Graduate Assistant
Nora is a queer 5th year PhD candidate in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at UCSB. Nora hails from Buffalo, New York, and holds a Bachelors of Science in Cellular and Molecular Biology and a Bachelors of Arts in Music Performance from George Washington Univeristy (Raise High!). During their graduate career, their research has focused on addressing the understudied area of women's brain health, using a mouse model to investigate how hormones shape learning and memory. As a queer woman in STEM, they are passionate about fostering community for marginalized students, supporting visibility for trans/nonbinary and intersectional identities, and advocating for graduate resources. These values inform their role as the Graduate Assistant for Events in the RCGSD, where they hope to create a safe and productive community for LGBTQIA+ graduate students. They attribute much of their graduate success to finding a strong and supportive queer community at UCSB, and as a part of RCGSD aspire to help other students find their chosen family by advocating for queer spaces across the Univeristy and Santa Barbara as a whole. If you're interested in science, sad girl music, or LGBTQIA+ advocacy, they would love to chat!