Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz is a Trinidadian-born-American Chemist working on all things small. She graduated from Hunter College, the City of New York, with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Chemistry. She moved to College Station, Texas, where she earned her Ph.D. in 2005 at Texas A and M University, working with Marcetta Y. Darensbourg in Bioinorganic and Organometallics Chemistry. After a very brief career as a process engineer at Intel, she returned to academia to do her post-doctoral studies in nanomaterials chemistry at Portland State University. Her roots began to bury deep in Oregon, and for the last ten years has been a primary investigator of a unique lab working with undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds doing interdisciplinary research in nanostructured materials, which she finds is the best part of her day. She brings a strong entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit with many partners to lead cross-cutting research initiatives to solve challenges in human health. Dr. Mackiewicz has received funding from the NSF and the NIH to pursue her research initiatives. She has a passion for mentoring, supporting, and advocating for students, particularly those from underserved communities, and most recently, the American Chemical Society Stanley Israel award in recognition of her commitment to creating diverse and equitable research, teaching, and adaptive learning environments. Her goal is to build students’ self-advocacy and resilience to nurture their scientific and professional identities.

What are you most proud of in your work or life?

All the students I work with.

What are your passions and hobbies?

I love music, art, traveling, and reading.

Do you have a personal motto or other words to live by?

“My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness” – Maya Angelou

Favorite snack food?

Cheetos!

Anythig else we should know?

My mentoring philosophy: “Be that someone who helps others realize their potential, achieve their goals, elevate themselves, and become more of who they already are.”