Alumni Profile: Dr. Cicely Shillingford

2024 Early Alumni Excellence Award Recipient

Cicely Shillingford

Dr. Cicely Shillingford

BSc '15, Honours Biochemistry

Cicely, she/her, is the Director of Product Development at amika, a top 5 prestige global hair care brand based in Brooklyn, NYC. As the youngest member of amika’s executive leadership team, Cicely oversees a portfolio of 50+ products and brings her penchant for scientific innovation to the fast-growing brand. Cicely is a first-generation Caribbean-Canadian who grew up in Mississauga. She studied biochemistry at the University of Waterloo and holds a PhD in Chemistry from New York University. Prior to amika, Cicely oversaw product development for health tech unicorn Ro, evolving their CPG business and supporting the launch of their dermo cosmetic brand. Cicely also worked at the Wyss Institute at Harvard, where she was issued two patents for her work on bioinspired materials engineering. Cicely has authored 7 scientific publications spanning from structural biochemistry to colloidal materials. Cicely is passionate about advancing opportunities for minorities in STEM, having quadrupled NYU’s Black PhD students and led 20+ mentorship and volunteering events through the 175-year-old non-profit The Chemists’ Club and the World Science Festival. Cicely resides in Harlem, NYC, and can surely be found biking the central park loop on a warm summer day, or volunteering at her local farmer’s market.