Will Lynch, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and chair of the Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Physics at Georgia Southern University, has been re-elected to the board of directors for the American Chemical Society (ACS). This will be his second three-year term serving on the board.
The ACS is recognized as the largest scientific organization in the world. According to Lynch, “We support the scientific enterprise by advocating for everything from research funding to laboratory safety. That work strengthens scientific integrity that ACS champions and ultimately shows up in the things that people rely on daily. Bottled water, medicines, cellphones and computer screens all come from chemistry. Many people do not realize how deeply science shapes their world.”
With a budget approaching $900 million and a membership exceeding 200,000 globally, effective planning is important for ACS operations. Lynch chaired the committee responsible for developing ACS’s upcoming five-year strategic plan. He expressed hope that his continued efforts would help use the society’s resources to advocate for scientists internationally.
“My focus now is implementing ACS’ strategic plan, which envisions a world built on science and setting up the indicators to measure our success,” said Lynch. “We want to make sure we support chemists whether they are in academia, industry, government labs or retired.”
Lynch’s involvement with ACS began more than 40 years ago when he volunteered at a regional meeting as an undergraduate student. He credits these early experiences with shaping his career path and expanding his professional network within the scientific community.
“Getting to do research as an undergraduate pulled me in, and I knew that chemistry was where I could make a difference. I realized I had a path to help society through science and I never looked back,” Lynch said.
