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AChemS Committees

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Trainees and other early-career scientists are especially encouraged to provide leadership through committee participation.

AChemS Conflict of Interest Policy

A conflict of interest exists when an AChemS member is in a position to influence a society decision or policy in such a way that it could lead, or could be perceived to lead, to any manner or form of personal gain for the member or for his/her immediate colleagues or family. For example, a person would be in conflict if assessing students in his/her own graduate program while serving on an Awards Committee, or if choosing work from his/her laboratory to be highlighted while serving on the Program Committee. AChemS members are expected to be vigilant to these situations and to recuse themselves from discussions or decisions that put them in conflict.

Program Committee

Emily Liman and Robert Datta, Chairs (24)

Dan Wesson (25)
Yanina Pepino(24)
Yalda Moayedi-Esfahani (24)
Iole Tomassini Barbarossa (24)
Joseph Zak (24)
Lisa Stowers (24)
Kevin Monahan(24)
Douglas Storace(24)
Shawn Dotson (24)
Roberto Vincis (24)
Matt Smear (24)
Cordelia Running (24)
Hongxiang Liu (24)
Arianna Maffei (25)
Akiyuki Taruno (25)
Jun Hua(25)
Janina Seubet (25)
Hojoon Lee (25)
Federica Genovese (25)
Sanne Boesveldt(25)
Julie Mennella(25)
Lindsey Schier (26)
Sachiko Yamanaka (26)
Andy Dittman (26)
Kara Fulton (26)
Hillary Schiff (26)
Hsiu-Yi Lu (26)

The Program Committee shall be responsible for the development and implementation of all aspects of the Annual Meeting other than those related to the business sessions, while operating within the budget established by the Executive Committee. When developing the meeting's scientific and social programs, and selecting its time and place, the Program Committee shall solicit suggestions from the membership and work closely with the Executive Committee. The Program Committee shall oversee the selection of the participants in all scientific sessions. It shall be the further responsibility of the Program Committee to keep the membership informed of the meeting's development.

The Chair of the Program Committee shall preside over the proceedings of the Committee, and he/she shall keep the Executive Committee updated on the Program Committee's activities. He/she shall be the liaison between the Executive Committee and the Program Committee in the development and acceptance of programs for the scientific and social sessions of the meetings. He/she shall keep the Program Committee aware of fiscal constraints and other limitations, as interpreted by the Executive Committee, which may affect its program development. The Program Committee Chair shall oversee contractual arrangements for items already agreed to in principle by the Executive Committee, but all contractual arrangements involving a financial liability over an amount set by the Executive Committee and all contractual arrangements changing the previous practice or policy must be specifically approved by the Executive Committee. The Program Chair shall serve for a two-year term, the first year as Program Chair-Elect and the second year as Program Chair. There is no election of the Program Chair because the previous year's Program Chair-Elect shall assume this office.

PROGRAM CHAIR-ELECT: The Program Chair-Elect shall be elected by the Individual Members for a term of one year. In the following year, he/she assumes the office of Program Chair. The Program Chair-Elect shall assist the Program Chair and Program Committee in the development of the Annual Meeting at the behest of the Program Chair. In the event that the Program Chair is unable to fulfill his/her responsibilities, the Program Chair-Elect will complete the unfinished term of the Program Chair. In the event the Program Chair-Elect has to complete the term of the Program Chair, the Executive Committee shall decide, whether he/she will serve again as Program Chair the following year, or if a special election to fill both the Program Chair and Program Chair-Elect positions is necessary.

The Program Committee shall be comprised of at least 12 members, with three of the members being the Program Chair, Past Program Chair and Program Chair-Elect. Program Committee members will each serve a three-year term. The Program Chair, with the approval of the President, shall replace those committee members that are rotating off with members to be chosen to represent the diversity and different interests of the Society.

