Early Alumni Excellence Award Recipient: Dr. Cicely Shillingford, BSc ’15 (Biochemistry)
By Elizabeth Kleisath
Communications Officer, Advancement
In the ten short years since graduating from the University of Waterloo, Dr. Cicely Shillingford, BSc ’15 (Biochemistry), has successfully merged her passion for pursuing personally relevant science with her commitment to advocating for equity and inclusion. Her desire to make a difference, and work in an industry that empowers individuals to embrace their identity and express themselves, is an inspiration.
Science alumni consistently embody Waterloo’s values, graduating to forge careers with purpose, using creativity to solve challenges, collaborating with each other to bring about change, and serving as inspirational role models for generations to come. Cicely is no exception, exemplifying the remarkable impact Waterloo Science graduates contribute to the world.
In her role as Associate Vice President, Product Development, Innovation, & Regulatory at haircare brand amika, Cicely is passionate about bringing scientific principles to real world products, and her curiosity, tenacity and hard work has solidified her place as a leader in industry and as an advocate for equity and impact in scientific fields. In October 2024, Cicely returned to Waterloo, alongside five more outstanding alumni from the Faculty of Science, to celebrate her achievements as one of two recipients of the Faculty of Science’s 2024 Early Alumni Excellence Award.
“It was very nostalgic being back on campus, and really nice to see my professors and mentors. It felt like a wonderful, full circle moment for me,” she says. “I was humbled and validated—I’ve always wanted to bring science to real world products, so to be recognized for maintaining my scientific mindset and also be in the world of beauty is exciting.”
As an advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Cicely has been driven by impact and seeing the changes that she has inspired. Cicely has volunteered with organizations leading equity initiatives reaching hundreds of people. As a regular volunteer for the World Science Festival’s City of Science, she brought science to underrepresented neighbourhoods around the five boroughs of NYC, sharing her passion for science with thousands of children, and recruiting new volunteers. Cicely also led a conference series with The Chemists’ Club that included a conversation on DEI equity in chemical industries, attended by over 200 industry professionals including executives at top companies.
During her graduate degree, Cicely was deeply involved with DEI and equity work. She led graduate student recruitment efforts for underrepresented minority students, helping to quadruple New York University’s Black PhD student population. She also successfully petitioned for the removal of their GRE requirement, a systemic barrier which is often a prohibitive cost to underrepresented students.
I am passionate about empowering Black women and girls in STEM. My most consistent piece of advice for all underrepresented minorities in STEM is to seek out mentorship and network,” she says. “Networking is the best way to foster leadership and executive presence. I hope that they can build more confidence than I had, that they can own their knowledge and their truth and show up as their authentic selves in their careers.
Cicely enjoys her role at amika, working to developing haircare products that she can connect with and relate to. She discovered this desire for personal connection during one of her undergraduate coop terms, after recognizing that she had no connection with the agricultural products she was developing. “I realized that I needed to be doing science about things I really cared about, which was a big shift in the way I thought about my studies and what I wanted to do with my life. I now create and launch products and am squarely in the beauty industry.”
For those encouraged to contribute to support diversity and equity for students in the Faculty of Science, we invite you to connect with the Director of Science Advancement to learn how your generosity can make a difference. Philanthropy is transformative in creating a more diverse scientific community supporting students from Black and underrepresented communities.