Meet Our Executive Board

Angelar Muthike is a Senior Research Specialist at The Dow Chemical Company. Her current research focuses on developing, enhancing or using existing optical laser spectroscopy methods for industrial material characterization. Angelar received her B.Sc. in Chemistry from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2017 and her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2022. In addition to her NOBCChE involvement, Angelar is actively involved in the Midland Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) where she’s a member of the DE&I steering committee and serves as one of the section directors, is the 2023 co-chair of the Dow Discussion Group on Interfacial Science (DDGIS) and is a member of the Precious Sisters Charity Trust (a UK-Kenyan Charity) board of trustees.

She enjoys working out, playing volleyball, hanging out with friends, travelling, mentoring, and just recently started practicing Brazilian Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

Kayla Storme is currently a Senior Research Specialist in Dow Performance Silicones’ Engineered Materials Product Development group where she develops new material protectives for electronic and advanced power applications. Before joining Dow in 2024, she received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, B.S. in Biochemistry from University of Illinois at Chicago, and an A.S. in Biochemistry and A.A.S. in Operations Engineering from Joliet Junior College

Kayla was first introduced to NOBCChE during her Ph.D. and participated as a student liaison with NOBCChE Collaborative, co-lead recruitment efforts of the Chemistry department, and presented her Ph.D. research on designing polymers for membrane-based gas separations at the National NOBCChE Conference.

Outside of work, Kayla enjoys riding her motorcycle, playing volleyball, designing and sewing clothes/cosplay, traveling, and playing video games like Groove Coaster, Pokémon, and Zenless Zone Zero.

Safiyah Muhammad is currently a Senior Research Specialist in Dow Performance Silicones’ Resins, Coatings, and Adhesives Product Development group. In this role, Safiyah is responsible for the development and application of new silicone resins.

Safiyah joined Dow in 2021 after receiving a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). During her tenure at UIUC, she helped to re-establish the graduate and undergraduate NOBCChE chapter and co-lead recruitment efforts of the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering departments at the National NOBCChE Conference and other conferences for underrepresented groups in STEM.

While at Dow, Safiyah also serves on the Membership committee for Dow's Global African Affinity Network as well as the Social and Networking co-chair for the Young Researcher Community (YRC). In her free time, Safiyah loves to be active and outside, frequently weightlifting, playing volleyball, camping, and indoor rock climbing/bouldering as well as engaging in many other activities.

Gibson Kirui is an Analytical Scientist at Piramal Pharma Solutions, where he focuses on developing and validating analytical methods using chromatographic, spectroscopic, and electrochemical techniques to support drug discovery research and quality compliance. Gibson earned his B.Sc. in Chemistry from Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, Kenya and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. During his time at Wayne State, he served as Vice President of the NOBCChE–WSU Chapter and contributed to several subcommittees for planning NOBCChE National Conferences, supporting programming, logistics, and student engagement efforts. His doctoral research centered on inorganic and materials chemistry, including the design and characterization of molecular rectifying devices and catalysts for energy-related applications.

Outside of work, Gibson enjoys spending time with family, exploring new places, and staying active outdoors

Oluwadare (Dare) Badejo is a Senior Research Specialist at Dow in Midland, MI. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware, and holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Dare’s research focuses on sustainable process systems engineering, with expertise in supply chain optimization, resilience under disruption, and modular systems. Outside of work, Dare enjoys mentoring and supporting STEM outreach efforts.

Bio Pending

Dare is currently a Senior Research Specialist at Dow Chemical where he worked on various application space and products development. Prior to Dow, Dare earned is Ph.D. in Chemistry at Michigan State University and B.Sc. from Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State, Nigeria. Dare is a trained synthetic organic chemist with expertise in catalysis, small molecules, and polymer synthesis. Dare became involved in NOBCChE after starting at Dow and since then became heavily involved  with the organization. 

Dare enjoys playing various sports including soccer, volleyball, badminton, and tennis.