Finance Committee

Julian Meeks, Chair (24)

Debra Fadool (25)
John-Paul Baird (24)

The Finance Committee shall advise the Treasurer and the Executive Committee as to how the Society might improve its financial situation enabling it to more fully achieve its objectives. The Finance Committee shall also aid and advise the Treasurer in preparing the budget, managing the reserve funds, and any other financial matters. The Treasurer, as the Chair of the Finance Committee shall preside over all meetings of the Finance Committee and shall be the liaison between the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee. The Treasurer, with the approval of the President, shall replace those committee members who are rotating off with members who represent the diversity and different interest of the Society. Each committee members will serve a three-year term.

Public Information and Affairs Committee

Alissa Nolden, Chair (25)

The Public Information and Affairs Committee acts as the contact for the Society and shall liaise with and assist with general inquiries from federal agencies, corporations, researchers, media outlets and the general public. The Public Information and Affairs Committee shall recommend to the Executive Committee activities that foster a better appreciation of the chemical senses, and implement those activities approved by the Executive Committee. The Chair of the Committee shall liaise with the Councilors regarding the educational outreach activities when one takes place at the Annual Meeting. The Public Information and Affairs Committee shall monitor governmental or public actions that could affect research or training in the chemical senses and shall bring such information to the attention of the Executive Committee and the Society's membership. The Chair of the Public Information and Affairs Committee shall be appointed by the President. The Chair and committee members shall serve a three-year term, eligible for renewal subject to approval by the Executive Committee.

Industry Liaison Committee

Linda Flammer and Kathryn Deibler, Chairs (26)

Emily Liman and Robert Datta, Program Committee Chairs (24)
Alissa Nolden (24)
Casey Trimmer (24)
Alex Woo (24)

The Industry Liaison Committee shall keep in close contact with the Society's Corporate members and shall present their views on particular matters to the appropriate officers or committees. The Industry Liaison Committee shall be responsible for planning the Industry Symposium at the Annual Meeting and also for developing and implementing a sponsorship campaign and marketing plan to raise monies for the Annual Meeting. The Chair of the Industry Liaison Committee shall be appointed by the President after consultation with the members of the Society who are based in industrial organizations. The Chair will serve a three-year term. The Chair, with the approval of the President, shall replace those committee members who are rotating off with members who represent both the industrial and academic interests of the Society. The Chair and committee members shall serve a three-year term, eligible for renewal subject to approval by the Executive Committee.

Elections Committee

Danielle Reed, Chair (24)

Nirupa Chaudhari (24)
Brianne Linne (24)
Max Fletcher (24)

The Elections Committee shall be composed of three to five members. The Chair shall be either the Past-President or an individual appointed by the Executive Committee. The Chair shall serve a one-year term. The Past-President and Senior Advisor shall be the only two members of the Executive Committee on the Elections Committee. The Chair of the Elections Committee is ineligible to stand for office in the Society during his/her tenure on the Elections Committee. The other members of the Elections Committee shall be nominated by the Past-President and approved by the Executive Committee. Committee members except those from the Executive Committee shall serve a one-year term.

Mentoring & Networking Committee

Arianna Maffei, Chair (26)

Paule Joseph, Diversity Committee Chair (26)
Kara Fulton (24)
Jess Kanwal (24)
Hojoon Lee (25)
Gemma Camara (25)

The Mentoring/Networking Committee shall increase visibility and participation of junior members in the Society as well as increase mentorship opportunities between junior and senior members. The Committee is also responsible for organizing activities during the Annual Meeting that may be of special interest to members. Junior members are generally defined as undergraduate students, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. The Chair of the Mentoring/Networking Committee shall be elected by the membership. They shall also serve on the Diversity Committee. The Chair and committee members shall serve a three-year term. The chair shall not be eligible for reelection to their office immediately after serving two consecutive terms. The composition of the Committee should be reflective of members who are graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and more established investigators.

