Our Team ( is growing… stayed tuned)
Dr. LaNell Alexandria Williams - Founder & Director
Dr. LaNell A. Williams holds a PhD in Physics from Harvard University. Her research focuses on understanding the self assembly of RNA-Viruses in particular the Bacteriophage MS2. She graduated from Wesleyan University with her B.A in Physics., and she went on to receive her M.A. in Physics from Fisk University before coming to Harvard. LaNell has also been heavily involved in programming with the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP). As of January, she serves on the American Physical Society Council of Representatives representing the Forum on Graduate Students & the Forum on Early Careers. She is the founder of the Women+ of Color Project and hopes to encourage more BIWOC to pursue academic careers.
Twitter: @AlxndriaTh3Gr8
Instagram: @lanella_williams
Dr. Danaí Montálvan-Sorrosa - Advisory Board
Dr. Danaí Montalván-Sorrosa is a faculty at the Institute of Chemistry at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She has a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from UNAM and a bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Bacteriology, and Parasitology from the National School of Biological Sciences (National Polytechnic Institute) in Mexico City. She did a postdoctoral stay at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (2017-2021). Her research interests are developing bioinspired systems such as artificial cells and viral liquid crystals, studying colloidal self-assembly, and phase transitions in liquid crystals. She is also interested in popular science, especially to motivate young women to opt for STEM careers.
SHRESHTHAA SHUKLA - Research & Assessment Member
Shreeshthaa Shukla aspires to work in the field of mental health and be a psychiatric social worker. In the past she has worked in a foundational setting while providing education to underprivileged children. She is currently working with an organization to improve the state of women in psychiatric facilities.
L. Miché Aaron- Advisory Board
Miché is a Planetary Science Ph.D. student at Johns Hopkins University researching oxalate minerals on Mars using remote sensing and in-situ spectroscopy. She currently does her research at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory doing Martian spectroscopic analysis of the surface. She received her B.A. in Earth and Environmental Science from Wesleyan University and her M.S. in Geographic Information Systems from Sam Houston State University. She's a lead volunteer at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution and a DC STEM Network Ambassador at Carnegie Institution for Science. She compiled a list of resources for students of color to help them locate resources pertaining to GRE, fellowships, internships, scholarships, and mentorships. She's also involved in outreach educating DC students about astrobiology.
Twitter: @Astrenome
DONnISA EDMONDS - Research & Assessment Member
Donnisa Edmonds is a Ph.D. student in Neuroscience at Northwestern University who is interested in neuroimaging, decison-making, and affective processes. She was previously an NIH post-bac scholar at Northwestern where her research focused on the role of prediction errors in associative learning. She received her B.A. in the Biological Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania. Donnisa is passionate about working towards a future where the culture of STEM and academia is a welcoming space for people of color.
fezile khumalo - Programming Team member
Fezile Khumalo, from Eswatini, (formerly known as Swaziland) in Africa. She holds a BSc and an MSc in Mathematics, both from the University of Eswatini. Her Ph.D. research interests are in numerical analysis, particularly in developing methods (such as compact finite differences, block-hybrid methods, and spectral collocation methods) for solving complex nonlinear partial differential equations. Very passionate about empowering women and girls to pursue careers in STEM-related fields.
JUNELLIE GONZáLEZ Quiles - Team Lead (Outreach)
Junellie Gonzalez Quiles is a PhD student and a NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. Her primary research interest is studying exoplanet interiors and connecting them to their atmospheres. She currently does research with Prof. Sarah Ballard and Prof. Laura Schaefer on this topic. On her free time, some of her hobbies are doing embroidery, knitting and playing her trombone.
Yara Yousef- Team Lead (Research & Assessment)
Yara Yousef is Syrian-American and a Masters student to the University of Barcelona's Astrophysics and Cosmology program. She received her B.S. in Astronomy-Physics from the University of Virginia. Her research interests lie in gravitational waves and relativity, as well as their intersections with cosmology. Breaking down barriers in STEM is very important to her, particularly to increase accessibility for non-white women and those with disabilities.
Kimberly Madhwani- Graphics Designer
Kimberly Madhwani (she/her) is a Neuroscience PhD Candidate at Brown University. Her research project focuses on investigating the neuronal role of a tRNA modifying enzyme underlying intellectual disability. She previously obtained her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at California State University, Northridge. Kimberly currently serves as a mentor through MENTOR Rhode Island and Rhode Island for Community and Justice's Young Womxn's Equity Coalition. Passionate about mentorship and accessibility to science, she hopes to introduce STEM as a potential career to historically underrepresented groups in STEM and serve as a resource for them as they navigate college and beyond.
Lauren Niu- Asssitant Director
Lauren received her PhD in Physics at Harvard University. She is interested in the intersection of geometry, topology, and physics in pattern formation.
Dr. Steven B. Torrisi - Advisory Board
Steven Torrisi received his PhD in Physics from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Steven is originally from Upstate New York, and majored in Physics and Math at the University of Rochester. As an undergraduate, he played the tenor saxophone and dabbled in debate, and is extremely passionate about current events and jazz-funk music. At Harvard, he is a resident tutor, serving as an RA / life coach / mentor to undergraduates, and recently was awarded the Star Family prize for his advising. He particularly enjoys helping people with their writing and scientific communication, and is humbled by the opportunity to participate in the Women of Color Project graduate student workshop.