Safia Z. Jilani

G⁺JI Graduate Student Fellow 2022

Safia Jilani, Ph.D. in Chemistry ’21, Georgetown University, Department of Chemistry

Safia Jilani (she/her) obtained her Ph.D. in chemistry from Georgetown University in August 2021. Her research work involved synthesizing nanocatalysts for the ethanol fuel cell reaction and investigating the reaction mechanism using in-situ spectroelectrochemical techniques. She is passionate about improving access, inclusion, equity, and quality of science and science education. While she is known to be a scientist, her most important work is beyond categorization. She envisions a scientific community that values the whole person and by valuing and supporting each person, we improve science itself. 

Research Project: Addressing a Hidden Inequity in STEM: Valuing and Measuring the Impact of Invisible Work

Invisible Work is work that is done that is essential to the progress of science but it is not professionally valued for career advancement. In STEM, this work can include: mentoring students from minoritized groups, advocating for more equitable institutional policies, engaging in science communication with the public, or organizing science community service activities. This essential work disproportionately falls onto minoritized scientists but does not get career recognition, creating further inequity in the STEM community. This project looks at documenting invisible work done through a Ph.D. dissertation, measuring its impact on readers, and then sharing those results publicly to introduce a potential model of incorporating and valuing invisible work into professionally valued work in STEM fields.