Speakers List
A recurring issue at conferences and seminars is the underwhelming number of URM speakers giving talks. A commonly cited reason for this is not knowing who to invite. To that end, we’ve begun compiling a list of prominent URM researchers across every field of STEM and Medicine. We hope that conference organizers can use this list as a resource when inviting speakers. However we hope that organizers use this list conscientiously. There is a well-known, and well-documented, issue of “tokenism”, i.e. the idea that women and underrepresented minority researchers are included to give an appearance of diversity. We would like to stress that a diverse conference is not just about representation of minority speakers but also about creating an environment that is conducive to sharing ideas and collaborating. See our “Best practices” page for tips on how to create an inclusive environment.
Finally, we would like to stress that:
(i) Speakers on our list should be compensated properly for their time.
(ii) We are not the only resource out there! Check out this database for more lists of underrepresented researchers.
(iii) Our list is mainly nomination based (we then reach out to the researchers for their consent to be featured on the list). Please consider nominating yourself or others to be on the list! You can do so here or by emailing us at dscnatl@gmail.com.
NOTES ON USING OUR LIST
1) Please see here for the Speakers List in spreadsheet format (useful for more complicated searches), an explanation of all of the fields (and how to search them), and a list of sorted subfields.
2) Our website saves your previous search for future reference! If you would like to clear your search, press the “Clear” button (next to the “Submit” button).
| Field (see Notes for sorted subfields) | Preferred Name | Position | Description | Website | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecology, Endocrinology, Neuroscience | Dr. Daniel Tobiansky | Post-doc | Dr. Tobiansky investigates neuroendocrine signaling that underlies mating, territorial, and social decision-making behavior. Twitter Handle: @DTobiansky | Research Page | Behavioral Ecology, endocrine, mating, territorial behavior, behavior, steroid hormones, ethology |
| Education/Pedagogy, Health Equity, Psychology, Public Health | Dr. Sinead Younge | Professor | The Project Ujima Lab investigates sexual health practices amongst college students, HIV+ adults and Black men, amongst other underserved communities. Dr. Younge and her lab also examine prison reform issues. | Faculty Page | Sexual health, HIV/AIDS, health equity, Prison, carceral system |
| Neuroscience | Dr. Athena Akrami | Assistant Professor | The Akrami Lab investigates how our brain represents and integrates sensory memories to learn and infer meaningful patterns. | Lab Website | memory, statistical learning, behavior, representation, sensation, abstraction, inference, neural computation |
| Biomedical Engineering, Orthopedics | Dr. Brittany Taylor | Post-doc | Dr. Taylor investigates different scaffolding materials that can be used to aid bone structure and regeneration. | Research Page | biomechanics, bone regeneration, vascularization |
| Ecology, Entomology | Dr. Melissa Sanchez Herrera | Post-doc | Dr. Sanchez Herrera investigates, tracks, and categorizes various insects, specifically focusing on damselflies. | Research Website | phylogenetics, taxonomy, damselflies |
| Biochemistry, Neuroscience | Dr. Shahzad S. Khan | Post-doc | Dr. Khan investigates the molecular underpinnings of neurodegenerative diseases, specifically focusing on familial Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. | neurodegeneration, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, LRRK2, Dementia, cell signaling | |
| Ecology, Microbiology | Dr. Ethell Vereen | Assistant Professor | Investigations focus on using traditional and state-of-the-art genomic and metagenomic approaches to understand how bacteria affect ecosystem and human health; as well as the diversity and function of microbial communities in various ecosystems. | Lab Website | antibiotic resistance, water quality, waterborne pathogens, Salmonella, Campylobacter, pedagogy, metagenomics, environmental health |
| Neuroscience | Dr. Keith A. Trujillo | Professor | The Trujillo Lab investigates the mechanisms of reward in the context of drug abuse, including the effects of tolerance, dependence, and sensitization. Additionally his lab studies mental health disorders including schizophrenia and major depression. | Faculty Page | psychopharmacology, behavior, reward, drug abuse, tolerance, dependence, sensitization, opiates, stimulants, schizophrenia, depression |
| Neuroscience | Dr. Alexandra Colón-Rodríguez | Post-doc | Dr. Colón-Rodríguez investigates how single parenting affects the amygdala of parents and their offspring. | Lab Website | neuroscience, neurotoxicology, science communication, ion channels, behavior |
| Cellular Biology, Neuroscience | Dr. Chantell Evans | Post-doc | Dr. Evans investigates mitochondrial quality control mechanisms in neurons, including mitophagy, and how dysregulation contributes to neurodegenerative diseases. | neurodegeneration, autophagy, mitophagy, mitochondria, axonal transport |