Valerie Ashby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Valerie Ashby
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| President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County | |
| Assumed office 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Freeman Hrabowski |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Valerie Sheares Ashby
September 6, 1966 Clayton, North Carolina, US |
| Education | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Awards | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Synthesis and Characterization of Thiophene-Based Poly (Arylene Ether Ketones) and Poly (Arylene Ether Sulfones) (1994) |
| Doctoral advisor | Joseph DeSimone |
Valerie Sheares Ashby is an American chemist and a leader in universities. She is currently the president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Before this, she was a dean at Duke University and led the chemistry department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Ashby and her team have created many new things, holding ten patents for their inventions. She became the president of UMBC in 2022.
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Early Life and Education
Valerie Ashby grew up in Clayton, North Carolina. Her father, a high school teacher, first sparked her interest in science and math. She earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in 1988. After college, she worked as a chemist at a company called Rhône-Poulenc.
College Studies
In 1989, Ashby went back to UNC for her advanced studies. She worked with Professor Joseph DeSimone and earned her Ph.D. in 1994. Her research focused on creating new types of plastics. During her studies, she also worked as a visiting scientist at IBM in California and Eastman Chemical Company in Tennessee.
After College Research
After getting her Ph.D., Dr. Ashby continued her research in Germany. She was a special fellow with the NSF and NATO. In Germany, she studied how to make complex materials called ABC block copolymers.
Career Highlights
Iowa State University
Dr. Ashby started her teaching career at Iowa State University in 1996. She became an associate professor in 2002. While at Iowa State, she helped guide young women in science and engineering programs. These programs offered summer research opportunities for high school and college students.
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
In 2003, Dr. Ashby joined University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as an associate professor. She spent a year doing research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2005, she received a grant to help more minority students earn advanced degrees in science and math. Her efforts significantly increased the number of these students completing their Ph.D.s at UNC.
She became a full professor in 2007. Later, she was named the chair of the chemistry department in 2012. She also directed a program to help minority students succeed in graduate school. Throughout her time at UNC, Dr. Ashby received many awards for her teaching and service.
Duke University
In 2015, Dr. Ashby was chosen to be the dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences at Duke University. This is a very important leadership role. A special committee, including students and teachers, chose her for this position.
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
On April 4, 2022, it was announced that Dr. Ashby would become the next president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She officially started her role on August 1, 2022. She is leading the university into its next chapter.
Inventions and Patents
Dr. Ashby and her research team have developed many new materials and processes. They hold several patents for their inventions. These patents protect their ideas and allow them to be used in new products.
Here are some of the areas her patents cover:
- Materials that can remember their shape.
- Polymers used in medical imaging, like for CT scans.
- Special plastics that can break down safely.
- Materials that react to changes in acidity (pH).
- New ways to make certain types of polymers.
