MELINDA KEEFE
R&D/TS&D Architectural Coatings Director, DOW
Could you please share your current role, what it entails, and what excites you most about it?
In May 2025, I took on the role of R&D/Technical Service and Development (TS&D) director for Dow’s Architectural Coatings business. The blended oversight of global R&D product development with TS&D account responsibilities for the Americas interests me on many levels. I am a scientist at heart who loves leading people and the combination of working with paint science again and engaging in people leadership and business strategy hits a lot of high notes.
What brought you to the coatings industry? Was it part of the plan, or did you discover coatings along the way?
I originally wanted to be a professional artist. During my undergraduate studies, I switched from studio art to chemistry, eventually getting my doctorate in Chemistry and joining Dow. I knew I could pursue art as a hobby while building a career in science. After completing Dow’s rotational program for new hires, I gravitated toward the coatings business. Years later, I realized I was drawn to coatings because of my love for paint and painting. Now, 24 years into my Dow career, I have spent two-thirds of my time in Dow Coating Materials and the rest in Dow’s Central R&D organization. I recently returned to the Dow Coatings team, and this role is an excellent match for my skills and interests.
How important has mentorship or a piece of advice from someone been in your career—and have you had the chance to mentor others in return?
I have had several amazing mentors on both the technical and leadership sides. Some of the best advice I ever received came from a leader who reported to me. Wise, honest, and kind, she said, “People won’t remember what you said; they will remember how you made them feel.” I think about that often as I engage with people across both my personal and professional life. On the technical side, I had a senior R&D Fellow mentor that was masterful at giving critical feedback in a constructive yet direct manner—an approach that positively influenced both people and projects productively. This is a nuanced skill that I, along with others, have worked to emulate with colleagues and customers.
How, if at all, did your educational background shape your path into coatings?
I am grateful that I chose to pursue chemistry. Understanding the fundamental chemistry and materials science behind how coatings work has been critical to my career. Formulation development and optimization can often become a trial-and-error experiment that often requires extensive, hands-on testing and refinement. Hypotheses-driven research—executed with a systematic approach to formulation development and data management—is more effective in the long term. My graduate research provided a solid foundation for how to approach technical projects, which has proven incredibly valuable.
What’s one project or innovation you’ve worked on that you’re especially proud of? I was part of the early team that first commercialized EVOQUE™ Pre-Composite Polymers—binders that adsorb to the surface of TiO2 during the paint-making process to enhance paint performance. This elegant technology has advanced significantly since then, enhancing top-tier paint products currently on the market. Another project I am proud of is a long-term technical collaboration between Dow and the art conservation science field—an initiative I launched many years ago and continue to lead. This effort brings industrial experience to technical challenges in art conservation. Search “” online—we were honored to play a small role in that restoration and other research projects.
Have you ever taken a detour or changed directions in your career? What did that pivot teach you?
I spent the last eight years leading a team within Dow’s Central R&D organization, composed of Formulation, Automation, and Materials Science (FAMS) teams that offer product and capability developments across Dow. In this role, I gained exposure to modern technology and market dynamics in plastic packaging, industrial intermediates, and consumer products. While the chemistry and specific targets varied, the approach remained consistent: aligning innovation priorities with market trends and unmet customer needs, followed by optimizing performance, reliability, sustainability, and cost. This experience also reinforced something important—I genuinely enjoy working in the coatings industry more than in other industrial segments.
How has the coatings industry changed since you entered it?
Sustainability trends are influencing coating technology from multiple angles. For example, in Europe, biocide regulations are making it difficult to properly protect binders and paints from microbial growth, so this demands new innovation globally. There is growing demand for paints made from renewable feedstocks, and across several regions, a strong focus on reducing the carbon emissions embodied in coating materials and their use. Chemical and paint companies are placing greater emphasis on the environmental impact of their products, often quantified through sophisticated life-cycle assessments, including product carbon footprint calculations. It is an exciting time to be a scientist and engineer. The world needs creative researchers that can develop innovative ways to advance the performance and safety of next-generation products.
Are there particular industry innovations or shifts you’re excited about?
I am excited about the advancements in interior, exterior, and specialty paint performance over the last 15 years—driving higher hiding power, greater durability, and more sustainable products. I am equally excited about how bespoke digital tools and advanced modeling algorithms will help enable us to draw new insights from existing data, as our data infrastructure, data quality, and predictive intelligence continue to evolve.
What advice would you give someone just starting out in the industry or considering a career in coatings?
Advancing technology is hard. Learning how to communicate effectively, build trusted teams, and inspire others is even harder. Find mentors you respect—people who will be honest with you about your development needs. You cannot do it alone.
What’s something people outside the industry might not understand or be surprised to learn about working in coatings?
In my previous role, I had the opportunity to host many lab tours for customers, suppliers, and members of the public. Many were surprised to learn that a typical can of house paint contains more than 10 ingredients—each highly engineered for its specific function in the application.
What keeps you motivated and eager to come to work each day? The opportunity to do great science and make a positive impact on people. The opportunity to launch better products.
Do you have any professional goals that you’re still eager to accomplish? I’d like to become a CTO of a smaller company or a VP at a larger coatings or chemical company. I am also interested in the niche field of fine art paints.
Melinda Keefe is the Architectural Coatings R&D/Technical Service and Development (TS&D) director at Dow. She leads technical service for the Americas and global application product development. Prior to her current role in Dow’s Coating Materials business, Keefe was an R&D director in Dow’s central research organization, where she was responsible for the Formulation & Materials Science team, focused on de-risking longer-term innovation. She also led the R&D Laboratory Automation team, which designs, builds, and implements bespoke robotic and process control systems for Dow R&D and Manufacturing & Engineering (M&E) laboratories.
With a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Penn State, she brings 24 years of experience in the chemical industry, including 14 in coatings. Her expertise spans polymer synthesis, application development, high throughput research, and art conserva
Earlier in her career, Keefe was a scientist-turned-leader in Dow’s Coating Materials business. Her technical work has been focused on the synthesis and application testing of new binders and plastic pigments for house paints. She was among the first to apply high throughput research workflows to develop and commercialize new coatings products, with an emphasis on innovative approaches for data mining and modeling of large datasets.
Keefe was part of the Dow team recognized with the 2013 Presidential Green Chemistry Award, a 2013 R&D 100 Award, and the 2017 American Chemical Society (ACS) Heroes of Chemistry Award for EVOQUE™ Pre-Composite Polymers. In 2015, she received the ACS Rising Star Award from the ACS Women Chemists Committee. In 2017, she received the Gordon E. Moore Medal, which recognizes early-career success in innovation, as reflected in both market impact and improvement to quality of life. In 2018, she received an ACS Luminary Award for the Science Paints our World—Chemistry & Art Exhibit, which she co-curated with the Midland Center for the Arts in partnership with Golden Artist Colors.
Return to Voices in Coatings: One Industry, Numerous Paths