Miranda J. Gallagher received her BS in Chemistry and BA in French from Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY. She went on to teach Scientific English at the University of Nice, Fac de Sciences. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD and did her post-doctoral associateship at Rice University, Houston, TX. Her research in surface physical chemistry has bridged the fields of nanomaterials, spectroscopy and environmental sciences. She is an expert in translating between fields, educating at the public and undergraduate level, volunteering to run STEM demonstrations and organizing events as a change-maker.