Member Spotlights Archives

AWIS Member Spotlight: Marwa Zafarullah

Dr. Marwa Zafarullah is a neuroscientist at Stanford University School of Medicine specializing in neuromuscular disorders, integrating multi-omics with AI to advance precision medicine.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Andreia Maia

Andreia Maia, PhD, is a postdoc at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | Harvard Medical School, developing in vivo CAR-T and CAR-NK therapies for solid tumors.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Lucia Sereni

Lucia Sereni, PhD, is an immunologist with extensive expertise in gene therapy and genome engineering.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Ramya Ravindranathan

Ramya Ravindranathan, PhD, a molecular and cellular biologist by training, is passionate about translating insights from cancer biology into therapies that make a real difference.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Ruchika Maurya

Ruchika Maurya is a postdoctoral fellow at the Medical University of South Carolina, specializing in host–microbiome–immune interactions in T1D.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Nike Idowu

Nike Idowu, a PhD Candidate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will use her research expertise to improve public health, agriculture, and sustainability.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Endia Crabtree

Dr. Endia Crabtree is a Principal Clinical Product Risk Scientist at Boston Scientific, ensuring medical devices are safe, effective, and supported by strong evidence.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Margaret Sena Akpo

Margaret Sena Akpo, a PhD candidate in Anatomy and Cell Biology at Wayne State University, works to build a career that blends scientific excellence with mentorship, opening doors for others and shaping lives.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Jane Onu

Jane Ugochi Onu is a dual master’s student in Petroleum Engineering and Data Science. She is passionate about data-driven innovation and committed to advancing sustainable energy solutions.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Ayobami Oladapo

Ayobami Oladapo is a PhD student at Purdue University whose research addresses water vulnerabilities in two critical regions for US water resources.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Favour Akabogu

Favour Akabogu is passionate about understanding disease mechanisms and developing therapeutic strategies for treatment. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Sarcoma Lab at UMass Chan Medical School.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Violet Votin

Violet Votin, PhD, has learned that when ideas from people of diverse backgrounds are shared, surprising progress is made.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Manali Shah

Manali Shah is a molecular biology researcher interested in how genetic variation influences health and disease.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Sarah Espinoza-Leon

Sarah Espinoza-Leon, an AWIS Scholarship recipient, aspires to develop medicine and treatments that are economically and physically accessible to people.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Marlene Belfort

Marlene Belfort, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor at the State University of New York at Albany and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Athina Meli

Athina Meli, PhD, has led award-winning research in astroparticle and high-energy astrophysics, with over 220 scientific article publications.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Pooja Kadaba Ranganath

Pooja Kadaba Ranganath, PhD, is passionate about connecting research to real world impact.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Sarah Light

Sarah Light, PhD, is a neuroscientist interested in how the nervous system is built during development.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Onyinyechi Obidiro

Dr. Onyinyechi Obidiro, PharmD, PhD, is a pharmaceutical scientist specializing in drug discovery and translational research.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Brenna Knott

Brenna Knott is a Program Manager with a background in biology and biomedical sciences. She brings scientific insight to managing complex programs in the biomedical field.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Taiwo Bankole

Taiwo Bankole is a doctoral student at the University of Maryland, College Park, studying the effects of bioactive compounds on metabolic diseases. She loves how her research offers solutions to challenges affecting the health-care system.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Ijeoma Asilebo

Ijeoma Asilebo is a PhD student in the Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program at Notre Dame.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Alexandra Barth

Alexandra T. Barth is a postdoctoral researcher at North Carolina State University. Her research focuses on photochemistry and molecular spectroscopy.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Lisa Escalante

Lisa R. Escalante is a Senior Program and Project Manager with over a decade of experience driving innovation in STEM organizations.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Misty D. Freeman

As founder of Mocha Sprout, Dr. Misty D. Freeman empowers organizations to bridge culture and tech, tackle AI bias, and foster equity.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Derya Tansel

