Breaking into Biosciences

Spring 2023 Event

Breaking into Biosciences

Join us on March 15th for a moderated Q&A and panel!

Speakers

Hani Gomez, Jennifer Fung, Lindsey Osmiri, Derek Paul, Kyle Tucker

Please join us for our third event spotlighting success in STEM by those from nontraditional and underrepresented backgrounds. Meet our diverse lineup of speakers and hear them share stories of their personal careers and the barriers they had to overcome as a part of the biosciences community. Learn more about each of our speakers and their backgrounds:

Dr. Hani Gomez

Dr. Hani Gomez is a Senior MEMS Engineer at Mekonos Inc., where she works on a nanoneedle-based delivery platform for cell therapies in order to increase access to personalized medicine. Dr. Gomez, originally from Cochamba, Bolivia, received her PhD in Electrical Engineering from UC Berkeley in December 2020, with her doctoral research focusing on Micro Electronic Mechanical Systems (MEMS). At Berkeley, Dr. Gomez was involved with Bias Busters, an organization in the College of Engineering run by graduate students, faculty and staff to address implicit bias issues. She collaborated with others in the organization to develop CS 194: EECS for All, a course focusing on social justice within EECS. Dr. Gomez was also part of the EECS Anti-Racism Committee, where she facilitated various anti-racist efforts to improve the EECS experience for those commonly marginalized in the field and in academia.

Dr. Jennifer Fung

Dr. Jennifer Fung is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the UCSF School of Medicine. Her research uses live 3D fluorescence imaging and genomic deep sequencing to uncover the mechanisms behind chromosome segregation during meiosis. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biophysics from UC Berkeley and Ph.D. in Biophysics from Yale University. At UCSF, she has participated in mentorship opportunities like DEI Champions Training and Career Conversations, both in July 2021.

Read more: https://funglab.ucsf.edu/

Dr. Lindsey Osmiri

Dr. Lindsey Osimiri is a Data Scientist at BigHat Biosciences, where she works on building data analysis pipelines as part of the company’s larger goal of developing more effective antibody therapies using machine learning. Dr. Osmiri received her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the UC Berkeley-UCSF joint Bioengineering program, where she studied the effect of transcription factor dynamics using optogenetic tools. Dr. Osmiri was a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow, a fellowship supporting children of immigrants pursuing graduate school in the US.

Dr. Derek Paul

Dr. Derek Paul is the Cofounder and CEO of Glass Health, which developed the first digital notebook designed specifically for doctors. Glass Health is also developing Glass AI, which uses artificial intelligence to assist clinicians with clinical planning and documentation. He has published research and given talks on health equity and healthcare policy, with a focus on analysing the relationship between structural racism, susceptibility to homelessness, and healthcare disparities. Dr. Paul received his M.D. from UCSF in 2021 and completed his residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

Kyle Tucker

Kyle Tucker is a PhD student in the Brohawn Lab at UC Berkeley studying protein engineering of channel rhodopsins. He was the Co-Director of inclusive MCB, a graduate student-led initiative in the Molecular and Cell Biology Department to support diversity and a sense of belonging amongst MCB students, faculty, and staff. Tucker is passionate about the complexities of culture, race, inequity, economics, global history and art.

The event will be hosted at the Innovative Genomics Institute (2151 Berkeley Way) on March 15 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

RSVP here if you think you can make it!