Dr. Tracy Brown-Fox is an assistant professor of chemistry at Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) in the Department of Natural and Behavioral Sciences (NBS) in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dr. Brown-Fox have been teaching organic chemistry for over eight years. She has an ongoing cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with Forest Products Laboratory, in Madison, Wisconsin. Through this agreement, NBS has supplied cellulose nanomaterials for the development of research projects centered on studying cellulose nanomaterials and their applications. To date, she has developed several undergraduate research projects on cellulose nanomaterials for students as well as served as a research advisor on senior investigative projects (SIPs) – a requirement necessary for graduation. Furthermore, these undergraduate research projects have led to oral and poster presentations at national conferences, including National Organization for Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) and the American Chemical Society (ACS).  As a junior faculty member, Dr. Brown-Fox has been awarded several institutional research grants to explore research interests in improving student education and research experiences in STEM disciplines. She has also had research experiences with faculty and scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Cleveland, OH, where she conducted research on modifying the chemistry and/or improving upon the physical and mechanical properties of high-performance polymeric matrices and high-molecular-weight polymers with the addition of nanomaterials (e.g. carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, or nanoporous zeolites) at both places.

Dr. Brown-Fox has been awarded 700K as the Principal Investigator on two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, #1818708 and #2101209, to provide and support undergraduate research opportunities at JCSU. These grants have also helped to establish the Thermal Analysis Instrumentation (TAI) suite. The suite consists of a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), a thermomechanical analyzer (TMA), and a rheometer. To ensure that our students are marketable upon graduation, Dr. Brown-Fox has developed a TAI technical certificate program to complement student learning through course undergraduate resource experiences (CUREs) and/or research projects utilizing the equipment in the TAI suite.