Bylaws Committee

Paul Breslin, President

Alfredo Fontanini, President - Elect
Danielle Reed, Past President
Nirupa Chaudhari, Senior Advisor
Ricardo Araneda, Senior Councilor

The Bylaws Committee shall be comprised of the President, President-Elect, Past President, Senior Advisor and a Councilor. The Committee will be called upon to make revisions to the bylaws and present changes to the membership as needed.

International Committee on Olfaction and Taste

Charles Greer, Chair
Tom Finger

AChemS representation on ICOT shall include a Chair and two committee members, appointed by the President. Terms of the Chair and members should be staggered to provide continuity over the 12 year rotation of the ISOT meeting between European Chemoreception Research Organization (ECRO), Japanese Association for the Study of Taste and Smell (JASTS) and AChemS The AChemS Chair and committee members will represent AChemS during meetings of ICOT held during their term, and shall be responsible for reporting back to the Executive Committee. During the three years leading up to the ISOT Meeting hosted by AChemS, the AChemS/ISOT Program Chair, once identified, will also represent AChemS on the ICOT.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access Commitee

Paule Joseph, Chair (26)
Jeremy McIntyre, Co-Chair (26)
Arianna Maffei, Mentoring/Networking Committee Chair
Diego Restrepo, Grants Committee Chair
Daniel Ramirez-Gordillo (25)
Diego Rodriguez-Gil (25)
Joel Mainland (25)
Shawn Dotson (25)
Thorsten Kahnt (26)

The Diversity Committee shall increase visibility and participation of underrepresented minorities in the sciences in the Society and at the Annual Meeting. The Committee shall oversee the Travel Fellowships for Diversity Awards, in compliance with any grants aims in effect and /or as directed by the Executive Committee. The Chair of the Diversity Committee shall be elected by the membership. They shall also serve on the Mentoring/Networking Committee. The Chair and committee members shall serve a three-year term. The chair shall not be eligible for reelection to their office immediately after serving two consecutive terms.

History Committee

Claire Murphy, Chair (25)

Gary Beauchamp(25)
Jessica Brann(25)
Susan Travers(25)
Donald Wilson (25)

The History Committee serves the membership by researching and maintaining historical documents, photographs, commentaries and videos related to the founding of AChemS through subsequent years. The goal is to enhance understanding of the history of the Association and the classic work of early members. A major function is to highlight the long-standing contributions of past, retired and senior AChemS members so that there is a chemosensory knowledge bridge to junior colleagues and students. The Committee will organize and categorize historical items from the Association, will present the history of AChemS and the history of chemosensory sciences to the membership in active formats at annual AChemS meetings, and will establish a ready means of communication with senior scientists no longer active in AChemS. The Committee will include 5 to 7 regular members to represent a breadth of knowledge about the early history and current stages of the Association. The Chair and members will be appointed by the Executive Committee to 3 year renewable, staggered terms.

Awards Committee

Alfredo Fontanini, Chair (24)
Ricardo Araneda (25)
Adam Dewan (24)
Shawn Dotson (25)
Monica Dus (24)
Paule Joseph (25)
Juyun Lim (24)
Hongxiang Liu (24)
Alissa Nolden (24)
Sunil Sukumaran (25)
Christina Zelano (25)

The Awards Committee is chaired by the President-Elect, who serves 1 term, and shall be composed of 8-10 members selected by the chair with approval from the President. Each committee member will serve for 3 years, with roughly 1/3rd of the membership replaced each year. The Awards Committee will supervise and select winners for several awards, including: The Max Mozell Award for senior investigators; The IFF Award, The Ajinomoto Award, and The AChemS Young Investigator Award for mid-career investigators; as well as the Don Tucker Memorial Award for graduate students. The Chair will send out a Call for Award Nominations for senior and mid-career candidates in advance of the annual meeting, with nominations due ~2 months later. A prime responsibility of each committee member is to ensure a sufficiently large and diverse group of nominees for each Award. Each Committee member will evaluate and rank nominees following guidelines established by the Committee. Final deliberations will take place in person, via videoconference or via similar mechanisms and include the President (non-voting capacity) and a liaison of the Association’s professional management. Winners will be notified in advance of the meeting and their presentations incorporated into the annual meeting by the Program Chair. Nominees for the Tucker Award will self-identify via the abstract submission process, and the Committee will establish guidelines to evaluate nominee presentations at the annual meeting.

