Biographical Information

Education

Post-Graduate Certificate, Academic Leadership, the Chicago School, 2014
Post-Doc, Medicinal Chemistry, Florida A&M University, 2004
PhD, Organic Chemistry, University of New Orleans, 2003
BS, Chemistry, Dillard University, 1997

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Expertise

Broadening Participation, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), STEM Education Research, Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, and Cheminformatics

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Bio

Leyte L. Winfield is a Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Spelman College, where she serves as Division Chair for the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.  She received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Dillard University and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of New Orleans.  She completed a postdoc in Medical Chemistry from Florida A&M University and received an Academic Leadership Post-Graduate Certificate from the Chicago School for Clinical Psychology.

In addition to her primary duties at the College, Dr. Winfield also chairs the internal steering committee for the newly established Center of Excellence for Women of Color in STEM.  Funded by the Department of Defense, the Center builds upon Spelman’s legacy for preparing women of African descent to excel in STEM careers.  The Center’s focus complements her dedication to gender equity in STEM careers and creating culturally responsive initiatives and curricula that result in the productive engagement of minorities and women in various academic settings.  In line with this, she is leading NSF-funded research to characterize how students of color demonstrate agency in pursuing STEM careers and the ecosystems that nurture such agency.  For these collaborative efforts and other research and leadership initiatives, she has received more than $20 million.

Dr. Winfield’s publications, both as a corresponding author or shared first author, detail curriculum revisions in Chemistry and Biochemistry to increase the participation and success of women and minorities, using strategies such as community-based-interactive-engagement.  She is the lead editor of the book Growing Diverse STEM Communities: Methodology, Impact, and Evidence, published by the American Chemical Society (ACS) in 2019.  Dr. Winfield has served as a coach for the AAC&U PKAL STEM Leadership Institute and holds a postgraduate certificate in academic leadership from the Chicago School of Clinical Psychology.  She chairs the Minority Chemist Subdivision of the ACS Division of Professional Relations and serves on the leadership board for OrganicERs, a learning community for developing and disseminating organic chemistry pedagogies and learning resources.  In addition, she is a member of the ACS Committee on Professional Training and Society Committee on Education’s subcommittee on Supporting Excellence in Education–Higher Education (SEE–HE) and was named ACS fellow in 2022.  Dr. Winfield currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for the Journal of Chemical Education and is the Managing Editor for the Understanding Interventions Journal.

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Honors

2024, STEM Educator of the Year, Atlanta STEM Women

2024, Stan C. Israel Award, American Chemical Society

2024, Holland Award,  Cotrell Scholars, Research Corporation for Science Advancement

2023, Henry C. McBay Outstanding Teacher Award, National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers

2023, Presidential Award for Excellence in Service, Spelman College

2022, Fellow, American Chemical Society

2021, Chapter Merit Award, Society of Cosmetic Chemist Southeast Chapter

2021, North Fulton Section, National Council of Negro Women, Women of Purpose in STEAM

2021, National Science Foundation Scholar, Institute in Critical Quantitative, Computational, and Mix Methodologies

2020, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development Green Chemistry Award

2018, Academic Writing Residency, Rockefeller Foundation, Bellagio Center

2016, Fellow in Residence, Women’s International Study Center

2016, The Council of Independent Colleges and the American Academic Leadership Institute, Senior Leadership Academy Fellow

2015, Vulcan Materials Company Teaching Excellence Award, Spelman College

2014, 2013, and 2010; Summer Scholar in Residence, Faculty Resource Network, New York University

2013, NSF Opportunities for Under-Represented Scholars Program Fellow

2011, American Association for Cancer Research Minority Serving Institutions Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research

2009, Presidential Award for Teaching Excellence – Junior Faculty, Spelman College

2006, 2008, and 2009, Spelman College Faculty Development Award

2004, Iota Sigma Pi Honor Society for Women in Chemistry