Dr. Volkis is a tenured professor of chemistry in the Department of Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), a 1890 HBCU, R02 school granting PhD degrees. She received her PhD in 2001 from the Technion - Israeli Institute of Technology – one of the top technical universities in the world. She completed postdoctoral training at the University of Colorado Boulder before joining UMES in 2010. Dr. Volkis’ research lab is working on the edge of phytochemistry and polymer and material science to develop applications of phytochemicals in such emerging fields as antifouling protection for military and civilians, medical textiles, natural biocompatible pesticides, medical supplements, and developing healthy natural foods and supplements, resin extraction of antioxidants, and more. The research group includes postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students from minorities underrepresented in STEM. Multiple USDA, EPA, NSF, and DOD grants support research in Volkis’ lab. Additionally, Dr. Volkis serves as the Graduate Chemistry program director at UMES. In 2021, she was named one of the first generation DOD-NAVY Distinguished Faculty Fellows. Dr. Volkis also serves for USDA as a panel manager.