Supporting Black Professionals in STEM

In this interview between two Black leaders, we talk about the state of supporting Black professionals in STEM, and how partners are critical to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts in STEM for academic and corporate organisations.

After just three years at Waters, Dr. Katarena Ford’s achievements are wide-ranging! She has recently been awarded the new product sales champion for her role as a senior system account manager and is the hub leader for the People of Colour internal employee resource group dedicated to creating awareness and developing collaborative events that support fellow colleagues. Additionally, Katarena is an active member of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) and has been working to build a bridge between Waters and NOBCChE.

Dr. Renã AS Robinson is the current National President of NOBCChE and is leading the organisation in its mission to build an eminent cadre of people of color in science and technology. Renã is a professor of chemistry at Vanderbilt University and Dorothy J. Wingfield Phillips Chair. Dorothy Phillips, a notable member of the scientific community, helped advance our company’s separation science areas and is also the first Black female to receive her B.A. in chemistry at Vanderbilt University.

Left: Dr. Katarena Ford is a Waters senior system account manager and is the hub leader for the People of Color internal employee resource group. Right: Dr. Renã AS Robinson is the current National President of NOBCChE.

Q: Why and how have you been working to bring Waters and NOBCChE together as partners?

Katarena: Since joining Waters, I have wanted to find a way to recruit people of color and give back to this dynamic group of scientists who have assisted me along my academic and career journey. Waters sponsored a table at the 2022 national conference and received over 10 applications. While this was a nice start, there is much more opportunity. We are partnering with several NOBCChE chapters for additional recruiting but also on educating their members by running informational sessions with our field team, running MS 101 classes, and more.

Renã: NOBCChE can work with companies such as Waters on different levels. Katarena mentioned Waters sponsorship at our Annual Conference which is an entryway for companies to learn about who we are as an organisation and also to interact with our diverse and talented student membership during the scientific and professional programming over the conference as well as the exhibition fair.

Group gathering at a NOBCChE networking event.

Q: How can life sciences companies like Waters stay committed to purposefully bridging the gap to elevate opportunities and recruit people of colour?

Renã: Life sciences companies broadly must look internally first to ensure that their goals around recruiting Black, Indigenous, and other people of colour are well-intentioned and serious. Representation throughout the company matters especially at the highest levels to ensure diversity in the voices that are establishing top-down goals and strategies.

Additionally, the culture and environment within the company have to match with the goals around recruitment, because not only should the focus be on recruiting people of colour but retaining and ensuring these individuals are supported to rise up the promotion ladders within the companies. The employee experience is critical for these individuals.

Once companies have done the internal work to ensure they are serious about this commitment, then partnerships with external organisations such as NOBCChE can help with bridging gaps in access to a talented workforce.

L:R Dorothy Phillips and Katarena Ford

Katarena: I believe that showing up and supporting organisations such as NOBCChE will elevate our recruiting opportunities to diversify the workplace to cultivate innovative thinking and ideas. Support could include technical discussions around chromatography and mass spectrometry, providing application context and joint literature efforts, and being present for students of all ages to become more involved in the LCMS space on the national and regional levels.

Q: Over your time in the field, have you seen a transformation in the ways in which companies cultivate Black leadership? What solutions are working?  

Renã: I have yet to see Black individuals or diverse representation on the boards and C-suite leadership of major scientific companies, generally. I see some progress for a limited few in companies that have achieved high scientific promotion or management positions but by far not at the level that is necessary to truly achieve equity in STEM. Companies that have been working with NOBCChE over years to change this landscape, are at the forefront of making this progress in part due to their investment in strategic partnerships with us and other organisations with mutual goals. Much work remains to have true transformation in this field.

Q: Personally, you two have a connection as Katarena completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Renã at Vanderbilt University. Since that time, what does working together on such grand societal problems mean to you?

Renã: This is truly one of the full-circle moments in my career which has made it all the more meaningful and matter. Being able to work with Katarena when she was a postdoc was special and clear for me to see how passionate she was about her work, especially the work on increasing representation in STEM.

"Katarena is an example of what is possible when we all take the time to invest in and provide opportunities for amazing students and early career professionals to grow in their respective fields while yet also giving space for the things they care about."

DR. RENÃ AS ROBINSON

Katarena, by no surprise, is doing amazing in her work at Waters. However, she has also been empowered as a leader in Waters and supported to work on the grand societal problem of ensuring equity in STEM, is something that we need more of, and that deserves amplification. No single one of us can fix this problem so I’m grateful that Katarena is making an impact in the intersection of her spheres with Waters, NOBCChE, and Vanderbilt.

Katarena: I am forever grateful for the time spent in Renã’s laboratory. She has played a critical role in my academic and career path by providing me with the necessary tools to learn LCMS and allowing me to attend conferences such as ASMS, where Waters initially approached me.

Knowing that the population of black chemists and chemical engineers in STEM fields, whether that be academia or industry, are lacking, Renã and I strive to see those numbers increase to provide a more inclusive workforce; we have cultivated a bond in terms of our goals to increase the representation of black individuals in the STEM community. We understand that representation matters and tackling these societal issues or concerns now will enhance the future experience for young men/women coming into the science space.

By Jess Lee