Rama Bala

Dr. Rama Bala is a physicist, scholar, educator, mentor and a social entrepreneur. She is the president and CEO of Chance to Change Lives, a non-profit organization with a ‘pay-it-forward’ model to mentor and develop the next generation of leaders and knowledge creators in STEM fields through their flagship STEMnetX program. She has over 20 years of experience as a physics professor and her research expertise is in experimental nanotechnology. She has mentored numerous undergraduate students in research projects geared towards applications of quantum physics in 2D and 3D, magnetic nanoparticles and nanotubes in biotechnology, medicine, and spectroscopy of minerals on Mars. Dr. Bala’s vision is to make research and experiential education accessible to all students, and especially to students underrepresented in STEM fields. She is a strong advocate for promoting women and underserved students’ representation in STEM fields. Dr. Bala serves as a national Career Mentoring Fellow, selected by the American Physical Society (APS) in recognition of her efforts to develop a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workforce in physics and engineering.