Tracy Young
Senior Global R&D/TS&D Director for Dow Coatings Materials and Performance Monomers
Biography:
Tracy Young is the Senior Global R&D Director responsible for leading research and development for Dow Coating Materials and Performance Monomers. Young is a member of Dow’s Global R&D Leadership Team with responsibility for leading research for one of six business units. She leads a global R&D organization to advance innovation and global strategic customer partnerships across acrylics technologies in architectural and industrial coatings, adhesives, plastics additives, and monomers.
Previously, Young was the Global R&D/TS&D Director for Construction Chemicals, leading market driven innovation for roofing, flooring, wall systems, and the infrastructure sector across acrylics, cellulose ethers, redispersible latex powders, silicones, and hybrid system solutions. Young was a member of the Industrial Intermediates and Infrastructure R&D Division Leadership team and active externally with universities and industry associations across the building and infrastructure sector.
Young began her career at Dow and has been an innovation leader for roughly 30 years at the technical market interface, working with customers and industry partners to develop and commercialize technology in Coatings & Acrylics technologies, Energy & Water, and Specialty Plastics & Packaging. She has been an active industry research leader to advance sustainable solutions for the infrastructure sector for energy and water, sustainable buildings, smart infrastructure, and coatings. As an R&D Director, she has been a key leader on several R&D Division Leadership teams, leading technology, building R&D centers globally, and driving new business development to advance innovation growth.
Young received a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Michigan State University and completed executive leadership programs with Dartmouth-Smith College and Michigan State University.
She has held numerous industry, university, and government advisory board positions. She is currently a member of the American Coating Association Science & Technology committee and has been an active member of the American Institute of Chemicals Engineers, serving as a society chair for ten years and currently a member of the Institute for Sustainability and International Congress on Sustainable Science and Engineering. She is a member of the Society of Women Engineers, receiving the 2021 leadership award for advancing women in engineering.
Nick Talken
CEO and Co-Founder of Albert Invent
Biography:
Nick Talken is the CEO and co-founder of Albert Invent. A chemical engineer with multiple patents and publications, Nick previously co-founded and served as CTO of Molecule, a leading 3D printing materials company, where he built the first version of Albert to help his own lab team. He later led the digital transformation of R&D at Henkel, the global leader in adhesives, sealants, and functional coatings. At Albert Invent, Nick now brings over a decade of technology innovation to empower every chemist with AI-driven insights.