Dr. Beatrice Steinert, of MCB, was recently named a Provost's STEM Postdoctoral Fellow at Brown University. Dr. Steinert is a developmental biologist, science and technology studies (STS) scholar, artist, and educator. Her research looks at the processes that dynamically shape invertebrate embryos (morphogenesis) and the visual culture of studying these microscopic phenomena since the end of the nineteenth century. Along with her interdisciplinary collaborators, she seeks to demonstrate ways of embracing complexity in the life sciences as well as making scientific research more accessible and engaging. She is a co-founder of the collaborative project Unfiguring, which explores how the arts can transform contemporary STEM.

Dr. Steinert received a joint PhD in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and History of Science from Harvard University, where she worked with Dr. Cassandra Extavour and Dr. Peter Galison. She has been the recipient of fellowships from the National Science Foundation (GRFP) and James S. McDonnell Foundation as well as Imagine Science Films and Science Sandbox’s Symbiosis Program.

As a part of Brown's STEMJazz Programs, the Provost's STEM Postdoctoral Fellowship Program seeks to form a multidisciplinary cohort with tenure-track faculty aspirations who can leverage Brown's unique, low-boundary, collaborative environment to build exceptionally creative and influential projects across STEM disciplines. The program's fellows are scholars with the predisposition and ability to work successfully in multidisciplinary teams and have already displayed evidence of sustained support for the inclusion of members from underrepresented groups in their disciplines.

Postdoctoral fellow Linda Guzman, Ph.D., has been selected as a fellow in the Leadership Education to Advance Diversity (LEAD) Institute of the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (SCCAP). LEAD fellows, who are chosen bi-annually for their excellence in the field of clinical child and adolescent psychology, attend the SCCAP annual conference and participate in a series of lectures on leadership and professional skills.

The inaugural Dean’s Postdoctoral Diversity Fellowship in Biology and Medicine has been awarded to Rebecca Oramas Graves, PhD. This two-year research fellowship was established by the Division of Biology and Medicine to help grow, support, and retain a diverse scientific workforce.

Oramas Graves completed her PhD work studying female reproductive physiology with Dr. Jianjun Sun in the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology at the University of Connecticut. She is now pursuing her postdoctoral fellowship with Karla Kaun, PhD, in the Department of Neuroscience at Brown, where she plans to develop a new Drosophila model to investigate the role of alcohol and drugs of abuse on female fertility.

“Rebecca was a perfect candidate for this fellowship, as she has not only made significant scientific contributions in her graduate and undergraduate research, but has also been highly involved in science outreach, science communication and mentoring of first-generation, international, and underrepresented students,” Associate Dean for Training and Program Development Audra Van Wart, PhD, says.

“My training in inclusive teaching combined with my personal experiences as a minority in STEM provides me with a dynamic potential to positively influence more students to stay and thrive in science,” Oramas Graves says.

Ramisa Fariha, a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, has been selected as a Fellow in the National Postdoctoral Association’s 2024-2025 IMPACT Fellowship Program.

Through a 16-month, interactive fellowship that uses a variety of tools, IMPACT empowers participants to strategically build upon existing skills, recognize opportunities, and advance more confidently in their careers.

Recognized in various science blogs for her activism as a womxn of color in STEM, Ramisa aims to become an independent research scientist, specializing in the early detection of ovarian cancer. She continues to inspire international students and womxn of color in STEM to pursue their dreams, embodying the spirit of innovation and inclusivity in her work.

Daniel Scott, Ph.D., a Carney-affiliated Postdoctoral Fellow in Neuroscience,, was one of the winners of the second annual BRAINSTORM Challenge during an awards ceremony, held on June 18 in Sidney Frank Hall. The focus of this year’s challenge was to glean information about how the brain encodes memory–an area which has important implications for the treatment of conditions like epilepsy.

Associate Dean for Training and Program Development, Dr. Audra Van Wart, recently attended the National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence (NISBRE) conference. The conference aims to "foster interactions, promotes resource sharing, enhances the national visibility of the INBREs, COBREs, and CTRs." Shared best practices and updated on the grant writing process will hopefully make their way to partners soon!

Postdocs in the Division of Biology and Medicine were among those who received top honors on Monday at this year’s Postdoctoral Research Symposium organized by the Office of University Postdoctoral Affairs at Brown.

We are thrilled to announce and extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Caroline Keroack, Postdoctoral Fellow in the de Graffenried Lab, on being awarded the Postdoctoral Excellence Award!