Dr. Geraldine L. Richmond, US Science Envoy, has begun her ten-day visit to Vietnam on January 12th in support of President Obama’s initiative to strengthen the US’ science and education relationships overseas.

Dr. Richmond will meet with representatives from the scientific, academic and business communities to discuss ways to build and strengthen research collaboration between scientists and engineers in the US and Vietnam. Hanoi, Hue, Danang, Ho Chi Minh city and Can Tho are her destinations.

“I am honored and delighted to be the 2015 US Envoy for Science and Technology for Vietnam and neighboring countries. I am looking forward in this first visit to learn more about the scientific enterprise in this wonderful country on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the normalization of relations, and to assist in building and strengthening partnerships between our two countries on exciting new research and technology ventures,” Dr. Richmond said.

According to a press release issued by the US Embassy Hanoi on January 12th, Professor Richmond is the Presidential Chair of Chemistry at the University of Oregon and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. She is a chemist recognized for her work on complex surface chemistry, with relevance to important problems in energy production, environmental remediation, atmospheric chemistry, and biomolecular surfaces.

Professor Richmond, 62, has also played an important role in setting the US scientific agenda through her service on many science boards and advisory panels. She is President-elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a Presidential appointee to the National Science Board. Professor Richmond is also the founder and chair of Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists (COACh), a grass-roots organization that has provided professional training and networking for over 12,000 women scientists in the US and developing countries.

The Science Envoy Program is a core element of the US Government’s commitment to global engagement in science and technology. President Obama announced the program in Cairo in June 2009. Since the program’s inception, Science Envoys have visited 25 countries.

CPV