Dorothy J. Phillips

In 1990 Phillips became involved with the American Chemical Society Northeastern Section. She was involved with the American Chemical Society Project SEED, a scheme which allows high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds to complete summer placements in research laboratories. As a candidate in 2013 for the position of Director-at-Large for the American Chemical Society, Phillips stated that if she were elected to the position, she would aim to address two issues: global chemistry enterprise and chemical safety. In 2013 Phillips was appointed Director-at-Large of the American Chemical Society. Since 2014, Phillips has served as the American Chemical Society Board liaison for the Society's Science and Human Rights program. This program monitors the cases of scientists worldwide whose rights have been abridged. She was re-elected as Director-at-Large in 2016, and seeks to use her tenure to improve their 'globalization and diversity'. In 2017 Vanderbilt University created two faculty fellowships in her honour. The inaugural fellowship holder was Renã A. S. Robinson. In the fall of 2019, Philips was re-elected to serve a third term in 2020 on the Board of Directors for the American Chemical Society.

Phillips joined the Waters Corporation in 1984, where she worked in research and development until 1996. At Waters Corporation Phillips was a member of the Chemical Research and Development department, developing chromatography packing materials and bioseparations. Under her leadership the team developed the AccellPlus exchange packings, which could be used to separate proteins. She began to consult the biotechnology company Millipore Corp., travelling the world to talk about the work of the Waters Corporation. Her work expanded to include high-performance liquid chromatography. Phillips also investigated small molecules, including the drug sildenafil. She served as Clinical Marketing Director and Strategic Marketing Director. She was involved with the development of the Waters Corporation Symmetry columns and Oasis cartridges. At both the Dow Chemical Company and Waters Corporation, Phillips moved from research development to business management. After an almost thirty-year career, Phillips retired from the Waters Corporation in 2013 s Director of Strategic Marketing .

In 1973 the joined the American Chemical Society. She worked on the R17 virus, using circular dichroism and electron paramagnetic resonance to understand the conformation of the viral protein. Whilst researching the R17 virus, Phillips read about the work of Patrick Oriel at Dow Chemical Company, and decided to apply.

While Phillips originally intended to study medicine, she was discouraged by her advisor who believed she would not be able to have a family and attend medical school. She pledged to the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and was listed in the Who's Who Among American High School Students. She studied chemistry at Vanderbilt University, where she was the first African-American woman to earn a Bachelor of Arts in 1967. Attending Vanderbilt University was the first time Phillips had white classmates and professors. After graduating, Phillips worked in psycho-pharmaceutical research. She completed her doctoral studies at the University of Cincinnati, and, again, was the first African-American woman in Cincinnati to earn a PhD in biochemistry.

Her parents were very supportive of her education, and attended local meetings of the Negro Parent Teachers Association. The Wingfields became more active with the civil rights movement after the Rosa Parks bus boycott in 1956. Her brother was part of the Nashville sit-ins and her family were one of the first to integrate into Nashville. Phillips attended an National Science Foundation summer school for African-American students, which inspired her to study chemistry. She and her boyfriend took part in a statewide mathematics competition 'for colored students'. She eventually majored in chemistry at Tennessee State University, but transferred to Vanderbilt University in 1966.

Dorothy Jean Phillips (née Wingfield) (born July 27, 1945) is an American chemist and Director-at-Large of the American Chemical Society. She worked on circular dichroism and bioseparation. In 1967 Phillips was the first African-American woman to complete a bachelor's degree at Vanderbilt University.