Dr. Susan Roberts is Professor and Head of Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). She received her BS degree in Chemical Engineering from WPI in 1992, PhD in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University in 1998, served on the faculty at UMass Amherst Chemical Engineering for 17 years and joined WPI as Professor and Head in 2015. Dr. Roberts’ research interests are in biomanufacturing, cellular engineering and cell culture, with a primary focus on plant-based systems for synthesis of natural products. She has received a number of awards for her research and education work including the NSF ADVANCE Program, NIIMBL Workforce Development Award, UMass President’s Science and Technology Fund Award, NSF IGERT Award, NSF CAREER Award, and UMass Amherst College of Engineering Junior Faculty, Teaching and Advising awards. Her research is supported by the NSF, NIH and industry. She is passionate about faculty development, training interdisciplinary engineers, innovating graduate education and advocating for advancement of women and underrepresented groups in STEM fields. She is a proud mom to three children, Justin (17), Benjamin (14), and Emmelyn (10), and puppy Molly.