Who We Are

Danielle M. Butts is a graduate student researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) pursuing a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering under the supervision of Bruce Dunn. Her research is focused on designing next-generation energy storage materials for Li- and Na-ion batteries for high-power and high-energy applications. During her time as a graduate student, Danielle has helped to teach nanoscience laboratories to teachers and students in the Los Angeles area as a member of the California NanoSystems Institute Outreach Program at UCLA. In 2018, following participation in the Joint-Undertaking for an African Materials Institute (JUAMI), Danielle co-founded allwomxnscience working to develop science labs that are relatable to womxn around the world.

Cecilia Rolence China is a researcher at Tanzania Industrial Research and Development Organization, in the department of Textile and Leather technology, responsible for conducting research, consultancy and technology transfer with 5 years experience in the leather industry. She is currently active in various leather sector development initiatives in Tanzania as a researcher and consultant. Cecilia has innovated an eco-friendly technology of processing leather, and her innovation was the best innovation of the 2020 national innovations competitions (MAKISATU). With her innovation, she was selected for a 2021 Mandela Washington Fellowship to attend leadership training in a US university in business development. She founded Afri-Tech Organic Leather Initiative to develop her invention and promote eco-friendly leather processing technologies using locally available raw materials. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering, specialized in Structural Materials.  Cecilia also volunteers to mentor, inspire and encourage girls in primary and secondary schools to pursue STEM subjects and apply science to solve real life problems.

Joyce Elisadiki is a lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University of Dodoma. She is responsible for teaching undergraduate and graduate physics courses, supervising student’s projects and practical classes. She pursued her PhD in Sustainable Energy Science and Engineering at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST). She did her M.Sc. (Physics) and B.Sc Education (Physics and Chemistry) at University of Dar es Salaam. Her research interest focuses on materials for energy storage and water purification using energy efficient technologies to address issues of water-energy nexus. She is also interested in research utilizing nuclear techniques for various applications. She has published research and review articles in science citation indexed (SCI) journals. At present, she is working on synthesizing and characterizing biomass based capacitive deionization (CDI) electrode for water purification. 

Julie Fornaciari is a graduate student research at University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab pursuing her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. Her research is focused on renewable energy technologies, particularly using hydrogen gas as an energy conversion and storage device in fuel cells and electrolyzers. During her Ph.D., she has taught elementary to middle school lessons throughout the Bay Area as a volunteer with Bay Area Scientists inspiring students, as well as a writer/editor for the Berkeley Science Review Magazine. In 2018, following participation in the Joint Undertaking for an African Materials Institute, Julie co-founded (with Danielle Butts) allwomxnscience, working to develop science labs that are relatable to womxn around the world. Julie strives to communicate and teach science in an easy-to-understand, fun, and compassionate way so others can see science in their everyday life. 

Sossina M. Haile is the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University, a position she assumed in 2015 after serving 18 years on the faculty at the California Institute of Technology. She earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992. Haile’s research broadly encompasses materials, especially oxides, for sustainable electrochemical energy technologies. Amongst her many awards, in 2008 Haile received an American Competitiveness and Innovation (ACI) Fellowship from the U.S. National Science Foundation in recognition of “her timely and transformative research in the energy field and her dedication to inclusive mentoring, education and outreach across many levels.” In 2020 she was awarded the Turnbull Lectureship of the Materials Research Society. She is a fellow of the Materials Research Society, the American Ceramics Society, the African Academy of Sciences, and the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences.

  Gloriana J. Monko is an Assistant Lecturer and researcher in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the College of Informatics and Virtual Education - UDOM. She facilitates courses such as Database Management System, Systems Analysis and Design, Operating Systems, Software Engineering and Mobile Development, and supervises students on final year projects in AI-related and system development projects. Her research project, funded by Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D), aims to improve pharmacovigilance using natural language processing on electronic medical records. She has experience on other projects and consultancies, which include the Transforming Employability for Social Change in East Africa (TESCEA) project funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) to support higher education transformation in focus countries; and Tanzania Girls in ICT program, an initiative looking to nurture young girls to develop interest in Information and communication technology and funded and managed by Universal Communications Services Access Fund (UCSAF). She also performs a role of a Gender coordinator at college-CIVE.

 Jill K. Wenderott is an assistant professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Drexel University. Her research focuses on (in situ) synthesis of novel materials for energy and environmental applications. Previously, she was a postdoctoral appointee at Argonne National Laboratory in the Materials Science Division and a postdoc in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University. Jill completed her B.S. in Physics at the University of Kansas (2014) before receiving her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan (2018). In addition to her efforts with WS2, Jill is involved with the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), previously serving as President of the Chicago Area Chapter (2020-2022).