Laurel Hiatt
They/Them He/Him
I am nonbinary bi and I am a physician scientist in training.//
I always tell people a version of the truth: that I went into science to write authentic, world-creating sci-fi and got extraordinarily lost in the process. The reality is that while I have always immersed myself in the fantasy of future, my love of genetics sprouted at an early age and its roots have only deepened over time. As a young nonbinary person confronted with transphobia and bioessentialism, the complexity and Rube Goldberg-ness of our genomes felt empowering, rather than restricting. The way science called me to question the world around me seemed an appropriate complement to the way I questioned by own identity, and the assumptions placed upon me.
I have since graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, cementing my appreciation for the teeny tiny things that make us, us. I am pursuing a PhD in human genetics during my MD/PhD program at the University of Utah School of Medicine, so the mysteries of our genes can continue to enthrall me. Being a queer scientist is a whole and joyful identity for me, and I look to the future with excitement and gratitude.