PNNL chemist to lead national scientific society

A Pacific Northwest National Laboratory chemist and associate director has been picked to lead the world’s largest scientific society.

Allison Campbell has been voted the 2016 president-elect of the American Chemical Society, which has 158,000 members worldwide. She will serve as president in 2017 and immediate past president in 2018.

“Chemistry is central to the prosperity of our nation, and increasing our country’s understanding of how science improves lives is critical if we are to remain at the forefront of innovation,” she said in a statement. “I welcome the opportunity to help ACS lead a national conversation about the important role of science in our society.”

Campbell is the acting associate laboratory director at the Department of Energy national lab in Richland, heading the efforts of more than 500 researchers and other staff members in the Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate.

As a scientist, she invented a process for coating bone implants to improve recovery time and extend the life of replaced joints.

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 4:58 PM with the headline "PNNL chemist to lead national scientific society."