Danny Sanchez
He/Him
I am gay and I am a materials scientist/engineer and advocate for inclusivity in STEM. //
I got my BS in Mechanical Engineering, and I’m now a PhD candidate in Materials Science & Engineering, both at UT Austin, funded by the NSF GRFP and GEM Fellowship. I research the mechanical and interfacial properties of two-dimensional materials. In my first year of undergrad, I attended a certain notoriously anti-queer university in Waco, unbeknownst to me at the time. While my time there was difficult, the experience taught me the value of the LGBTQ community and drove me toward creating and fostering queer STEM communities. Inspiration for me came from attending the inaugural Out for Undergrad (O4U) Engineering Conference where, for the first time, I met a wonderful community of LGBTQ engineering undergrads. Invigorated by the conference’s queer energy, I revived and led oSTEM at UT Austin for a couple years while becoming further involved with O4U as a conference director. After grad school, I hope my career can combine my passions for science, mentorship, and queer communities.