Derya Tansel, PhD, is a postdoctoral appointee at Sandia National Labs in the robotics group.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Manasa Yerragunta

Manasa Yerragunta is a PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering, specializing in organic crystallization and polymorphism.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Angeliki Rigos

Angeliki Rigos is the Founder and President of Epistimi Inc.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Fatimoh Abimbola Mohammed

For AWIS member Fatimoh Abimbola Mohammed, pursuing her MBA will enhance her leadership, strategic thinking, and analytical skills, positioning her to create lasting, meaningful, and transformative change in business and STEM.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Leah Salinsky

Dr. Salinsky’s research focuses on the understanding the therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Minel Arinel

Minel Arinel is a sixth-year PhD student in Neurobiology at Duke University, passionate about developing alternative therapeutics for psychiatric disorders.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Sree Vishmaya V

Sree Vishmaya V is a bioinformatics consultant, trainer, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) data analyst.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Porscha M. Whiteside

West Philadelphia native Porscha Whiteside is a Senior IT Desktop Engineer at Drexel University.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Kiley McLean

Dr. Kiley McLean is an assistant professor at UW-Milwaukee School of Social Welfare. Her research seeks to improve health and systems equity for autistic and developmentally disabled adults.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Vanessa Young

Vanessa Young is a first-generation, non-traditional scholar pursuing her PhD in Translational Science at UT Health San Antonio.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Juliana Somuah

Juliana Somuah is a PhD student in Infrastructure and Environmental Systems at UNC Charlotte. Her research focuses on mentorship and leadership in construction and STEM.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Olivia Konell

Olivia M. Konell is a chemist with experience in pharmaceutical quality assurance and analytical testing, currently working in QA compliance while pursuing her MS in chemistry through the University of Saint Joseph.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Sweta Shrestha

Sweta Shrestha, PhD, is dedicated to creating opportunities for underrepresented groups and advocating for greater representation in science and technology.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Shreya Sharma

Shreya Sharma, who is driven by a passion for science and patient care, is currently pursuing an MS in medical sciences and plans to apply to medical school in 2025.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Akanksha Nagpal

Akanksha Nagpal, PhD, a leader at AWIS Partner BioMarin, knows you’re never truly done learning. The mindset of being a constant learner has brought humility and respect to her leadership approach.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Namrata Singh

Namrata Singh, PhD, Scientist II at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, is a passionate cancer researcher, eager to advance therapeutics and diagnostics.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Nongnooch Poowanawittayakom

Nongnooch Poowanawittayakom, MD, serves as an Infectious Disease Faculty and Associate Epidemiologist at Washington University, focusing on the prevention of hospital acquired infection.

AWIS Member Spotlight: R. Yagmur Yegin

Dr. R. Yagmur Yegin is a research engineer in BASF’s PhD Leadership Development Program. AWIS has played a critical role in shaping her career by providing mentorship, support, and community.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Florencia Salinas

Florencia Salinas is currently a researcher at Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America where they study neurodegenerative diseases using patient iPSC-derived neurons.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Jeffery Brown

An AWIS member since 1989, Jeffery Brown is a Professor Emeritus in the Physics Department of Seattle University.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Carly Filgueira

Carly Filgueira, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at Houston Methodist Research Institute.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Garima Vyas

Garima Vyas, Practice Director at Indigo Beam, has 16 years of experience bridging innovation and customer success. Former President of AWIS Houston, she advocates for equity in STEM.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Malachia Hoover

Malachia Hoover, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in Research and Early Development at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc, focusing on musculoskeletal research. She hopes to inspire other minorities to pursue careers in the biomedical sciences.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Laura Schoenhals

Laura Schoenhals has always loved movement. She started dancing at the age of seven, and has no plans to stop. Now, she investigates the neural underpinnings of locomotion as a PhD student in the Danner Lab at Drexel University.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Oluwaseyi Oluwatola

Oluwaseyi Oluwatola is a 5th year PhD candidate in Biomedical Science (Molecular Medicine concentration) at the University of South Florida and H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Erica Iris Williams

Erica is a postdoctoral fellow at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc, researching drug delivery strategies targeted to the brain.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Yetunde Oyende

Yetunde Oyende is a PhD candidate in pharmacology and Physiology at Drexel University College of Medicine, with a focus on cancer research and drug discovery.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Karen Brutus

Karen Brutus is a graduate student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), studying biotechnology with a focus on pharmaceutical research.

