Lydia Finney (XSD), new WIST program initiator
Physicist Lydia Finney (XSD) was recently appointed program initiator of the Women in Science and Technology (WIST) program. The selection committee cited Finney’s strong scientific and user interaction background as a beamline scientist at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) and her strong record of involvement with WIST at different levels.
Established in 1990, the WIST program supports the laboratory’s goal of achieving scientific and engineering excellence through a diverse workforce. WIST promotes equity within Argonne and the success of women in scientific and technical positions.
Finney has more than 10 years of experience in scientific research at Argonne. Her areas of technical expertise include chemical biology, bio-inorganic chemistry, X-ray fluorescence microscopy and metals. She has co-authored 50 publications with more than 1,100 citations and has presented 35 invited talks.
In addition to her technical expertise, Finney is an advocate of diversity and inclusion in science and has experience in outreach development. She has been a WIST Steering Committee member since 2012 and currently serves as University Partnerships Lead for the Leadership Institute at Argonne.
Prior to her current position, Finney served as an assistant physicist at the APS and as a postdoctoral fellow in the Biosciences Division. She conducted graduate and undergraduate research at Northwestern University, Michigan State University and The State University of New York (SUNY). She holds a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from Northwestern and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from SUNY.