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Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

Welcome! Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is an incredibly diverse place to work, train, and conduct science, with employees who hail from more than sixty different countries throughout the world. Indeed, diversity is central to our mission of advancing discovery in biology research and education. From secondary education and enrichment programs run through the DNA Learning Center to the laboratories of our faculty and principal investigators, CSHL thrives by assembling a rich mix of people who are provided the resources and creative freedom to develop new ideas, solve problems, and advance science.

Historically CSHL’s research staff, like that of many other institutions, has not reflected the demographic diversity of the United States. We recognize this as both a social and scientific shortcoming, one we’ve been working hard to rectify. CSHL’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was set up to run programs, work with divisions and departments throughout campus, and assess policies and procedures on an ongoing basis to ensure CSHL welcomes, includes, and supports all employees regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, disability status, veteran status, or age.

graphic of a map of the World with countries where CSHL is represented

Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Director: Charla Lambert, Ph.D., clambert@cshl.edu

CSHL’s Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI), led by Dr. Charla Lambert, integrates and oversees efforts across multiple divisions to promote equitable and inclusive working environments on campus. Nationally, Dr. Lambert has served on the SACNAS Board of Directors and reviewed applications for the HHMI Gilliam Fellowship program as well as for various NIH R25 educational grant programs. Within CSHL, she developed the DEI framework and strategy for the Meetings & Courses Program, and was co-principal investigator on an NIH IPERT grant that was focused on scientific training, mentoring, outreach, and community building for CSHL’s postgraduate short course program. Dr. Lambert has a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Ph.D. in Genome Sciences from the University of Washington in Seattle, and postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania through the NIH IRACDA fellowship program.

photo of Charla Lambert
Charla Lambert

Steering Committee

John P. Tuke
Chief Operating Officer

Katherine Raftery
Vice President of Human Resources

David L. Spector, Ph.D.
Director of Research
Robert B. Gardner, Jr. Professor

Lloyd Trotman, Ph.D.
Director of Education & Diversity for the CSHL Cancer Center
Professor

Sydney Gary, Ph.D.
Director of Research Operations

Alex Gann, Ph.D.
Lita Annenberg Hazen Dean of the School of Biological Sciences

David J. Stewart, Ph.D.
Executive Director of the Meetings & Courses Program

Rebecca Leshan, Ph.D.
Executive Director of the Banbury Center

Jason Williams
Assistant Director for External Collaborations at the DNA Learning Center

See all diversity-related articles going back multiple years on the CSHL Newsstand.

Faculty Diversity & Development

We continually assess and work to improve our faculty recruitment, promotion, and retention policies with the twin goals of 1) enhancing diversity at the faculty level and 2) supporting our faculty to be the best leaders and mentors possible to the young scientists trained in their laboratories. Current initiatives in this area include:

Faculty Hiring: The standing Committee on Faculty Hiring is charged with regularly reviewing faculty recruitment and hiring processes, and supporting faculty search committees in best practices for enhancing diversity in applicant, interview, and hiring pools.

Faculty Development: The standing Committee on Faculty Development designs programs for training and advising CSHL faculty in best practices for sustaining equitable and inclusive lab environments.

photo of Bruce Stillman and Leemor Joshua-Tor

Leadership & Mentorship Training

As part of CSHL’s career and professional development efforts, we implemented ongoing mentorship training for CSHL faculty, postdocs, and students based on curriculum from the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research at the University of Wisconsin. Our goal is to foster a research training environment that is inclusive and supportive for all trainees.
photo of CSHL faculty member Florin Albeanu with trainees

Task Force on Inclusive Imagery

The Task Force on Inclusive Imagery is formed periodically to review the visual displays on campus (portraits, art collections, notices about anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies and procedures, etc.) and ensure they reflect CSHL’s commitments to diverse representation and an inclusive, safe working environment.
photo of students at BOLD art exhibition

Climate Assessments

We conduct regular climate assessments to understand employees’ and trainees’ perceptions of the working environment on campus. Our most recent assessment was conducted in 2019 with the help of Mercer|Sirota to learn whether our employees and trainees see CSHL as a workplace that is free from harassment and discrimination.

