Dr. Christa Wright received the Outstanding Technical Contribution Award at the 2024 BEYA STEM Conference. She is a distinguished scientist, a leader, and a mentor.

Currently, she is the director of toxicology at the Chemical Insights Research Institute of UL Research Institutes, an independent safety science organization with five centers of research excellence.

UL Research is committed to improving chemical, electrochemical, fire, digital, and material safety.

Wright’s research focuses on environmental health and safety. She designs custom automated aerosol generation exposure systems to stimulate consumer usage behavior, assess aerosol exposures, and link chemical and particle admission exposures from various consumer products like vaping devices to adverse health outcomes alongside her research.

Additionally, Wright is dedicated to mentoring budding scientists and increasing science teaching capacity in high schools. Her development of the Empower Summer program, funded by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, engages underserved students and teachers in environmental health research, paving the way for the next generation to continue in her footsteps.

During her acceptance speech, Wright acknowledged her parent’s contribution to her success. Her father, a small business owner, and her mother, a retired third-grade STEM teacher, taught her to persevere through trials and to believe in herself when no one else would.

She also emphasized that her research focuses on providing service and educating the next generation of scientists and communities about processes and technologies that may affect environmental public health to ensure a safer tomorrow.

Wright feels blessed to work for the critical insights of UL Research Institutes, a safety science organization that allows her to be a servant leader and to use science for service.