Dr. Godwin is an associate professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology at Northwestern University. She received her B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of Chicago and her Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Stanford University. She was also a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Godwin has received several awards, including the Paul Saltman Award, the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Toxicology New Investigator Award, and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award.

Hilary Godwin studies the basic chemical and biological mechanisms by which toxic metal ions affect neurological signaling and development. She will create the Undergraduate Success in Science program at Northwestern University. It will feature a summer workshop focusing on building skills that will allow students to excel in science.