Making Science and Leadership Work for More People

My commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is grounded in the understanding that change arises from intentional structures and practices that recognize how identities intersect and influence access to opportunities. Across my roles as a mentor, educator, and institutional leader, I have worked deliberately to create inclusive environments where diverse perspectives are not only welcomed but essential to innovation and success. By embedding flexible policies in team recruitment, advocating for academic leadership, and designing accessible, evidence-based pedagogy, I aim to foster a culture where everyone can thrive. This narrative of systemic inclusion reflects my belief that science and academia thrive when EDI is a foundational principle.

Deputy Provost Search: Advocating Inclusive Leadership in Institutional Decision-Making

My commitment to equity informs institutional structure decision-making. I served on UBC’s President’s Advisory Committee for the Deputy Provost search (2023–2024), working alongside deans, faculty members, university administrators, and an undergraduate representative with equal decision-making power. Together, we reviewed candidate materials, co-developed interview frameworks, and collectively advocated for leadership that demonstrates a deep understanding of how institutional decisions impact people across intersecting identities, including race, gender, indigeneity, disability, and professional trajectory. Our discussions were grounded in values of equity, inclusive academic leadership, and collaborative governance. The appointment of a highly qualified 2SLGBTQI+ scholar to this role reflected UBC’s ongoing commitment to diverse and representative governance, and demonstrated how thoughtfully applied EDI principles can shape meaningful institutional outcomes.

iGEM: Designing Flexible Structures for Intersectional Equity in Research Teams

My EDI initiatives are also grounded in intersectionality by designing team structures that acknowledged how overlapping identities affect access to research opportunities. As the instructor for UBC iGEM, I led recruitment collaboratively with our undergraduate team leads. During this process, we recognized that some applicants, often those from non-traditional academic trajectories, prefers to prioritize co-op placements. To accommodate this, I piloted a deferral system that allowed qualified to join the team the following year. This approach allowed us to retain talented, motivated students whose participation might otherwise have been limited by inflexible timelines. In many cases, these students returned with enhanced skills and perspectives, further enriching the team’s work with an improved sense of belonging. By embedding this kind of structural flexibility into our recruitment model, we moved beyond one-size-fits-all participation, enabling a more inclusive and responsive environment grounded in intersectional equity.

Teaching: Prioritizing Accessible and Evidence-Based Pedagogy

In my teaching practice, I prioritize accessible pedagogy and low-barrier learning. For example, in advanced chemical biology (CHEM561), I developed course modules that explore how DNA-damaging agents encountered in daily life and historical contexts are carcinogenic (cause cancer), and how scientists leverage this to design drugs that induce DNA damage in cancer cells, making complex concepts tangible and relevant to our lives. Students demonstrated improved understanding in the logic of how discoveries inspire inventions, shifting from asking “How did they figure this out? That’s smart),” to recognizing how real-world research is motivated and translated into application.

Another example is my Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) project that uses a Geiger-Müller (GM) counter as a teaching tool to discuss radioactivity. Radioactivity is often surrounded by fear and misinformation, which can hinder productive discourse in the classroom and the public realm. To address this, I integrate hands-on experiments using a GM counter, which provides real-time, measurable data on radioactive household items. Students measure real-time radiation from bananas, potassium chloride (KCl, a table salt substitute), and unenriched uranium ores, confronting their assumptions through direct data. These sessions shift student responses from anxiety to curiosity, reinforcing the principle that evidence should guide our understanding. Science becomes not just more accessible, but more meaningful.

Starting Small for a Utilitarian Philosophy

In sum, my EDI philosophy is utilitarian: when I design structures to support equity, I do so with the belief that they should improve the experience for all. Even small acts can shift cultures. Earlier in my academic life, I was laughed at for including my pronouns in my signature. Years later, a they/them-identifying co-worker shared that this visibility helped them feel safer in the workplace through recognition, and they helped others to do the same. This experience underscored that when people can show up fully as themselves, they can contribute without fear or hesitation. It fosters greater well-being, collaboration, and productivity across teams and institutions, and allows expression of perspectives I could not have considered on my own. I believe, as STEM YouTuber Mark Rober articulated, that statistically some of the most brilliant minds in humanity never had the chance to contribute because they were too busy trying to survive. When we humanize science, by improving accessibility and representation, we expand the pool of innovators and the scope of our progress. Science thrives when built on a foundation of inclusivity, where diverse perspectives fuel innovation and benefit everyone.