As a scholar and educator, I believe that DEIBJ work is everyone’s responsibility, especially those who do not regularly shoulder the burdens of an unequal society, and especially when DEIBJ is under attack. Embedding DEIBJ in academia is not only a moral imperative but essential for excellence in research and education.

Representation is an important first step to realizing this vision. Especially as a student (and especially when I was in STEM), I often found myself in rooms with little to no queer or disability representation (though I recognize that in many cases, as they are in mine, these identities can be invisible). Hell, there were often few, if any, women—an axis of identity representation that has received much more attention over the decades. While these experiences pale in comparison with the lack of representation other groups experience daily in the academy, I yearned to see these pieces of my identity represented. I felt lonely and out of place without others who shared my experiences.

Representation, however, is not enough. Without institutional support and intentional community, representation can leave those tasked with "representing" feeling just as lonely and out of place. And without ongoing work to understand and correct inequitable social systems and biases (within and outside the university), they are allowed to replicate themselves. My understanding of DEI is therefore incomplete without the "B" (belonging) and "J" (justice).

A core theme to my academic work is understanding how climate solutions can redress rather than reinforce historical harms to marginalized communities, and I actively seek collaborations with scholars and practitioners who share this value. As I build my lab, I am committed to creating an inclusive environment where scholars of all backgrounds feel valued and empowered to contribute. This includes integrating diverse perspectives into our research, providing mentorship and mutual support, decoding and navigating academia's hidden curriculum together, and striving to make our work in the service of justice—a principle we continually seek to better understand, especially by deferring to those with lived experience of injustice.

I look forward to welcoming prospective students (at all levels) and postdocs who are committed to this work—whether it's something you've been doing your whole life, or it's newer to you.

*Note: This statement is a work in progress, and will be updated as I continue to reflect on my academic and personal commitments. I welcome constructive feedback.