Dr. Charah Watson, Ph.D., EMBA, JP is the Executive Director of the Scientific Research Council (SRC) where she started work initially as a Manager. Dr. Watson is an experienced research chemist with a focus on natural products and an entrepreneur with her own business, Kihara Cosmetics, which she started over 15 years ago to provide all-natural hair, skin and nail beauty and wellness solutions. Rounding out her science and technology education, Dr. Watson has also earned an Executive Masters of Business Administration and a Postgraduate Diploma in Governance and Public Innovation. Dr. Watson was born in Kingston, Jamaica and attended Excelsior Community College, where she developed her love for chemistry. She earned her B.Sc. in Food and Pure Chemistry from The University of the West Indies whilst working at tutoring and promotions, to cover her expenses. After a short stint as a high school teacher she returned to the Chemistry Department at The UWI, Mona to continue her post-graduate studies. She was able to work and study at the Natural Products Institute at The UWI where she completed her Ph.D. with a thesis on the use of certain natural products for the control of citrus pests in addition to assisting with research on the use of natural products for their potential in cancer treatment. Following the award of her Ph.D., Dr. Watson received several accolades including the Third World Academy of Science Young Scientist Award and The Principal’s Award for the Most Outstanding Research Activity for the Pure and Applied Sciences in 2011. She moved on to work as the Technical Director/Senior Research Scientist at the BioTech Research and Development Institute and in 2012 was presented with the Scientific Research Council’s Young Scientist of the Year Award. Dr. Watson eventually left her job as Managing Director at BioTech to join the Scientific Research Council in 2017 where she is now the Executive Director. Over her career, Dr. Watson has developed and commercialized multiple products, contributed to over 30 scientific publications, and is a named inventor on two international patents. She has also been part of teams that have won the National Innovation Awards on multiple occasions and was recognized by the United States Government as a Young Leader of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellow. As the head of the Scientific Research Council (SRC), Dr. Watson is responsible for ensuring this statutory body achieves its mandate of fostering and coordinating scientific research and the promotion and application of its results. The SRC supports the growth and development of Jamaica’s agro-industrial sector through research, adaptation of available technologies, creation of new and appropriate technologies and the provision of training and technical assistance. Dr. Charah Watson has excelled at her work in both private and public sectors whilst establishing a successful company in the cosmetics industry and raising a young family. She is passionate about mentoring young scientists and demonstrating how science can be transformed into real-world solutions that improve lives. Dr. Watson continues to advocate for youth engagement and women in STEM, encouraging the next generation to use science, creativity, and innovation to shape Jamaica’s future.