Women in Science Wednesdays

While women fill close to half of all jobs in the United States, they hold less than 25 percent of positions within the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Even as college-educated women have increased their share in the overall workforce, our country’s science and technology sectors continue to lack a female presence.

To help close this gap, UNC research is sharing their stories — from the depths of the ocean to the crest of a mountain, with projects that impact our state, the nation, and the world. Carolina’s female scientists from all areas of STEM are making waves in the world of research. Join us each week as our scientists share their unique perspectives on the rigors of research, and advice for other women in their fields.

Folami Ideraabdullah

February 17, 2016

Folami Ideraabdullah is an assistant professor in the Department of Genetics in the UNC School of Medicine and a researcher at the Nutrition Research Institute in Kannapolis. Her research looks at the genetic differences between individuals to determine how the cells in the body respond to changes in diet.

Francesca Peay

February 10, 2016

Junior Francesca Peay is an undergraduate researcher majoring in environmental studies with a minor in marine sciences. She works in the Coastal Environmental Change Lab, and her research looks at how dune height affects beachfront before and after storm events.

Kemi Doll

February 3, 2016

Kemi Doll is a clinical instructor in the UNC OB-GYN Division of Gynecologic Oncology and a Cancer Care Quality Training Program Post-Doctoral Fellow at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. In 2015, she received a Postdoctoral Award for Research Excellence.

Emily Jennings

January 26, 2016

Senior Emily Jennings is an undergraduate researcher in the Kieber Lab at UNC-Chapel Hill. A biology major, her research focuses on the communication, production, and function of plant hormones. Jennings specifically studies how hormones affect rice in aims to increase food production.

Cynthia Bulik

January 20, 2016

Cynthia Bulik is the Jordan Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders in the Department of Psychiatry, a professor in the Department of Nutrition, and director of the UNC Eating Disorders Program. A clinical psychologist, her research includes treatment, laboratory, epidemiological, twin, and genetic studies of eating disorders and weight regulation.

Madelyn Percy

January 13, 2016

Madelyn Percy is a PhD candidate in the Department of Geological Sciences. She is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program and a Royster Fellow. Her research focuses on how rocks weather and soils develop across microclimates in the Galápagos Islands.

Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson

January 6, 2016

Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson is an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering in the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her research seeks to illuminate what individuals, communities, and policymakers can do to make the biggest and most lasting advancements in public health by improving the quality of the environment.