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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials Chemistry | Dr. Efrain Rodriguez | Associate Professor | The Rodriguez group is working to discover new materials to be used in superconductors as well as the magnetic properties of transition metal oxides and their use in energy conversion. | Faculty Page | transition metals, super conductors, chalcogenides, solid state, magnetics, hollandites, ferrotorodic materials, energy conversion, oxygen storage materials |
| Neuroscience | Dr. Freddyson J. Martinez-Rivera | Post-doc | Dr. Martinez-Rivera works in the Nestler Lab to investigate the impact of extinction-based therapy (model) on the addictive transcriptome. Previously, he worked (postdoc) in the Quirk lab studying the neural correlates of translational models for OCD and PTSD. | Lab Page | substance abuse, addiction, depression, extinction, OCD, PTSD, stress |
| Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Chemistry | Dr. Luisa Whittaker-Brooks | Assistant Professor | The Whittaker-Brooks Lab investigates novel inorganic and organic nanomaterials that can be used in solar energy, thermoelectrics, batteries and electronics. | Lab Website | synthetic inorganic-organic chemistry, spectroscopy, nanofabrication, renewable energy |
| Psychology | Dr. Laura Quiñones-Camacho | Post-doc | Dr. Quiñones-Camacho is a post-doc in the Perlman lab where she studies the neural underpinnings of parent-child co-regulation and child self-regulation as they relate to emerging psychopathology in childhood. | ResearchGate | emotion regulation, child development, neurodevelopment, psychopathology |
| Developmental Psychology, Neuroscience, Psychology | Dr. Gabriela Manzano Nieves | Post-doc | Dr. Manzano Nieves is a post-doc at the Liston Lab where she investigates how various neuronal subpopulations of cells differentially regulate cognitive processes during postnatal development. | ResearchGate | neuronal circuits, development, learning and memory, stress, fear, reward |
| Materials Chemistry | Dr. Rodrigo Noriega | Assistant Professor | The Noriega group investigates the dynamic properties of macromolecules in solution and at interfaces using a variety of ultrafast laser spectroscopy tools. We are interested in processes that involve charge, energy, and phase transfer as well as conformational transitions. | Faculty Page | spectroscopy, electronic materials, solvation, macromolecular conformation |
| Materials Chemistry | Dr. Javier Vela | Professor | The Vela-Becerra Lab investigates new optical and low dimensional materials and heterostructures. | Lab Website | nanocrystal, nanotechnology, computational chemistry |
| Neuroscience | Dr. Anthony Burgos-Robles | Assistant Professor | The Burgos-Robles Lab investigates how chronic stress can alter neural pathways and increase risk for mental disorders. | Faculty Page | stress, mental illness, reward, amygdala, cognition, emotion, motivation, optogenetics, neurophysiology |
| Microbiology | Dr. Courtney Robinson | Associate Professor | The Robinson lab investigates host-associated microbial ecology using insects as model organisms. Specifically her lab looks at microbiome response to invasion, perturbation, and diet. | Lab Website | host-microbiome, diet, immune response |
| Neuroscience | Dr. Mario Penzo | Principal Investigator | The Penzo lab investigates the neuronal circuitry underlying formation/regulation of affective memories and susceptibility to stress. | Faculty Page | memory, emotion, stress, optogenetics, electrophysiology |