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Kristen M. Kulinowski, Ph.D. was nominated by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board in January 2015 and confirmed by the Senate in August 2015.
Dr. Kulinowski has expertise in chemical and materials sciences, occupational health and safety issues, risk policy, nanotechnology, 
emergency response, and research administration. Prior to joining the Board, Dr. Kulinowski was a Research Staff Member in the IDA Science & Technology Policy Institute (STPI). STPI is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) chartered by Congress that provides rigorous and objective analysis of science and technology policy issues for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and other offices and councils within the executive branch of the U.S. government and federal agencies.
Prior to joining STPI in 2011, she was at Rice University as Senior Faculty Fellow in Chemistry, Executive Director for the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) and the Director of the International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON). ICON’s work focused on understanding and communicating potential environmental, health and safety risks of engineered nanomaterials. ICON published the first database of peer-reviewed nanomaterial environmental, health and safety papers, a survey of best practices for nanomaterial workplaces, and the GoodNanoGuide, an interactive forum for sharing information about nanomaterial handling practices sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Dr. Kulinowski has advised governments on nanotechnology policy issues and was a founder of ASTM International’s standards committee on nanotechnology. She is co-author of a National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences white paper on training hazardous waste workers to handle nanomaterials and was principal investigator on an Occupational Safety and Health Administration grant to develop instructional materials to assist companies in creating and sustaining safer nanomaterial workplaces.
Dr. Kulinowski was competitively selected as the OSA-SPIE Congressional Science Policy Fellow of 2001-2002, where she worked in the U.S. House of Representatives on legislation involving weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and domestic nuclear power security in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.
Dr. Kulinowski’s work in chemical education has focused on creating innovative approaches that blend classroom and experiential learning in the areas of general chemistry, nanotechnology, civic science, and science policy. She has held various membership and leadership roles in the American Chemical Society, SPIE, the American Industrial Hygiene Association, and the Materials Research Society and has served as a reviewer for the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Dr. Kulinowski earned Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in chemistry from the University of Rochester and a B.S. with Honors from Canisius College.