Title with Advance at UNM:

Graduate research assistant

Your background in academia:

I am PhD student in the Cognition, Brain, and Behavior track of the psychology department. My research focuses on neuroimaging, developmental disorders, and transdiagnostic neurological markers. Previously, I worked as a research assistant in the UNM psychology department and I have worked with kids in a variety of school and mental health settings. I got my Master’s in Special Education from Vanderbilt University where I worked on implementation of comprehensive interventions with secondary students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and did qualitative research with youth and young adults with ASD.

Why were you attracted to the project?

My career has given me experience in both science and engineering departments, as well as exposure to the university more broadly. I’ve had firsthand experience with the challenges faced by women STEM faculty and with the difficulty in achieving sustainable progress. My sense is that there is a broad faculty support for this effort and that we can make changes that will benefit not just women STEM faculty, but all of UNM.