2024 SLAM JUDGES 

Carol Burns was recently appointed Deputy Director for Research and Chief Research Officer at Berkeley Lab. Burns joins the Berkeley Lab with deep experience in the DOE national laboratory system. In this role, she is responsible for the development, implementation, and stewardship of Berkeley Lab’s research enterprise, and serves as the Lab’s chief research liaison with the Office of Science, the University, the other national labs, and other key partners.

Carol brings more than 25 years of scientific leadership experience in a national laboratory setting, most recently serving as executive officer to the Deputy Director for Science, Technology, and Engineering at Los Alamos National Laboratory, assisting in oversight of line and DOE program organizations, as well as coordinating the integration of science and technology strategy, as well as associated investments and stewardship mechanisms.

Rena Dorph is the Director of The Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley. She also serves as the Principal Investigator for multiple STEM learning R&D projects including as a Founder and Principal Investigator of the Activation Lab and the Executive Producer and Co-Creator of the animated musical series, The Lawrence Rocks!. Rena has worked at The Lawrence Hall of Science since 2003, when she joined as Director of the Research Group. During this time, Rena also served as a Lecturer at the UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education. Rena serves on multiple governing and advisory boards including the Board of Directors of the Association for Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) and WestEd. In 2019 Rena was recognized by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the Bay Area’s Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business.

Rena has worked in the field of education, with a focus on research and evaluation, for over 20 years. Rena’s research has focused on the relationship between learning experiences and outcomes, paying consistent attention to issues of equity, access, and impact. Prior to joining The Lawrence, Rena served as Director for Research, Policy, and Technology in the Teacher Education and Professional Development Unit of the University of California Office of the President; as an educational consultant for California schools, districts, and county offices of education; as the Lead Researcher for the School Restructuring Study at UC Berkeley; and for the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching at Columbia University/Teachers College in New York City. Rena received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Davis; an M.A. in the Sociology of Education from Teachers College at Columbia University; and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy, Organization, Measurement, and Evaluation from University of California, Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education.

As a senior California professional scientist, Chris Hyun is the Climate Lead and Lead for Water Conservation Emergency Regulations at the State Water Board. He also helped draft the Board's Racial Equity Action Plan. He is on the American Geophysical Union’s Science and Society Executive Committee and has a PhD from UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group with a designated emphasis in Development Engineering and a Master’s from Banaras Hindu University in India.

Jasbir (Jesse) S. Kindra became the Chief Technology Transfer Officer at Berkeley Lab in June 2022. He is responsible for intellectual property strategy development and portfolio management to support the transition of Lab-developed technologies for the benefit of society and the U.S. economy.

Jesse brings to the Lab his experience from having worked in academia (University of Washington), government (National Institutes of Health) and industry (corporate/law firm). Prior to joining Berkeley Lab, Jesse was the Contracts Team Manager for the Office of Sponsored Programs at the University of Washington (UW) and an Adjunct Professor at the UW School of Law.  While at UW, he previously served as the Executive Director, Center for Advanced Study and Research on Innovation Policy and also as the Assistant Vice President for Intellectual Property Management.

His experience at the National Institutes of Health includes Branch Chief for the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT), and prior to that role, Senior Licensing and Patenting Manager in OTT. He has also worked as Corporate Counsel and as a patent agent in previous positions.

Dr. Roopa Ramamoorthi is the Director of UCSF’s Catalyst Program and the InVent Fund, programs that boost the University’s most promising healthcare discoveries for patient benefit and commercialization. Her diverse scientific background includes work in drug development, bacteriology, biotechnology, and engineering. She has held positions as Associate Director of Partnering and Scientific Affairs at BIO Ventures for Global Health, as a senior scientist at Bayer, and as a science and technology analyst at Strategic Perspectives. She is also a registered patent agent and holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. 

Roopa received her Ph.D. in biochemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Washington and at MIT. Roopa grew up in India, where she received her B.S. in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai. 

In addition to her diverse scientific background, Roopa is also an accomplished speaker and performer. She has read and performed her poetry and short stories for audiences at SF Public Library and the Bay Area Book Festival, and with recording artist Eddie Gale’s jazz group.