Emily Cross

Emily Cross is a paleontology research fellow pursuing a doctorate at North Carolina State University (2024-28). Cross is an internationally recognized youth researcher, science mentor and public speaker whose STEM focus is geoscience. She has won over 30 science awards and medals, including The Sigma Xi Society 2016 High School Geoscience Medal, American Geoscience Institute Special Award First Place at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), ISEF 4th Place Grand award (2X), and a Gold Medal at the Canada Wide Science Fair. She is an Associate Member of the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honour Society.

Cross's public speaking focuses on empowerment of girls and youth in general in STEM. She was a keynote speaker at the 2017 USA Science and Engineering Festival “XSTEM” in Washington DC on behalf of Sigma Xi and the US Department of Defense with a presentation called “The Future of the Past”. Emily was also the lead-in speaker at TEDx Thunder Bay, and is a frequent presenter in local schools and at local geology events. Emily is a national youth science mentor for the Youth Research Network, providing training, research advice and support to youth scientists across Canada, and was a Regional Director (Thunder Bay) of Sustainable Youth Canada.

One of Flare Magazine's #HowIMadeIt "100 Millennial Women to Watch" in 2017, Emily is a talented researcher, a dedicated youth leader, and a strong voice for youth science and women’s STEM empowerment on the national and international stage.

Cross was an active member of Federal Minister of Labour Patty Hajdu’s Constituency Youth Council where she kept the federal government informed of issues facing youth in her riding (Thunder Bay-Superior-North). She is a SHAD Fellow, and a member of the SHAD 2016 Dalhousie Team that won Best Prototype award at the SHAD Cup.