I am Aubs (they/them), and I’m finishing up my PhD in biological sciences at Columbia University. I’m very interested in community-run science, ethical science pedagogy/mentorship, and science communication and visualization.

Studying life under the microscope has been my life-long love. As a child, I was investigating pond-water and bugs under a small kids’ microscope, and nowadays I’m privileged to investigate fibrosarcoma cancer cells under a confocal microscope. I care deeply about early access to hands-on science for under-served students and I co-founded and directed a free STEM outreach program for local Harlem families to invite them onto campus and run experiments with grad student researchers.

My 13+ years in bench-top biology research has been quite revealing about pervasive exclusivity- and extraction-dependent patterns in the ways we fund, conduct, and share science. I am learning a lot more lately about the history of such patterns and reading up on methods that can help restructure and liberate the process of science from them.

I also greatly enjoy making art and hosting science-art salons to share and showcase scientific art pieces with friends and community.

My passions:

Science communication and STEM outreach

Bioethics and inclusion in STEM

Science art and data visualization

Understanding mechanisms of cancer persistence