Note: I have not received any payment for this work, nor have I used grants to support it. All the work described on this page has been done voluntarily in my spare time.
Committees and working groups
Pictured above: Leading a DEI workshop at the 2022 ICRS conference in Bremen, Germany
International Coral Reef Society (ICRS)
In 2020, I co-founded the equity, diversity, and inclusion committee of the Student and Early Career Chapter of ICRS with other graduate students researching coral across the globe. We developed original purpose and philosophy statements that constitute our chapter’s stance on DEI issues. We are currently developing workshops and informative materials for disseminating opportunities and resources to increase participation and recognition of underrepresented minorities in coral science.
Our primary issues of concern incude:
Parachute science (or scientific colonialism), where researchers drop down from the wealthy Western world and exploit foreign communities for fieldwork
Institutional Biases including racism, sexism, etc. in major decisions such as hiring and funding
Leaky pipelines, or the progressive underrepresentation of minorities in STEM
Living wages to combat insufficient incomes for interns, students, and early career scientists
If you are interested in contributing to our growing knowledgebase of resources, we’d love to work with you. Please email the chapter at icrs.students@gmail.com.
Note: As of 2024, I stepped down as committee lead to focus on similar efforts in Arctic research that align with my current postdoctoral position.
Minorities in Biological Research (MBR)
In 2020, I supported one of my undergraduate mentees in founding MBR at UT-Austin. This student-led organization provides guidance to undergraduates that are underrepresented in STEM and/or first-generation to pursue a career in STEM. We also share resources, disseminate advice, develop and host workshops to help undergraduates prepare for a biological research career. Workshops we’ve hosted include:
Getting involved in research at UT-Austin (2022)
Research careers in biology (2021)
Applying for grad school (2020)
DEI Committees
Since 2022, I joined the DEI committee for the Department of Integrative Biology at UT-Austin. We are in the process of reforming the graduate school admissions process to be more inclusive of diverse applicant experiences. We strive to remove barriers such as standardized tests,1 which are inherently biased against women, ethnic minorities, and applicants from low-income backgrounds.2 Instead, we aim to develop a holistic evidence-based approach to recruit and admit a more diverse student body that accurately reflects the diversity within society.
In 2023 I also joined the DEI committee for the College of Natural Sciences at UT-Austin, and I look forward to expanding DEI work across the broader college.
Note: In compliance with current political actions, these committees no longer exist.
Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS)
Since 2020, I’ve been part of the MISS community which strives to promote DEI in shark science, and support a network for gender minorities of color to share resources, advice, and opportunities between scientists of all levels. As a member, I’ve given talks to the community about my experiences as a scientist and mental health in graduate school.