On Tuesday, March 22, 2022, prolific scholar-teacher Kimberly M. Jackson, Ph.D., was honored in San Diego, California at the American Chemical Society National Meeting where she received the 2022 ACS Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into Careers in the Chemical Sciences. This international award, sponsored by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, is for “outstanding accomplishments in mentoring, teaching and opening doors for Black women to achieve Ph.D.s and pursue careers in the chemical and biochemical sciences.”
In Her Own Words: The Most Rewarding Part of My Job
"Every day I have the privilege to work in a place where I train scholars who look like me and create legacy-defining moments. As a bridge leader, I advocate for, cultivate, and empower Black women to become dynamic scientists (tackling contemporary issues in cancer research) by helping them understand their identity relative to society and to navigate the double bind of being minority women in science," said Dr. Jackson.
Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, professor of biochemistry, and director of the Food Studies program at Spelman, Dr. Jackson has successfully trained more than 40 students in her research laboratory. Thirteen of those students have received Ph.D.s in the chemical or biochemical sciences; four more students are in preparing to graduate with Ph.D.s in 1-3 years; and others are receiving MDs, PharmDs, MPHs, DMDs, MBAs or other post-graduate degrees. She has also trained and mentored hundreds of students in the classroom/teaching laboratory.
Congratulations, Dr. Jackson! Your cup runneth over with great news. Every bit of it is well deserved and well earned. When Spelman celebrates its track record of
educating Black women in STEM, we are mindful that we count on your dedicated investment in our students. -- Spelman College President Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D.
Sowing Seeds Into the Lives of Future STEM Giants
As an award winner, Dr. Jackson was able to give $10,000 from the Dreyfus Foundation to an organization that aligns or supports the award objectives -- encouraging disadvantaged students into careers in STEM. Impressed with their mission and vision to advance girls of color in STEM, Dr. Jackson chose PinkSTEM, a Black and women-owned organization, to receive the award money to support program activities.
Author of "Realigning the Crooked Room: Spelman Claims a Space for African American Women in STEM," Dr. Jackson is no stranger to success. The ACS award comes off the heels of her being recognized as one of 22 Trailblazing Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers in the world (2021); and of her being listed as one of 100 inspiring Black scientists in the country (2020). This year, she was the only person from a HBCU to receive the ACS national award, and she also delivered a keynote talk at the event titled, "Securing a space for Black women scientists through agency, empowerment and cancer therapeutics."
A 2015-16 Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Jackson is the co-director of Spelman's LINCS (Living and Learning in an Interdisciplinary Networked Community of STEM Scholars) Program and held a research fellow position at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and a visiting faculty appointment in the systems biology department at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. She also serves on the advisory board for COACh for Women Scientists and Engineers and the American Chemical Society Committee on Minority Affairs.