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.

Teresa Edwards

December 6, 2017

Teresa Edwards is the assistant director for survey research within The Odum Institute for Research in Social Science at UNC. She conducts web and mail surveys for principal investigators within and outside the university, teaches within the graduate Certification Program in Survey Methodology, and provides survey research consultations to faculty, staff, and students across campus.

Yaiza Canzani

November 29, 2017

Yaiza Canzani is an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on understanding the behavior of wave functions that solve Schrodinger’s equation — the mathematical formulation for studying the energy levels of quantum mechanical systems like atoms.

Kimiko Suzuki

November 22, 2017

Kimiko Suzuki is a PhD student in the Curriculum for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. She works in both the Dohlman and Elston labs located in the Department of Pharmacology at the UNC School of Medicine. Her research focuses on predicting how intracellular signaling pathways respond to stress.

Carly Moreno

November 15, 2017

Carly Moreno is a PhD student studying marine science within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on using molecular sequencing to study the environmental factors that regulate phytoplankton growth in Antarctica.

Sweta Karlekar

November 8, 2017

Sophomore Sweta Karlekar is an undergraduate researcher majoring in computer science within the UNC College of Arts and Sciences. She is also a Chancellor's Science Scholar. Her research focuses on building an artificial intelligence program that can automatically identify early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia through a person's speech.

Morgan Yapundich

November 1, 2017

Senior Morgan Yapundich is an undergraduate researcher majoring in chemistry within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on pharmacological experiments that will shed light on how a drug induces cellular death in cancer cells.

Robin Armstrong

October 25, 2017

Robin Armstrong is a PhD candidate within the UNC Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology and a graduate research assistant in the Duronio Lab. Using fruit flies as a model, she researches how chromatin structure influences DNA replication programs.

Vicki Mercer

October 18, 2017

Vicki Mercer is an associate professor of physical therapy in the UNC School of Medicine and director of the Human Movement Science Curriculum. She is also a clinical physical therapist for the Division of Physical Therapy’s faculty practice in Hillsborough. Her research focuses on balance and motor control with patients undergoing neurological and geriatric rehabilitation.

Jeliyah Clark

October 11, 2017

Senior Jeliyah Clark is an undergraduate researcher studying environmental health sciences within the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She is also a Chancellor’s Science Scholar, McNair Scholar, and undergraduate research assistant in the Fry lab. Her research focuses on the impacts of human exposure to environmental contaminants.

Adrienne Erickcek

October 4, 2017

Adrienne Erickcek is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. As a theoretical cosmologist, she researches dark matter, dark energy, and the evolution of the universe shortly after the Big Bang.