Our Team
Farah Qaiser
Farah Qaiser (she/her) is a genomics researcher by training, and enjoys getting involved in different science outreach, communication and policy initiatives to help build an inclusive and engaging science culture. For the last year, Farah has been a volunteer member of 500WS' leadership team, working across wolfpacks and amplifying efforts (like #AdaTwist!) to change the face of science. Farah works on the Fix The Gap and Wikipedia program teams.
Rebecca Barnes
Dr. Rebecca Barnes (she/her) is an AAAS Science Technology & Policy Fellow working with the National Science Foundation and Belmont Forum. Trained as a biogeochemist, she is interested in how to implement evidence-based solutions to broaden participation and make science a more welcoming space for all. You can learn more about Becca’s work here and follow her on Twitter @waterbarnes.
Chinmayi Balusu
Chinmayi Balusu (she/her) is a medical humanities and neuroepidemiology student at Columbia University in New York City. She supports communications, gage, and youth engagement initiatives as a part of the 500WS leadership team. Chinmayi is passionate about early STEM education and founded an interdisciplinary neuroscience outreach organization known as Simply Neuroscience in 2019. Born and raised in northern California, she enjoys exploring nature trails, gardening, practicing taekwondo, and watching Telugu movies with her family.
Katie Wagner
Catherine Wagner (Katie; she/her) is an evolutionary biologist and Associate Professor at the University of Wyoming in the Department of Botany. Her scientific work uses evolutionary genetic tools to address questions about the origins and maintenance of species diversity, with a focus on freshwater fishes. She currently leads the SciMom wolfpack at 500 Women Scientists, where she has particularly focused on advocacy for women and parents facing career setbacks in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Francesca Bernardi
Francesca Bernardi (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is part of the 500WS Wikipedia team. She moved from Italy to the U.S. for graduate school and received a Ph.D. in mathematics working in fluid mechanics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At UNC, she also received a Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies. In 2016, she co-founded Girls Talk Math -- a mathematics and media day camp for girls and non-binary high school students. Check out her website here, or follow her on Twitter @fra_berni.
Rakenduvadhana Srinivasan
Rakenduvadhana Srinivasan (she/her) is a neuroscientist based in Helsinki, Finland. Her doctoral research focuses on the effects of acute neuroinflammation on hippocampal function, and its etiological contribution to neurodegenerative conditions. While her diurnal energies are mostly devoted to science and her passion for disseminating egalitarianism in STEMM, she is also a writer, artist and filmmaker.
Nada Elmhlawy
Nada Elmhlawy (she/her) is a science writer and researcher passionate about biological sciences. She has a MSc in Molecular Biology.
Rosie Dutt
Rosie Dutt (she/her) is a PhD student in the Imaging Science PhD program at Washington University in St Louis. Her research interests include developing advanced neuroimaging analysis techniques in the context of mental health conditions and identifying unique markers of psychiatric disorders. Alongside her academics, Rosie is heavily involved with Science communication, journalism and policy efforts, and is regularly invited to give talks and workshops around the globe.
Cynthia Prieto-Diaz
Cynthia Prieto-Diaz (she/her), MPH has been in the biotech industry helping to support the complete medical device product lifecycle as a biomedical engineer.
As a result from WFH (working from home), Cynthia was inspired to take a larger role in her immediate community to urgently address social inequities, especially those that negatively impact the health & wellness of the planet and its inhabitants.
Cynthia came to 500WS to be part of a movement to energize the next generation of STEMM leaders! Especially for individuals that have ever felt like they do not belong in STEMM – Cynthia is here for you! Both as an example and a cheerleader!
Liz McCullagh
Liz (she/her) is an Assistant Professor Neuroscientist at the Oklahoma State University. She is the co-founder of 500 WS’s flagship platform: gage—a global search platform featuring women and gender-diverse folks. Follow her on Twitter @ZaarlyLiz and her website.
Gabriela Fernández-Cuervo
Gaby (she/her/ella), is a chemical biology scientist by training. She received most of her education in Puerto Rico, where she was born and raised. After finishing her undergraduate studies at the University of Puerto Rico, she completed her doctoral degree at the University of Arizona and had her postdoctoral training at Stanford University. As a scientist, she developed and applied chemical tools to better understand biological questions. Currently, she works as an Alliance and Business Development Manager at the University of California San Francisco where she builds teams and connects researchers with biotech and pharmaceutical companies to work on the most challenging research projects. Gabriela is passionate about STEM education. She believes that educators and entrepreneurs have the power to create learning experiences that can transform lives. She advocates for creative initiatives that empower students at all levels to own and advance a culture of equity and inclusion making high quality education accessible to all.
Monica Malta
Monica Malta (she/her) is a global health researcher and epidemiologist. She is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and a researcher at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. You can follow her on Twitter @MonicaMalta7
Jennifer Haskell
Jennifer Haskell (she/her) is originally from Massachusetts in the United States and currently lives in Prague, Czech Republic. Her background is in environmental science and soils & biogeochemistry. As a researcher, Jennifer works on problems concerning the response of soil microbial communities to the conditions caused by future climate change in Arctic regions, specifically increased winter precipitation, summer warming, and wildfire disturbance in southern Greenland. Jennifer’s passion is mentorship in science she hopes to help provide others with access to role models in science that they identify with. She also loves dancing, mushroom hunting, and scones.
Caity Hines
Caity (They/Them) works as a project developer and manager at Encore Renewable Energy, where they lead solar development in New York and Pennsylvania and support engineering, procurement, and construction efforts across the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Hines brings varied leadership experience to the 500WS leadership team, including Society of Women Engineers Senator and various outreach and professional development roles; SafePorter Advisory Board member; and former Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics section executive board member. In addition, Hines has facilitation training through the University of Michigan's Program on Intergroup Relations, where they co-facilitated a course on social identities.