – 11:35 AM 

Exploring the anti-Alzheimer and anti-cancer activity of plant derived proteins 

Merlis Alvarez-Berrios, Inter American University of Puerto Rico 

11:35 AM – 12:00 PM 

Molecular precision across scales: Building catalytic interfaces and a research community 

Alexandra Velian, Univ. of Washington 

For more information, please visit https://acswcc.org/awards/rising-star-award/ or send an email to WCC@acs.org.