Susan Hackwood, PhD, is a Professor of the Graduate Division, Senior Policy Fellow School of Public Policy, and Director of the Science to Policy initiative at the University of California Riverside. Her career has spanned industry, academia and government. In 1990 she was the founding Dean of the Bourns College of Engineering and the first woman dean of engineering at a research university in the US. In 2018 she returned to the UCR campus after serving 23 years as Executive Director of the California Council on Science and Technology. In that capacity she coordinated the efforts of researchers from academic institutions, NASA and DOE laboratories to assist the State Government in crafting policy that had a scientific or technical component. In 2010 Professor Hackwood created the CCST Science Fellows program which selects, trains and places recent PhD graduates to serve for one year in the California State government. This training, knowledge and networking are at the core of the UCR Science to Policy initiative and most recently the Japan-US Science Communication & Policy Fellowship Network.
Yaqiong Li, a Ph.D. candidate in the Materials Science and Engineering program at UC Riverside. She studies computational material science and focuses on the properties and behavior of material interfacial systems in the energy storage field. Yaqiong served as a curriculum and event committee member in the Science to Policy initiative and helped coordinate the Japan-US Science Communication and Policy Network of scientists and policymakers from diverse disciplines. She wants to utilize her engineering expertise and analytical skills to conduct policy analysis and make recommendations for policymakers.
Jenna Roper, a PhD Candidate in Bioengineering. She develops low-cost, easy-to-use diagnostics to rapidly detect disease in food crops. Outside of the lab, she chairs the Science to Policy student cabinet, serves as an ambassador for the Journal of Science Policy and Governance, and is a Science to Policy Fellow in the office of Congressman Raul Ruiz. Driven by a passion for utilizing her technical expertise to address societal challenges, she aspires to work in science policy, bridging the gap between scientific advancements and impactful policymaking for a more sustainable and innovative future. Jenna is a first generation college student and proudly received her bachelor's degree at UC Riverside.