Speakers

Click on individual speakers below to learn more about them and their career paths!

2025 Speakers

Carolyn Beans

Credentials: Science Journalist, Freelance

Pronouns: she/her

Matt Begemann

Credentials: Senior Director, R&D, Benson Hill, Inc

Pronouns: he/him

Edna Chiang

Credentials: Presidential Management Fellow and Data Scientist, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Commerce

Pronouns: she/her

Megan Dixon

Credentials: Biosafety Specialist, UW–Madison

Pronouns: she/her

Kelsey Florek

Credentials: Senior Genomics and Data Scientist, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene

Pronouns: she/her

Zomary Flores-Cruz

Credentials: Assistant Professor, Dominican University

Pronouns: she/her/ella

Mary Homer

Credentials: Program Director, US Dept of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority

Pronouns: she/her Mary Homer is not allowed to participate in LSCD due to the communications ban instituted for HHS employees by the current administration.

Kyle Leistikow

Credentials: Research Manager - CORE Innovation, Microbial Discovery Group

Pronouns: he/him

Yinzi Liu

Credentials: Corporate Finance Director, BD & M&A, Exelixis

Pronouns: she/her

Lauren Lui

Credentials: Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Sarah May

Credentials: Freelance Scientific Writer, Pipette & Quill Scientific Writing, LLC

Pronouns: she/her

Carolina Mendoza

Credentials: Scientist, Promega

Pronouns: she/hers/ella

Anna Merrill

Credentials: Co-Director of Clinical Chemistry, University of Iowa

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Alison Mikulyuk

Credentials: Research Program Coordinator, UW–Madison

Pronouns: she/her/they

Laura Muehlbauer

Credentials: Advisor, Eli Lilly & Company

Pronouns: she/her

Rose Nash

Credentials: CEO and Founder, Biota Inc.

Pronouns: she/her

Greg Potts

Credentials: Principal Research Scientist, AbbVie, Inc.

Pronouns: he/him

Abigail Rodriguez Morales

Credentials: Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, California State University, East Bay

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Nikki Schram

Credentials: Immigration Attorney, Boardman Clark

Pronouns: she/her

Paul Schweiger

Credentials: Professor, UW-La Crosse

Pronouns: he/him

Robb Stankey

Credentials: Principal Scientist, Terra Bioforge

Pronouns: he/him/his

Sarah Studer

Credentials: Scientific Communications Specialist, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Pronouns: she/her

Jennifer Taylor

Credentials: Director, International Faculty and Staff Services (IFSS), UW–Madison

Pronouns: she/her