In 2017, a survey on sexual violence and prevention was administered to current CSHL graduate students including WSBS students, students-in-residence, visiting students, and rotating students. Details and summaries of the outcomes are linked from this page.

photo of father holding baby daughter at CSHL

Action Collaborative

CSHL is a member of the Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education, a coalition formed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in response to the 2018 NASEM report on Sexual Harassment of Women. Through the Action Collaborative, research and training institutions collectively identify, develop, implement, and assess efforts to address and prevent all forms of sexual harassment while promoting campus climates of civility and respect. As a member of the Action Collaborative, CSHL has committed to implement and test new programs, policies, and practices and share the results with other member institutions.

photo of Dave Stewart, Dick McCombie, Elaine Mardis

Banbury Meeting on Increasing Gender Diversity in the Biosciences

A December 2018 meeting at CSHL’s Banbury Center convened experts to discuss “Increasing Gender Diversity in the Biosciences” (pdf). Organized by Carol Greider (Johns Hopkins University) and Jason Sheltzer (CSHL), the meeting identified concrete approaches for promoting and supporting the advancement of women in science. Leaders from diverse fields connected to brainstorm new approaches, inspire innovative new ideas, identify emerging issues, and ultimately develop recommendations and practical solutions for recruiting, supporting, and retaining more women in senior positions. The full meeting report and list of recommendations was published in a November 2019 issue of Science magazine.

photo of attendees at a December 2018 CSHL Banbury meeting where experts discussed Increasing Gender Diversity in the Biosciences

Affinity groups at CSHL are launched and led by students, postdocs, and research technicians, with financial and logistical support from faculty and the central administration.

Diversity Initiative for the Advancement of STEM (DIAS)

DIAS aims to support, empower, and advocate for underrepresented (UR) scientists, in particular scientists from historically marginalized racial/ethnic groups (Black/African American, Hispanic/LatinX, Native American/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander) as well as LGBTQ+ scientists. They do this by raising awareness of issues that disproportionately affect these groups, hosting on-campus seminars by prominent UR speakers, and conducting outreach activities to nearby community colleges. DIAS is open to all members of the CSHL community.
photo of DIAS members with Joseph Graves Ph.D.
DIAS members with Joseph Graves Ph.D. (Professor of Biological Sciences and Associate Dean for Research at the North Carolina A&T State University), May 2019

Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE)

WiSE is a network of scientists building a more supportive, collaborative, and equal scientific community for all. They provide a platform for professional development and empowerment through mentorship, career planning, and educational opportunities tailored toward issues disproportionally affecting women. WiSE is open to all members of the CSHL community.

photo of participants from the 2018 WiSE retreat
Participants at the annual WiSE retreat, September 2018. Photo by Connie Brukin.

Bioscience Enterprise Club (BEC)

BEC is an early-career scientist group open to all at CSHL. Their mission is to provide research professionals with knowledge of the vast science-related careers available to them, and the skill-sets required to successfully transition into those roles. To do this, BEC organizes events that showcase diverse career paths, provide networking opportunities, and develop professional skills.
photo of BEC group at Alexandria Launch Labs, NYC

Postdoctoral Liaison Committee (PDLC)

The PDLC was established to improve the postdoctoral experience at CSHL by providing personal and professional support to the CSHL postdoc community. They facilitate communication between postdoctoral fellows and the CSHL leadership, advocate for issues affecting the postdoctoral community, and organize social events.
photo of 2019 postdoc retreat participants
The CSHL postdoc community at the 2019 Postdoc Retreat.

In a typical year, you’d be able to meet CSHL representatives in person at a variety of events across the country; see below for a map of our travel schedule in the 2019-2020 school year, for example. Until it’s safe to travel and convene in large groups again, we’ll be conducting information sessions about our programs and opportunities virtually. You can email gradschool@cshl.edu for more information.