AWIS Member Spotlight: E. Willa Simpson

Dr. E. Willa Simpson is an Artificial Intelligence Scientist (United States Artificial Intelligence Institute), an author, historian, researcher, and lecturer.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Tasnim Olatoke

Tasnim Olatoke is a PhD Candidate at the University of Cincinnati where she studies molecular mechanisms underlying Tuberous Sclerosis and Lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Rachel Jones

Rachel Jones began her STEM career in California, as a programming and cyber security contractor to the Navy. She now works as a AVP/Information Security Administrator for Community West Bank.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Ganesha Kariyawasam

Ganesha Kariyawasam is a fourth year PhD candidate in Molecular Biosciences at the University of South Florida.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Jyothi Vemu

Jyothi Vemuis a distinguished entrepreneur and founder of Futurebytes, a STEM education company in Silicon Valley.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Yetunde Oyesakin

Yetunde Oyesaki, PhD, is an accomplished organic and medicinal chemist. Her research focuses on drug design and discovery, contributing valuable insights to drug development.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Manju Anandakrishnan

Manju Anandakrishnan is a PhD Candidate in Bioinformatics Data Science at the University of Delaware.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Judith Serwaa Marfo

Judith Serwaa Marfo is a first-generation doctoral student in Chemistry at Seton Hall University, originally from Kumasi, Ghana. She teaches undergraduate chemistry labs, emphasizing green chemistry, while conducting research in her field.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Manasi Sharma

Manasi Sharma is a Principal Engineering Manager at Microsoft, leading platform development for Microsoft Teams.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Namita Gandhi

Dr. Namita Gandhi is an accomplished scientist, immunologist, and author with 20 years experience in biotech.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Mina Hemmati

Born in Iran with a dream to become a doctor, Mina Hemmati began her journey by studying physics in her home country. Now in the United States, she is currently in the throes of her third year medical school journey.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Savanah Saldaña-Shumaker

Savanah Shumaker has worked as a chemist in industry, government, and academia. She is the co-founder of 8 Count Cosmetics, and will begin a new role as “Instructor of Practical Applications (Chemistry)” at the United States Naval Academy.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Letticia Valderrama Atkins

Letticia Valderrama Atkins is the Director-West of the Skeletal Dysplasia Team at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., and the founder of LatinX at BioMarin.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Ariana Fonseca

Ariana Fonseca is currently a first year graduate student at The Scripps Research Institute.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Tamara Mestvirishvili

Tamara Mestvirishvili was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. She currently works as a bioinformatician focusing on understanding wound healing in diabetic models.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Sevval Altay

Sevval Altay, MD, is a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Originally from Turkey, she aspires to become a physician-scientist with a focus on nutrition and metabolic diseases, blending clinical expertise with research pursuits.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Mercy Chelangat Koech

Mercy Koech is a PhD candidate at the Renewable Energy and Vehicular Technology Lab at the University of Texas at Dallas, focusing on the dynamic intersection of renewable energy, power electronics, and electrified transportation.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Mariam Oladejo

Mariam Oladejo is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Merck Research Laboratories, where she is actively identifying complex biological processes that permit therapeutic resistance in KRAS mutant lung cancer.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Akeemat Tijani

Akeemat Tijani is a Doctoral Research Associate at East Tennessee State University.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Aanuoluwa Adekoya

