Nimrat K. Obhi is from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and completed her undergraduate studies at the Univ of Ottawa in 2014. She is currently a 5th-year PhD Candidate at the Univ of Toronto. During her PhD, she has studied the synthesis and properties of new multidimensionally-architectured semiconducting organic polymers composed of thio- and selenophenes. Her doctoral research has been funded by two major scholarships: NSERC PGS-D (2017) and The Tyler Lewis Clean Energy Research Grant (2015), awarded to one scholar in Canada working in a clean energy field. Nimrat also has conducted research in chemistry education through a co-supervised project funded by the Chemistry Teaching Fellowship Program Award (2016). Her research focused on allowing students to apply sustainable chemistry principles to industrially-relevant reactions through combined laboratory and in-class exercises.
Nimrat is passionate about improving inclusivity, diversity, and equity within STEM fields. She has been a member of the Women in Chemistry Initiative Toronto (WICTO) since 2014, where she has held many executive positions including Co-Chair. Nimrat also co-chaired the inaugural Leaders Overcoming Gender Inequality in Chemistry Retreat (2017): a national chemistry conference-style retreat aimed at solving diversity issues within chemistry. In 2017, she co-founded the WICTO/CICTor Mentorship Program in conjunction with the Chemical Institute of Canada Toronto Chapter, to encourage and retain talented equity-seeking persons in chemistry by pairing undergraduates with graduate students and postdoctoral mentors. Nimrat is a member of the Canadian Society for Chemistry Working Group for Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity, where she is excited and honoured to contribute to diversity issues in chemistry on a national scale. Her hope for the future is that STEM fields allow for, encourage, and reward contributions from all scientists without discrimination, to further our innovative potential for society.
