Dr. Hunter King is the founder of Integrative Nanotech Ltd. He has a bachelors and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Dalhousie University where he worked on lab-on-chip microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based sensor platforms. Following his work at Dalhousie he moved to Braunschweig, Germany in 2016 to continue his work with a focus on material development for sensing applications. He worked as a project lead at the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST focusing on the development of silicon materials for MEMS and sensing applications. He also worked on and led projects developing materials for photovoltaics, diamond materials for ozone production, process digitalization, and AI-powered data and process analytics. Hunter received his PhD from the Technische Universität Braunschweig in mechanical engineering where he developed low temperature material production processes for direct MEMS sensor integration onto prefabricated integrated circuits.

Nifemi Oguntuase is the founder and CEO of Lab 4 Inc., with a background in chemistry and finance, she has deep interests in clean and sustainable practices in the mineral processing industry. She has contributed to the research and development of several battery metal processing technologies.

William Curtis is the Research Operations Manager for Coloursmith Labs. At Coloursmith, William is responsible for directing the research and development at Coloursmith, which includes designing experiments, delivering reports, and running the laboratory. Before joining Coloursmith, Mr. Curtis was a Researcher, Research and Development for KLOX Technologies, where he was responsible for R&D of best in care bio-photonic products. Areas of research include Dermatology, Oral Health, and Wound Care. Mr. Curtis holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Dalhousie University, and an MSc in Materials Chemistry from McGill University.

Nola Etkin is the Dean of Science and a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Prince Edward Island, where she has taught Organic Chemistry and conducted research in Organometallic Chemistry and Catalysis since 1997. Dr. Etkin currently serves on the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC)’s Committee Working for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (WIDE), the CSC Board as Director of Student Affairs, and the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat’s Advisory Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy.

Dr. Etkin’s involvement in Equity work began as a PhD student at the University of Alberta where she was involved in the local Women in Science and Engineering group and co-chaired the campus LGBTQ group then known as Gays and Lesbians on Campus (GALOC). This involvement has continued throughout her career - she was a founding co-chair of Abegweit Rainbow Collective, which was formed to provide support and advocacy to PEI’s 2SLGBTQ+ community, and is currently a member of the UPEI Joint Equity Committee and the UPEI EDI Steering Committee. Prior to her appointment as Dean, she served as the President of the UPEI Faculty Association, and has served on the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) Equity Committee. In 2016 she edited the book Making Chemistry Inclusive: Proceedings of the CSC Symposium on Equity and Diversity in Chemistry., and in 2020 she was awarded the Chemical Institute of Canada’s Chemistry Education Award, recognizing in part her contributions to EDI within Chemistry Education.

Alex Veinot is originally from Middleton, Nova Scotia and is a member of the Mi’kmaq community Glooscap First Nation. Alex completed his BScH (2015) at Acadia University with Prof. Bobby Ellis before moving to Saint Mary’s University to complete his MSc (2017) with Prof. Jason Masuda. Looking to broaden his research background, Alex then moved to Queen’s University to complete his PhD (2022) with Prof. Cathleen Crudden as a Vanier Scholar. Currently, Alex is a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow in the Ragogna group at Western University. His research background spans main group, organic, and surface chemistry, 2D and 3D self-assembly, and N-heterocyclic carbenes. Alex has contributed to Indigenous academics and representation in science through numerous invited conference and seminar presentations, panel discussions, and has promoted equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) more broadly by assisting with the formation of the Queen’s local CWIC chapter QC-IDEAS, and serving on CSC WIDE.