Aanuoluwa Adekoya is a Microbiology PhD candidate at the University of Oklahoma currently investigating microbial interactions in chronic infections using traditional and biocomputing approaches.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Mariana Garcia Ascolani

Originally from Paraguay, Mariana Garcia Ascolani is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Oklahoma State University. Her research focuses on mitigation of enteric methane emissions from beef cattle and development of more sustainable livestock systems.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Folashade Olorunfemi

Folashade (Gloria) Olorunfemi is a STEM advocate with a biochemistry and education background who wants to inspire others, especially women, to pursue STEM and contribute to equity.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Aurelia Valente

Aurelia Valente is a Master of the Arts candidate for Biological Sciences through the Dragonfly Global Field Program at Miami University, Oxford, as well as a PhD student at The University of New Mexico.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Usha Rao

An AWIS member since 2001, Dr. Usha Rao is a Professor of Chemistry at Saint Joseph’s University. She has received the AWIS Zenith award for lifetime achievement and leadership.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Heather Juzwa

Heather Juzwa is a Senior Field Sales Engineer at Shimadzu Scientific Instruments Inc, where she has been recognized with at least one performance award each year of her career.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Chinwe Obi

As a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Chinwe Obi spearheaded the adoption of technology in teaching, halving the cost of materials and enhancing education.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Gabrielle Walcott-Bedeau

Dr. Gabrielle Walcott-Bedeau, an Associate Professor at St. George’s University, and Assistant Provost, holds a MD alongside post-grad certification in medical education and an MBA in Health-Sector Administration. Her research focuses on innovative elements of medical education.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Uganeeswary Suparmaniam

Uganeeswary Suparmaniam received her PhD from PETRONAS University of Technology where she studied high-throughput microalgae cultivation for carbon removal and biodiesel production.

AWIS Member Spotlight Bandana Sharma Chapagain

Bandana Sharma Chapagain is a Research Coordinator at Baylor College of Medicine, actively contributing to the Texome project, which aims to address disparities in genomic medicine.

AWIS Member Spotlight Hanna Aliashkevich

Hanna Aliashkevich is a neuroscientist and neurosurgeon with a decade of expertise spanning clinical and research domains, including neuro-oncology, reconstructive and spine neurosurgery.

AWIS Member Spotlight Joan Lunney

Joan Lunney PhD, Distinguished Senior Research Scientist at the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Services, coleads the US Swine Immune Toolkit, developing new reagents for assessment of pig health, vaccines, and biomedical research.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Samanta Del Veliz

Samanta Del Veliz is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, studying adenoviral vector engineering for the development of new vaccines.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Samantha Wilezol

AWIS member Samantha Wilezol aspires to build a career as an inspirational speaker, both domestic and internationally.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Lindsay Tessmer

Lindsay Tessmer is a first-year doctoral student in the PhD in Nursing Science program at Washington University School of Medicine/Goldfarb School of Nursing.

AWIS Member Spotight: Saba Kanwal

Saba Kanwal is a PhD candidate (4th year) working in the Chemistry department at Michigan State University.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Himanshi Tanwar

Himanshi Tanwar, PhD, is an immunologist working in antigen-adjuvant formulations, specialising in herbal adjuvants against bacterial/viral antigens.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Hannah Grisevich

Hannah Grisevich, a senior scientist at Altria Client Services, strives to bridge the gap between scientific innovation and public perception in a field typically at the forefront of controversy.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Ijeoma Okoye

Ijeoma Okoye is a third-year PhD candidate in the Microbiology and Immunology program at Drexel University College of Medicine, studying the mitochondria of Plasmodium falciparum parasites to discover novel antimalarial drug targets.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Abbygail Foster

Abbygail Foster, PhD, is a Principal Scientist in the Pharmaceutical Development department at Genentech, and the Drug Product Team Lead for cell therapy programs.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Victoria Oyanna

