When Melinda Keefe changed her major from art to chemistry during her freshman year of college, she could not have imagined the high-profile way these two passions of hers would combine in the decades to come. Eighteen years after earning her Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Penn State University and 14 years after completing her doctorate in inorganic chemistry at Northwestern University, Keefe is a recognized art conservation scientist. Her job at the Dow Chemical Company, where she began working in 2001, has helped lead her there.
Keefe is a senior research and development manager in the Architectural Coatings division of Dow Coating Materials. Her work focuses on design and testing of paint formulations - no surprise, considering her love of art.