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SUMMARY
As the American Chemical Society Science Policy Fellow, I am an effective communicator of technical information to
a broad range of audiences, a demonstrated team-leader, and an excellent project manager. In my current role, I
monitor and develop public policy regarding research funding, peer review, education and workforce, energy and
environment, and biotechnology. I received my Ph.D. in Chemical and Physical Biology, have been responsible for
multiple research projects, and have international research experience via a Fulbright Student Research Grant.
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Scientific Research
Big data and analytics
Biomedical research,
computational biology
Collaborative and
interdisciplinary research
Data and protocol
transparency and openness
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Public Policy
Information gathering, assessment,
culling, and summarizing
Analysis of federal policy and
appropriations affecting the
scientific community
Involved in policymaking process
and familiar with stakeholders and
outcomes
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Science Communication
Reliable source of scientific
expertise in public policy
environment
Distill scientific information to
technical and non-technical
audiences in formal and
informal contexts
CURRENT POSITION
Science Policy Fellow
2014 – present
American Chemical Society (ACS), Washington, D.C., USA
• Monitor and develop policy salient to the chemistry enterprise with ACS government relations teams
• Organize Congressional briefings, including past events on biotechnology and on employment of persons with
disabilities in STEM
• Foster relationships with federal agencies, such as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• Team lead the Coalition for National Security Research by serving on the executive board, develop messaging,
and attend meetings with members of Congress
• Perform detailed analysis of the science and technology federal budget
• Attend high-level meetings with federal agency leaders and ACS governance
• Develop policy messaging, such as a press release urging Congress and the President to invest in science and
technology by lifting budget caps
EDUCATION
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SELECTED RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Ph.D. in Chemical and Physical Biology
2008 – 2015
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
• Advisor: Dr. Jens Meiler, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Biomedical Informatics
• Dissertation title: “Protein Structure Elucidation by Combining Computational and Experimental Methods”
Fulbright Student Research Grantee
Justus-Liebig University (JLU), Gießen, Germany
2007 – 2008
B.S. in Chemistry (concentration in Biochemistry, minor in Biology)
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, Alabama, USA
2003 – 2007
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
AND
OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Legislative Director, National Federation of the Blind of Virginia (NFBV)
2015 – 2016
• Assisted members in building relationships with elected officials
• Worked with the other Legislative Director to lead legislative activities at the local, state, and federal level
• Helped develop the organization’s legislative objectives
• Organized meetings, training, and talking points for annual legislative day in Richmond, VA
• Coordinated with NFB national headquarters to arrange meetings with senators and representatives at annual
legislative advocacy day in Washington, D.C.
Co-Organizer, membrane protein conference committee
2013 – 2014
• Coordinated with Vanderbilt University faculty, students, and administrators to organize a scientific conference
• Helped develop a speaker invitation list and conference itinerary
• Provided input on event planning logistics, such as location, menus, and travel
Co-Organizer, inaugural Vanderbilt University Women in Science Symposium
2013
• Collaborated with the leaders of three graduate student organizations in orchestrating an institution-wide Women
in Science Symposium
• Worked closely with other organizing committee members in inviting speakers, advertising the event, designing
an itinerary, and securing funding
• Approximately one hundred people attended the symposium on April 29, 2013
• Event catalyzed formation of the Vanderbilt University Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) group
Pilot Program Lead, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) science
communication certificate program
2012 – 2014
• Initiated development of an ASBMB science communication certificate program
• Researched pros, cons, caveats, and examples of other science communication and outreach certificate programs,
as well as compiled feedback from faculty and students
• Synthesized findings into a draft of an initial proposal for the certificate program
• Program pilot began in early 2014 and is on-going
Executive Board Member, Vanderbilt University Chemical and Physical Biology Graduate Student Association
(CPB GSA)
2010 – 2013
• Served as CPB GSA treasurer, vice president of academic affairs, and president
• Managed cross-functional relationships with administrators, faculty, and students to organize program retreats
• Recruited keynote speakers, established itineraries, and gathered presenter abstracts for the retreats
• Evaluated retreat survey results to guide implementation of improvements to future CPB events
SELECTED AWARDS
AND
HONORS
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote
Diversity in Health-Related Research
2012 – 2014
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded individual award for original research
Fulbright Student Research Grant
2007 – 2008
• Awarded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to increase mutual
understanding between citizens of the U.S. and citizens of other countries
UAB University Scholars Award
2003 – 2007
• Full tuition at UAB for four years
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
1. DeLuca, S.H., DeLuca, S.L., Leaver-Fay, A., Meiler, J. (2015) “RosettaTMH: A Method for Membrane Protein
Structure Elucidation Combining EPR Distance Restraints with Assembly of Transmembrane Helices” AIMS
Biophysics, 3, 1-26.
2. Vortmeier, G.*, DeLuca, S.H.*, Els-Heindl, S., Chollet, C., Scheidt, H.A., Beck-Sickinger, A.G., Meiler, J.,
Huster, D. (2015) “Integrating Solid State NMR and Computational Modeling to Investigate the Structure and
Dynamics of Membrane Associated Ghrelin” PLoS ONE, 10, e0122444. *These authors contributed equally.
3. Combs, S.A.*, DeLuca, S.L.*, DeLuca, S.H.*, Lemmon, G.H.*, Nannemann, D.P.*, Nguyen, E.D.*, Willis,
J.R.*, Sheehan, J.H.*, Meiler, J. (2013) “Small-Molecule Ligand Docking into Comparative Models with Rosetta”
Nature Protocols, 8, 1277-1298. *These authors contributed equally.
4. DeLuca, S.H.*, Rathmann, D.*, Beck-Sickinger, A.G., Meiler, J. (2013) “The Activity of Prolactin Releasing
Peptide Correlates with its Helicity” Biopolymers, 99, 314-325. *These authors contributed equally.
5. Rathmann, D.*, Lindner, D.*, DeLuca, S.H.*, Kaufmann, K.W., Meiler, J., Beck-Sickinger, A.G. (2012) “Ligand
Mimicking Receptor Variant Discloses Binding and Activation Mode of Prolactin Releasing Peptide” J. Biol.
Chem., 287, 32181-32194. *These authors contributed equally.
6. Hirst, S.J., Alexander, N., Mchaourab, H.S., Meiler, J. (2011) "RosettaEPR: An Integrated Tool for Protein
Structure Determination from Sparse EPR Data" J. Struct. Biol., 173, 506-514.
DeLuca
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