Sharon L. Neal is an analytical chemist in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Delaware, Her current work is focused on the development of multichannel (broadband) optical spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis methods for characterizing the photochemistry of small molecule pollutants in water-borne microorganisms and pharmaceuticals in tissues. During her tenure at the University of Delaware she has served as a rotating program officer in the Chemistry Division of the Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) Directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and spent a sabbatical leave as a visiting professor in the Biology Department at the University of New Mexico. Before moving to U of DE in 1998, she was an Assistant Professor at Spelman College and UC Riverside. She also worked as a staff chemist in Corporate Quality Assurance at The Coca-Cola Company prior to completing her graduate degree. Prof. Neal earned the B.S. in Chemistry at Spelman College and the Ph.D. in Chemistry at Emory University, both in Atlanta, GA.  She conducted post-graduate research at the University of Washington and Naval Research Laboratory. She is a member of several professional societies including the American Chemical Society, the Society for Applied Spectroscopy and the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers in which she serves as the Northeast Regional Chairperson and Univ. of Delaware Student Chapter faculty sponsor. She serves on the advisory board of the Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists (COACh) and is a past advisory committee member of the Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) Directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Open Chemistry Collaborative in Diversity Equity (OXIDE). She is also a past member of the advisory committee and the A-Page Advisory Panel at Analytical Chemistry.