Born and raised in Nigeria, Victoria Oyanna received her PharmD degree from the University of Benin, Edo state. She looks forward to utilizing her training as a researcher in drug development efforts and health care.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Tandeka Boko

Tandeka Boko’s STEM journey began in high school when an African American female guidance counselor asked her to become a math tutor.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Cassandra Puletapuai

Cassandra Puletapuai is a doctoral candidate in Education, Equity, and Transformation at Colorado State University, with an emphasis on Construction Management.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Diane Ogedi Ugwu

Diane Ugwu is working on her PhD in the molecular bioscience program at Washington State University, with interdisciplinary research in biochemistry and molecular biology education.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Shannon Farmer

Shannon Farmer is an experienced professional in the medical practice industry with expertise in communication, organization, training, leadership, and patient care.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Chantel Wilson Chase

AWIS member Chantel Wilson Chase leads the Quality Analytics and Reporting division at Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease Business Unit.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Hongmei Li-Byarlay

Hongmei Li-Byarlay, PhD, researches bee behavior, genetics, molecular biology, and physiology.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Christy Poland

Christy Poland loves animals and nature with a passion. She has worked for 10 years in biomedical research, and is also a certified Master Naturalist of the Galveston Bay Area Chapter.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Doeun Kim

Doeun Kim is passionate about working in healthcare as a future pharmacist, as well as drug development research in Alzheimer’s disease.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Michaela Davenport

Michaela Davenport is a Field Technical Support Scientist at Shimadzu Scientific Instruments.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Jessica Ramirez

Jessica Ramirez, a PhD candidate at Rush University, is researching ovarian cancer biomarkers to enhance early detection methods.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Mayara Matos

Mayara Patricia Viana de Matos, PhD, is a biologist in the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Yvette Figueroa

Dr. Yvette Figueroa is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Sam Houston State University, specializing in strength and conditioning, human performance, and female athletes.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Amanda Reyna

Amanda Reyna holds a BS in Biology from University of Texas-Pan American and an MS in Plant and Soil Science from Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Giselle López

Physician scientist Dr. Giselle López wants to help jump-start the careers of future physicians and future scientists.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Tabitha Wakhungu

Tabitha N. Wakhungu is a Mechanical Engineer at SMC corporation of America, with a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Wright State University.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Ellen Kuwana

Ellen Kuwana is an award-winning scientific communications expert.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Marj Thomas

Marj Thomas is the CFO of the Allen Institute, a nonprofit bioscience research institute in Seattle.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Mercy Orukpe Moses

Mercy Orukpe Moses is a graduate student Lab at Purdue University. Her research is on flavivirus nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) and its interactions with host proteins.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Dharaniya Sakthivel

Dharaniya Sakthivel is a CPRIT scholar, currently pursuing a PhD at Baylor College of Medicine.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Iris Yuning Ye

Iris Yuning Ye is a Product Manager at Microsoft.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Melissa Lawrence

Melissa Lawrence is an experienced career and leadership coach and the CEO of Your Worthy Career. She also hosts the podcast “Your Worthy Career.”

AWIS Member Spotlight: Anastasia Grilley

Anastasia Grilley, project manager at Nokia, aspires to be a positive driver for change, both in the company and in the world.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Joy Ramos

AWIS member Joy (Maria Rowena) Ramos, PhD is a Senior Medical Director at International Meetings & Science (IMsci).

AWIS Member Spotlight: Puja Sapra

Puja Sapra, PhD, is Senior Vice President, Head R&D Biologics Engineering and Head Oncology Targeted Delivery for AstraZeneca.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Denise Rios

Denise Rios is an PhD candidate and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. She has been in the health care working with acute traumatic brain injuries (TBI) over twelve years.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Stephanie Lebsack

AWIS member Steff Lebsack is a Speech-Language Pathologist, high school cross country coach and experiences chronic lung disease.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Ambily Abraham

As a scientific tinkerer, Ambily Abraham, PhD has always found passion in exploring the unknown and connecting with fellow enthusiasts.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Mac McGuire

