Derreck Carter-House – Co-Chair of the Graduate Education Committee.
Derreck received his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the University of California, Riverside. He has served as a UCR Science to Policy Congressional Fellow for Congressman Mark Takano as well as helped to develop the Science Policy Certificate Program, a ten-week course offered to UCR Graduate students to teach them how to communicate their science to policy makers.
Adriana Bankston – Co-Chair of the Graduate Education Committee.
Adriana obtained her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology from Emory University. She was a Policy & Advocacy Fellow at the Society for Neuroscience (SfN), where she provided staff support for special and ongoing projects, including SfN’s annual lobby event and the society’s annual meeting. Currently, Adriana serves as Policy Taskforce Co-Leader on the Board of Directors at Future of Research (FoR), and is Chief Outreach Officer at the Journal of Science Policy and Governance (JSPG). Adriana helped to develop the Science Policy & Advocacy Certificate Program for STEM Scientists at University of California, Irvine, which teaches PhD students and postdocs fundamental skills and concepts in science policy and advocacy, and identifies ways to transition into science policy careers.
Matthew Diasio – Editor
Matthew received his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Virginia. At UVA, he served as the Vice Chair and Academic Chair of the Graduate Engineering Student Council, working to improve professional development opportunities and support for graduate students. Matthew was also the Community Outreach and Advocacy Chair of the Science Policy Initiative at UVA, where he planned public events on the importance of science policy to Virginia. He also volunteers with Engineers and Scientists Acting Locally and is part of the working group organizing the Commonwealth of Virginia Engineering and Science Policy Fellowship program.
Alessandra Zimmermann – Website Manager
Alessandra received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Maryland, College Park. While at UMD she helped found the Graduate Science Policy Group at UMD (@GSPatUMD). She is now the executive director at Proposal Analytics, a startup that aims to change the grant writing landscape by studying full-text research grants. She also volunteers with Engaging Scientists and Engineers in Policy (ESEP) and the Canadian Science Policy Center (CSPC).
Bernat Navarro – Contributor
Bernat is a third-year Ph.D. Candidate at The Johns Hopkins University. His thesis work focuses on determining molecular mechanisms of invasion in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. His interest in the intersection of policy and science sparked after the proposed graduate student tax plan a couple of years ago. As the Communications Chair of the JH Science Policy Group, he is been working on getting students training opportunities in science policy and communication. Currently, he is working on establishing a certificate in Science Policy and Advocacy available for all graduate students.
Scott Esko Brummel – Contributor
Scott Esko Brummel, a former United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs Geneva Branch Intern, received a Master’s Degree in Bioethics and Science Policy from Duke University. Following graduation, Esko was hired as the lead editor for AI and robotics topics at the US science policy tracking website SciPol.org. During this time, Esko also worked in Dr. Mary Cummings’ Humans and Autonomy Lab as a research scientist on a NASA-funded project investigating socio-technical risk in the Agency’s investment in technology development and investment. Esko also has experience working in Regulatory Policy with the Duke Law School SciReg lab and with the National Security Agency. Esko has also been sponsored to attend the 2018 AAAS CASE workshop and Science Diplomacy and Leadership workshop in 2017.
Megan Damico – Contributor
Megan is a second year Ph.D candidate at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) in the Environmental Health Sciences program. Her dissertation focuses on microbial evolution and ecology where she uses the honey bee gut microbiome to answer how different environmental factors can impact the composition of gut microbial communities. She is the founder and co-president of Spartans for Science and Policy at UNCG where she helps build opportunities for graduate students at smaller institutions to pursue fellowships and careers in science policy.
Dilara Kiran (@dvmphd2be) – Contributor
Dilara Kiran is a third year DVM candidate at Colorado State University and will also complete a MS in Microbiology in summer 2020. Her research focuses on how infection with the bacteria that causes tuberculosis alters immune cell metabolism. She currently serves as the Secretary for Science in Action, which is a part of the NSPN Western Hub, and co-chairs the NSPN Election Initiative Wikipedia Track. Dilara will join the editorial board of the Journal of Science Policy & Governance as an Associate Editor starting June 2020. She was previously invited by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) to speak on a panel about the role microbiologists play in public policy at the 2019 ASM Microbe and was sponsored by ASM to attend the 2019 AAAS Catalyzing Advocacy in Science & Engineering workshop. In 2018, she served as a Government Relations Division Extern with the American Veterinary Medical Association in Washington D.C. She ultimately aspires to use her knowledge of both clinical veterinary practice and research to contribute to evidence-based science policy.