Diversity Initiative for the Advancement of STEM (DIAS) is an organization founded by graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and research technicians who are dedicated to providing a safe space for all underrepresented minority scientists (Black, Latinx, Native American, LGBTQIA+, scientists with disabilities and more) at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). By establishing such a space where all are welcomed, we aim to work with the CSHL administration to advocate for underrepresented groups, support them, and offer them a space to express any concerns, as well as a forum to suggest ways in which we, as a community at CSHL, can help nurture a more diverse and inclusive environment.
2024
Emma Courtney (she/her)
Co-President
Hello! I’m Emma, and I joined CSHL in 2023 as a Ph.D. student, and became involved in DIAS in 2024. I’m passionate about increasing access to opportunities in STEM for scientists and students from all backgrounds, and am excited to continue the work DIAS does in creating a strong, welcoming community at CSHL.
Renee Garcia-Flores (she/her)
Co-President
I am a young Mexican in the process of becoming a scientist, and a graduate student at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). In August 2023, I started my doctoral journey, and it has been an incredible experience so far. As a co-president of the Diversity Initiative for the Advancement of STEM (DIAS), I am passionate about promoting inclusivity and creating opportunities for underrepresented groups in STEM fields. I believe that building a supportive community that celebrates diversity in all its forms is crucial for driving scientific progress. I am dedicated to using my own experiences and perspective to contribute to the DIAS mission of breaking down barriers and promoting inclusivity within the CSHL community and beyond.
Maha Syed (she/her)
Information Director
Maha is a PhD student within the Meyer lab, studying T cell development within the thymus. She is excited to be a part of DIAS this year to help continue fostering a welcoming and diverse environment within CSHL. She hopes her work in DIAS will help increase accessibility in science to underrepresented groups. In her free time, she likes to go on walks, trying new recipes, and painting with watercolors.
Hrishikesh Deshpande (he/him)
Finance Director
I currently work as Research Associate/Lab Manager for the Zador Lab in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. As a first-generation immigrant, working in an institute like CSHL offers me a unique opportunity to increase the diversity found in STEM. Through my efforts in DIAS, I hope to provide first-hand experience to encourage others with similar backgrounds to find a safe space to grow to their full potential as well. If you are curious to find out how you can help, please reach out!
RK Narayanan (he/him)
Social Media Coordinator
RK Narayanan is Senior Director, Business Development and Technology Transfer at CSHL. RK is an experienced technology transfer professional, with 20+ years of experience in life sciences research and 9+ years of licensing expertise. RK is engaged in all aspects of technology transfer matters at CSHL with major industry collaborations, an emphasis on operations and compliance matters, and as lead for technology transfer activities for neuroscience, cancer, and QB. RK has a great time building relationships with the amazing scientists at CSHL, partnering with industry and investors, making deals with a long-term view. RK is committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in STEM by leveraging unique experiences and perspectives to create a welcoming environment and increase access to opportunities for underrepresented groups. RK believes that a diverse community is essential for driving scientific progress and understanding the world around us.
Irene Sanchez Martin (she/her)
Social Media Coordinator
I navigated the academic systems of different countries and institutions. I have lived and worked in Spain, Finland, Germany, France, and the USA, and this constant change enabled me to understand and embrace people of different cultures, build cross-cultural networks, and learn new languages. Also, my mentors, workplaces, and academic institutions advocated for accessibility and inclusion in the sciences. Before my postdoctoral work in the USA, I mainly contributed to DEI advocacy efforts through community outreach during my Ph.D. program. As part of the Marie Curie fellowship program, I participated in various policy advocacy roundtables promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. I am dedicated to contributing to institutional efforts to implement diversity and inclusion initiatives and fostering a healthy environment.
Johanna Syrjanen (she/her)
Social Media Coordinator
Johanna is a postdoc in Hiro Furukawa’s lab at CSHL, where she explores membrane protein structural biology using cryo-EM. She is passionate about fostering a supportive and inclusive environment that values diversity, as well as highlighting the important contributions made to science by trainees from a diversity of backgrounds. In her free time, Johanna loves running, reading, and choral singing.
Deeptiman Chatterjee (he/him)
Harassment Prevention and Response (HPR) Representative
When I’m not tweeting about the various issues of diversity and inclusion in STEM, and other similar causes that I openly subscribe to, I’m a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Camila dos Santos. I grew up in India, from where I moved to the USA to pursue my graduate studies in 2014. I received my Ph.D. from Tulane University in New Orleans, where I transferred to after initially starting my studies at Florida State University. During my time as a graduate student, I was involved in organizing social and cultural events as part of the departmental graduate student association as well as the campus-wide Indian and Bengali student organizations. In that capacity, I’ve been an advocate for equal representation and fair treatment of international trainees in academia as well as being supportive of fostering a sense of belonging for students who live far from home. I have also been a part of groups representing Women in STEM as a volunteer and an ally. Personally, I believe that diversity initiatives in all STEM-related fields should primarily be led by the largest group that makes up the field–graduate students, technicians, and early-career postdocs–and in that capacity, I’m proud to be a voice for DIAS at CSHL.