AWIS member Mac McGuire is a current Masters student at SMU, pursuing her PhD in the fall in geophysics, as well as her MBA in Business Analytics.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Laura Kanalina

Laura Kanalina is currently working as a Process Engineer providing operational & engineering support to manufacturing of lifesaving gene therapies.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Shruti Shrestha

Shruti Shrestha, PhD, is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Physics at Penn State Brandywine.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Judith Weis

Judith Weis, PhD, has written over 250 articles and books on such topics as marine pollution, invasions and animal behavior, and microfiber pollution.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Allison Augustus-Wallace

Allison Augustus-Wallace, PhD, is a Baton Rouge, LA native, wife of 23 years, “Bonus” mom, mom-in-law, grandmother, and aunt.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Patrice Yarbough

Patrice O. Yarbough PhD, former senior scientist at NASA JSC was awarded the 2020 Silver Achievement Medal for leadership in the human research HERA program. Recently retired, she provides strategic advising for the AWIS National Governing Board, serves on the University of Houston STEMRISE Advisory Board and is Board Trustee for the Marine Biological Laboratory.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Michele Sample

Michele Sample is a trained clinical operations expert with over 25 years of clinical trial experience. She joined AstraZeneca in 2020 as the Vice President of Late Development Clinical Operations and leads the global team of Clinical Operations experts to execute the Oncology portfolio.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Helen Greenwood Hansma

Helen Greenwood Hansma, PhD, has been published over 100 times and has taught physics and biology.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Constance Jeffery

Connie Jeffery received her B.S. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and PhD in biochemistry at the University of California Berkeley. After learning X-ray crystallography as a postdoctoral researcher at Brandeis University, she started her lab at the University of Illinois Chicago.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Deblina Sarkar

Dr. Deblina Sarkar is an assistant professor at MIT and fuses engineering, applied physics, and biology to develop disruptive technologies for nanoelectronic devices and create new paradigms for life-machine symbiosis.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Lamiaa El Fassi

Meet Dr. Lamiaa El Fassi, an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Mississippi State University.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Behnaz Akbari

Behnaz Akbari is a chemist with a passion for improving healthcare by developing innovative biomedical research in mass spectrometry and quantitative imaging techniques.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Vanessa Kercher

Dr. Vanessa M. Kercher’s research passion focuses on helping individuals optimize their physical activity experiences through behavioral strategies to promote sustainable, positive health behaviors.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Caroline Guerra

AWIS member Caroline Guerra is focused on transforming food waste into innovative eco-friendly bioplastics.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Daniela Galvez-Cepeda

Daniela Galvez-Cepeda is an AWIS student member at Williams College, majoring in Psychology and Mathematics.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Claudia Espinosa-Garcia

Neuroimmunologist Dr. Claudia Espinosa-Garcia is passionate about conducting research to develop new strategies for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric diseases.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Mary Khetani

Dr. Mary Khetani is a pediatric occupational therapist and rehabilitation scientist who has spent more than a decade growing her academic career at public R1 institutions.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Pamela Marrone

Dr. Pam Marrone is an experienced entrepreneur and businesswoman skilled at starting and building companies to a high growth stage.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Cynthia Hurlbert

Cynthia Hurlbert is a technical writer who is passionate about science communication and education.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Kathy Nevola

Dr. Kathy Nevola (they/them) is a Data Scientist at Olink Proteomics and one of the founding members of the MASS AWIS LGBTQ+ Affinity Group.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Karen Yee

Trained in molecular and cellular biology, Dr. Karen Yee is a research and program manager at MIT and chair of the AWIS Chapter Advisory Committee.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Elise Lewis

Dr. Elise Lewis shares lessons in leadership and mentorship from her toxicology career.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Gauri Kulkarni

Dr. Gauri Kulkarni, a regenerative medicine scientist and president of AWIS-North Carolina, aims to “be the change she wishes to see.”

