2021 HENAAC Awards

Before completing her chemistry degree with honors at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, young Lidaris San Miguel Rivera thought she wanted to become a dentist.  A chemistry professor’s enthusiasm for the subject, however, changed her mind, and today she’s one of Dow Chemical’s brightest stars.

In her current role as a senior scientist in Dow’s Performance Silicones R&D organization, Dr. San Miguel Rivera is responsible for developing new silicone additive products for the coatings and inks markets.  She’s also a subject matter expert in dispersant development after her tenure in the Dow Coatings Materials business R&D group, and she’s an active member of the Ph.D. recruiting team charged with identifying and attracting new talent.

Born and raised in Ciales, Puerto Rico, Dr. San Miguel Rivera decided to pursue her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Michigan after a summer at MIT as an undergraduate researcher.

Hired by Dow in 2008, she excelled in roles at the Polymer Synthesis and Modification Group, and later the Additives Group, before she landed in her current position in the Industrial and Chemical Processing division.

Her innovative work has resulted in 7 granted patents, 8 external publications, 7 conference presentations, and more than 45 internal technology reports.

Lastly, Lidaris is a passionate champion of diversity at Dow. She actively supports the Hispanic Latin Network, and she’s a Dow / University of Michigan Diversity Liaison – roles that allow her to advocate for and empower her LatinX colleagues and community leaders.