Dr. Usha Rao is a researcher, speaker, and consultant. She is a recipient of the Association for Women in Science’s Zenith award, a lifetime achievement award. She has also received the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Medal for Distinguished Teaching; the Distinguished Research Lectureship from the Association for Women Geoscientists; and the Elizabeth Bingham Mentoring Award from the Philadelphia chapter of AWIS, awarded to a “distinguished scientist who has significantly influenced the advancement of women in science”.
Dr. Rao was selected by Pennsylvania Governor Wolf to participate in the “PA Women in STEM” video series. She serves as a writer and keynote speaker on leadership and mentoring for the science magazine Lab Manager, most recently contributing to an issue that won a Tabbie Gold award for journalism. She has also won three merit awards for "exceptional achievement in teaching" at Saint Joseph's University and was selected as a Most Valuable Professor (MVP) by the women's basketball team.
At Saint Joseph's, Dr. Rao co-developed the John P. McNulty Program for Leadership in Science and Mathematics, an initiative that has supported nearly 130 gifted women since 2009. She also created the University’s first faculty development office to provide resources and mentoring to hundreds of faculty members, serving as the Founding Director. Dr. Rao’s board service includes the Ardmore Library of the Lower Merion Library System and the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum at the Barnes Foundation.
