2023 SLAM JUDGES 

Dr. Joanna Albala joined Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in 1994 as a postdoctoral fellow with a Ph. D. and M. S. in Pathology from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and B. A. in Biology from Bucknell University. During her time as a postdoctoral fellow at LLNL, Dr. Albala helped discover and characterize new DNA repair genes. After completing her fellowship, Dr. Albala remained at the Laboratory as a Senior Biomedical Scientist conducting research in biotechnology, the human genome, DNA repair, and cancer. In 2004, she left to pursue other opportunities as a Visiting Scientist at Harvard University, Adjunct Professor at UC Davis School of Medicine, and the Director of Research Initiatives & Strategic Partnerships at the University of the Pacific. She has given countless academic lectures and educational workshops and has served as an external reviewer for several well-known journals and agencies. Returning to LLNL in 2014 as the Manager of the Science Education Program, Dr. Albala coordinates a variety of student outreach activities such as the popular “Science on Saturday” series and Teacher Research Academy, a summer teacher professional development program. 

Ruby develops and executes marketing strategy with the Intellectual Property Office team to bring Berkeley Lab’s cutting-edge inventions and software to the commercial sector. She has more than two decades of experience helping organizations build, enhance, and protect their brands, influence stakeholders, and promote products and ideas. In her most recent role as Communications Director at the Science Philanthropy Alliance (2016-2019), she worked with a group of more than 25 foundations and philanthropists to increase support for basic scientific research globally. From 2010 to 2016, she was the Communications Director at Climate Policy Initiative, an analytical organization that worked with policymakers in the U.S., Europe, Brazil, India, China, and Indonesia to improve climate, energy, and land use policies around the world. Previous to this, she was a Senior Vice President at Fleishman-Hillard, a global communications consultancy. At Fleishman-Hillard’s San Francisco office, she had a leadership role with the corporate communications and technology practice groups, working with teams on corporate reputation, healthcare/biotech, technology, internal communications, diversity outreach, and product communications programs. Ruby received her bachelor of arts degree in economics from Stanford University.

Debra Behrens is a PhD Career Counselor at Berkeley Career Engagement on the UC Berkeley campus where she supports postdocs and PhDs in addressing one of life's most compelling issues, the quest for meaningful work.  She creates  initiatives on a range of career and professional development topics. Prior to UC Berkeley, Dr Behrens served as a faculty member in the master’s counseling program at California State University. Her academic publications are focused on career development and experiential learning. She has given invited presentations at major universities and scientific meetings throughout the country.

Dr. Lewis Feldman is the Executive Director of the UC Botanical Garden, one of the most diverse landscapes in the world and home to more than 10,000 types of plants, including many rare and endangered species.  He is also a longtime faculty member of UC Berkeley's Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, where he studies plant and root development.

As Senior Advisor to the Deputy Laboratory Director for Research, Bill Johansen provides high-level managerial and administrative support to the Deputy Lab Director for Research. Bill has a long history at the Lab; he first started working at LBNL in 1987 as a student assistant in the Technical Information Department when he was still in high school. While completing his undergraduate degree, Bill continued in various Lab positions until 1993, when he went to work first on Capitol Hill for the House Natural Resources Committee, and then later as Deputy Director for the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation. In 1996, Bill re-joined LBNL in the Life Sciences Division, taking on a series of roles that included Manager of the Biosciences Proposal Development Center, Senior Business Manager, and Division Deputy for Operations. From 2007-2009, Bill also served as the fourth Staff Advisor to the UC Board of Regents. He was named Senior Advisor to the Deputy Laboratory Director in 2012. Bill has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.P.A. from California State University, East Bay.