Dr. Rajendrani (Raj) Mukhopadhyay is the Senior Vice President of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect (DEIR) at the American Chemical Society (ACS). Raj and her team ensures that the different aspects of work in diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect permeates ACS products, programs, services, and initiatives. The Office of DEIR also helps coordinate efforts among various external stakeholders toward ACS’ Strategic Plan Goal 5 to embrace and advance inclusion in chemistry.

After earning her Ph.D. in biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology at Johns Hopkins University, Raj began her career as a science writer at ACS. After several years at the ACS and then running her own freelance writing and editing business, Raj shifted to the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. At ASBMB, she started out as the senior science writer and eventually became the managing editor for the Society's magazine, ASBMB Today. 

In 2017, she was tapped by ACS to be the first executive editor for C&EN BrandLab. Under Raj’s leadership, the trailblazing custom content studio soon began generating 7-figure revenue streams every year. In March 2021, Raj stepped up to the role of VP of the Office of DEIR at ACS. 

Raj earned her undergraduate degree at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and did her K-12 education in Kuwait and India. As a journalist and editor, she was known for her passion for equity and inclusivity as well as her ability to give voice to issues and concerns of people who are marginalized in the scientific ecosystem. Raj now brings that passion and ability to implementing DEIR initiatives across ACS. 

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect in chemistry: What do you think needs to be done? 

Rajendrani (Raj) Mukhopadhyay spearheads the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect (DEIR) at the American Chemical Society (ACS). The ACS is one of the largest scientific organizations in the world, with over 175,000 members. The Office of DEIR serves as a central hub at ACS to support people to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone contributing to the chemistry enterprise. 

The work around diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect is multifaceted. In this presentation, Raj will describe some of the ways ACS is working to change how people get to participate in chemistry. Then she’d like to hear from all of you about what you see, hear, and feel are challenges and barriers in chemistry. This seminar will be a conversation of how the work of DEIR impacts people in different ways. It will also be an exploration into how everyone has a role to play in making chemistry a more fair and equitable science.