Dr. Volkis is an assistant professor of chemistry in the Department of Natural Sciences in the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She holds a PhD from Technion, Israeli Institute of Technology. Her postdoctoral training was at the lab of Prof. Josef Michl in the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dr. Volkis is passionate about environmental polymer and material chemistry and horticultural phytochemistry. About 70% of her research students are undergraduate students and one of the research interests of Dr. Volkis is to learn how early involvement in undergraduate research helps to improve student's retention and graduation rate and develop their critical thinking ability.