Mia Lin Amato (she/her)
Outreach Co-Chair
Mia is a first-year graduate student at the CSHL School for Biological Sciences that joined DIAS with the fervor to expand accessibility into careers into science. She hopes to bring awareness to educational resources and DIAS’ mission to students from different communities. There are growing initiatives with a progressive shift to expand inclusivity and diversity of underrepresented minorities in STEM, and Mia hopes to be a proponent for this goal through DIAS’ outreach branch. Outside of DIAS, she is rotating through neuroscience labs, plays volleyball, and bakes on her downtime. She is also an avid enthusiast of nature walks, naps on the beach, and a good workout.
Yaman Thapa (she/her)
Outreach Co-Chair
Yaman is a PhD candidate in the Banerjee lab and Cowley lab. She is passionate about creating an inclusive environment for people coming from all different background and ensuring accessibility in science. As the co-chair of Outreach she hopes to spread awareness and support minoritized individuals in pursuing a career in science.
Amitava Banerjee (he/him, they/them)
Community Chair
Amitava Banerjee is a postdoc jointly at the Labs of Hannah Meyer and Saket Navlakha working on deciphering how the immune system protects us from pathogens while avoiding attacking our own bodies. Born and brought up in India, he did his Ph.D. in Physics at University of Maryland, where he developed machine learning techniques for time-series analysis and applied them to myriad different systems – from worm neurons to Yellowstone geysers. Amitava is also interested in understanding how scientists’ backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures bias their research questions and methodologies, and how science intersects with society and politics. In their spare time, Amitava loves to cook (especially for others), read and gift books, and travel (even better if it is on someone’s grant).
Audrey Fahey (she/her)
Advocate
Hi there! I work as a Research Technician in Dr. Doreen Ware’s lab, and have been since summer 2021. Before that, I was a tech in a different lab here at CSHL doing work studying antibody based therapeutics targeting cancer. I’ve been a part of DIAS since 2023 where I was Co-Community Chair. It was a blast organizing trips to NYC Pride, coordinating trainee speaker breakfasts, and generating bonding events for PREP scholars, URPs, and PFFs. Since I’ll be starting graduate school this Fall, I shifted gears to being an advocate, where I will support the Community Chair and help transition whoever else is interested in this role.
Katie Tam (she/her)
Advocate
Hey! I’m a grad student in the Vakoc lab and also a student in Hofstra/Northwell’s MD/PhD program. I’m interested in not just everything science, but the culture of it–how it’s being done, why it’s being done that way, and by whom–and how to make that culture more welcoming and inclusive to all. As a DIAS Advocate, I’m looking forward to assisting the eBoard and other members of the CSHL community in their efforts to do that.
Jon Cahn (he/him)
Advocate
Jon is a postdoc in Rob Martienssen’s lab since 2019, working on the epigenetic regulation of transcription in plants. Born and raised in Paris, France, he cultivated his passion for science and his appreciation for other cultures throughout student exchanges and internships in Czech Republic, Chile, Canada and USA. He obtained his Master’s degree from AgroParisTech, Paris Institute of Technology for Life, Food and Environmental Sciences, and graduated from his PhD in Biochemistry in Ryan Lister’s lab at the University of Western Australia. Believing that diverse backgrounds, preferences, and opinions are pivotal to better understand the world and its mechanics, he is an ally in establishing a more inclusive, respectful, and supportive environment in STEM.
Diego Hernandez (he/him)
Advocate
I am a first year graduate student at Cold Spring Harbor. I have a bachelor’s in biology with a focus in plant biology from Cornell University. While at Cornell I was interested in the genetic basis for complex plant morphologies. Following my undergraduate education I spent a year in industry working for the plant biotechnology company Sound Agriculture. I improved my skills as a wet lab biologist and explored how we can leverage plant-microbe interactions as well as develop novel molecular tools for breeding. I am excited to begin my graduate school journey here at Cold Spring Harbor and will pick a lab to join this fall!
2023
Arkarup Banerjee, Assistant Professor
Lucas Martin Cheadle, Assistant Professor
Stephen Shea, Associate Professor
Lloyd Trotman, Professor
Join the DIAS Community
If you are a part of the CSHL Community and would like to join the DIAS Community, please submit your CSHL email to get placed on the DIAS email list and get access to the DIAS Slack!