AWIS Member Spotlight: Srishti Baid

Srishti Baid, a doctoral candidate in microbiology at the University of Kansas, is passionate about research, outreach, and mentoring.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Eleni Bachlava

Dr. Eleni Bachlava has dedicated her career to developing and commercializing innovative vegetable seed products.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Abbie Stack

Abbie Stack works at Bayer Crop Science, specializing in molecular plant disease diagnostics and emerging viral diseases of tomato and pepper.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Felicia McClary

A Q&A with Felicia McClary, a Senior Program Manager at Amazon.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Moriah Beck

Dr. Moriah Beck, Associate Professor in the Chemistry Department at Wichita State University, is a proud mentor for numerous students and an advocate for inclusive excellence.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Corinne Farleigh

AWIS member Corinne Farleigh, a Senior Environment, Health, Safety & Security Specialist at Tesla, shares what she’s learned from taking on a leadership position early in her career.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Joyner Eke

AWIS member Dr. Joyner Eke is passionate about research and solving problems in order to make the world a better place.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Sophie Sanchez

Sophie Sanchez, a candidate in the Neuroscience PhD program at the University of Texas at Austin, started a community for women in STEM at UT.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Laura McCullough

Meet Dr. Laura McCullough, professor of physics at University of Wisconsin-Stout. “I want physics to be welcoming to everyone interested in it.”

AWIS Member Spotlight: Natasha Louise Tilston-Lunel

Molecular virologist Natasha Louise Tilston talks to AWIS about viruses, vaccines, and what we can learn from 2020.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Nancy Rawson

Learn what taste and smell tell us during COVID-19 and beyond from Dr. Nancy Rawson, cell biologist and leader at the Monell Chemical Senses Center.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Peggy R. Biga

Dr. Peggy R. Biga is an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow and Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Tanvi H. Visal

Meet Tanvi Visal, a cancer biology PhD student at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Laura Szkolar-Sienkiewicz

Dr. Laura Szkolar-Sienkiewicz, senior manager of Regulatory Affairs and Compliance at Amazon, advises to “follow your interest, even if it is wildly different than the path you are on.”

AWIS Member Spotlight: Bethany Chung

Dr. Bethany Chung is a regulatory scientist and machine learning consultant who has enjoyed being a member and contributor for AWIS for the past three years.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Georgina Salazar

She is a research coordinator for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas’ Therapeutic Antibody Core at the University of Texas Health Science Center.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Juliet Chin Hart

Specializing in developing the leadership capabilities of scientists and their organizations, she is the founder of Hart & Chin.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Tanya Smith, PhD

Meet Dr. Tanya Smith, a Professor at Griffith University. “Women need to be visible and proactive in helping to change the narrative that science is a boy’s club (as my subfield still largely is) – and in changing the culture of science.”

AWIS Member Spotlight: Amy Kullas

Specializing in molecular genetics and microbiology, Dr. Amy Kullas is the director of ethics at the American Society for Microbiology.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Meredith Clancy

Meet Dr. Meredith Clancy, an Associate Veterinarian at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. “As a strong woman in the workplace, I hope to show male students and colleagues that women are resilient and effective leaders.”

AWIS Member Spotlight: Isabel Escobar

Dr. Isabel Escobar is a Professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Kentucky and has been part of AWIS since 2008.

AWIS Member Spotlight: Karene Richards

Karene Richards is the CEO of The Karene Group, LLC. “There is a sense of empowerment, knowing that an entire organization of women has been formed with the goal to see me succeed in STEM.”

AWIS Member Spotlight: Brittany Parker Kerrigan

Meet Dr. Brittany Parker Kerrigan, a Neurosurgery Postdoctoral Fellow at MD Anderson Cancer Center. “There is no doubt in my mind that AWIS has better shaped me as a scientist, community member, and woman overall, and for that, I am eternally thankful.”