Clinical Relations Committee

Caroline Huart, Chair (25)
Eric Holbrook (24)


The Clinical Committee shall represent the clinical issues related to the chemical senses, e.g. smell loss or taste distortions. It shall increase public awareness of the chemical senses being of high significance for our daily lives. The Committee is also responsible for organizing activities during the Annual Meeting related to clinical issues, including a “clinical symposium”, discussion rounds and/or workshops relevant to the chemical senses in clinical practice. The Chair of the Clinical Committee shall be appointed by the President. The Chair and committee members shall serve a three-year term, eligible for renewal subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. The Chair, with the approval of the President, shall replace those committee members who are rotating off. The composition of the Committee should be reflective of members who are clinically active and/or see patients with smell and/or taste disorders on a regular basis.

Federal Liaison Committee

Susan Travers, Chair (25)
Linda Barlow (25)
Leslie Kay (25)
Tyler Lorig (25)
John McGann (25)

The Federal Liaison Committee shall advise and assist the President and the Executive Committee regarding interactions with federal agencies relevant to the promotion and support of scientific research and training in the chemical senses. The Chair and committee members will be appointed by the President for a three-year term with the possibility of renewal. The committee will consist of a minimum of 5 established researchers representative of the broad scientific interests and approaches of AChemS members.

Grants Committee

Diego Restrepo
Paul Breslin, President
Alfredo Fontanini, President - Elect
Emily Liman and Robert Sandeep Datta, Program Chairs
Dan Wesson, Program Chair - Elect
Paule Joseph, Diversity Committee Chair

The Grants Committee is responsible for writing AChemS grant proposals and monitoring progress of grant goals on a yearly basis. The Committee will report findings to the Executive Committee on a yearly basis, and make recommendations for changes in the annual meeting if necessary. The Chair will be the principal investigator of the AChemS NIDCD R13 Conference Grant. He/she will coordinate competitive submission of the grant proposal and the annual progress report with the President of AChemS, with the Chairs of other committees, the present, past and current meeting Chairs, and the administrative staff.

Strategic Planning Committee

Rachel Herz, Chair (25)
Leslie Cameron (26)
Shawn Dotson (25)
Valentina Parma (25)
Christopher Simons (25)
Sunil Sukumaram (25)

The Strategic Planning Committee shall be a standing committee with the duty of an annual review of (a) the AChemS mission statement and (b) the Strategic Plan with proposed modifications as needed. The committee is also charged with making other long-range planning recommendations. The committee shall include a Chair and at least three but not more than seven representative committee members with the Chair appointed by the President. The Chair, with approval of the President shall appoint committee members. The Chair and committee members shall serve a three-year term. The Chair shall not be eligible for reelection to their office immediately after one term.

Social Media Committee

Christina Zelano, Co-Chair (24)
Matt Smear, Co-Chair (24)
Putu Agus Khorisantono (25)
Claire Martin (25)
Snigdha Mukerjee (25)
Jake Saunders (25)
Marga Veldhuizen (25)

The Social Media Committee shall keep in close contact with the Society's general membership and shall assist the secretary in maintaining the Society’s social media presence. The Social Media Committee shall be responsible for planning communications on behalf of the Society. All members of the Social Media Committee should demonstrate a certain level of accountability and integrity, and thus, must agree to abide by the AChemS Social Media Policy as part of their terms of service. The Chair of the Social Media Committee shall be the Secretary of the organization. Committee members shall serve a three-year term, eligible for renewal subject to approval by the Executive Committee. The Chair, with the approval of the President, shall replace those committee members who are rotating off. The Chair of the Public Information and Affairs Committee will also serve as a member of the Social Media Committee, to ensure coordination in communication across different media.
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