STEMinar: UnDocuSTEM- Highlighting Undocumented Identity in STEM

Please Join the Caltech Center for Inclusion and Diversity in welcoming Dr. Robert W. Fernandez (he/him/his). He is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Oliver Hobert, PhD, Columbia University, studying how neural circuits develop in the male Caenorhabditis (C.) elegans nervous system. Previously, he earned his PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University, where he mapped all the neurotransmitter GPCRs in the egg-laying circuit of C. elegans and investigated their functional roles in egg-laying. He is also the co-founder of Científico Latino, a scientific organization dedicated to improving access to underrepresented students in higher education in STEM. In recognition of his work, Dr. Fernandez has received awards, including the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship. Additionally, he was selected as one of America's 100 Inspiring Hispanic/Latino Scientists, a Junior Simmons Fellow, and featured on Forbes.