Studying microbial interactions in the ocean is one of my passions as a scientist, but it is not my only one. As a Puerto Rican in marine sciences, I have witnessed firsthand the lack of diversity in the field and the structural barriers that make it difficult for scientists from underrepresented and marginalized communities to thrive. This includes Latinx, Black, and Indigenous scholars, as well as those from the Global South whose contributions are often overlooked or undervalued in mainstream academic spaces. These experiences have made me deeply aware of how systemic inequities shape who is included, whose work is recognized, and which knowledge is considered legitimate in biogeochemical sciences.

My work is grounded in a commitment to challenging these inequities and contributing to a more just, inclusive, and globally accountable scientific community. I believe science should not only produce knowledge but also reflect and transform the systems in which that knowledge is created. These open access resources offer critical insights into the experiences of excluded scientists and help us envision a future where science is shaped by a true diversity of people, perspectives, and ways of knowing across borders.

Bernard, R. E., & Cooperdock, E. H. (2018). No progress on diversity in 40 years. Nature Geoscience, 11(5), 292-295. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0116-6

Tuck, E. & Wayne Yang, K. (2012). Decolonization is not a metaphor. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, 1(1), 1-140. Click to download article

Chaudhary, V. B., & Berhe, A. A. (2020). Ten simple rules for building an antiracist lab. PLoS computational biology, 16(10), e1008210. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008210

Marín-Spiotta, E., Barnes, R. T., Berhe, A. A., Hastings, M. G., Mattheis, A., Schneider, B., & Williams, B. M. (2020). Hostile climates are barriers to diversifying the geosciences. Advances in Geosciences, 53, 117-127. https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-53-117-2020

Mattheis, A., Murphy, M., & Marin-Spiotta, E. (2019). Examining intersectionality and inclusivity in geosciences education research: A synthesis of the literature 2008–2018. Journal of Geoscience Education, 67(4), 505-517. https://doi.org/10.1080/10899995.2019.1656522

Hernandez, P. R., Bloodhart, B., Adams, A. S., Barnes, R. T., Burt, M., Clinton, S. M., Wenyi, D., Godfrey, E., Henderson, H., Pollack, I.B. & Fischer, E. V. (2018). Role modeling is a viable retention strategy for undergraduate women in the geosciences. Geosphere, 14(6), 2585-2593. https://doi.org/10.1130/GES01659.1

Weissmann, G. S., Ibarra, R. A., Howland-Davis, M., & Lammey, M. V. (2019). The multicontext path to redefining how we access and think about diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM. Journal of Geoscience Education, 67(4), 320-329. https://doi.org/10.1080/10899995.2019.1620527

Riggs, E. M., Callahan, C., & Brey, J. (2018). Research on access and success of under-represented groups in the geosciences. https://doi.org/10.25885/ger_framework/6