Troy A. Roepke
He/Him, they/them
I am gay and genderqueer and I am a neuroendocrinologist. //
At Rutgers University, my lab studies the mechanisms through which estrogens control metabolism, reproduction, stress, and behaviors and the impacts of adult and developmental exposures to endocrine disruptors on these functions. However, my undergraduate and graduate training was in marine biology/toxicology. My change in career fields was due, in large part, to difficulty in securing postdoctoral training in a state that legally recognized my queer relationship. While being educated in mostly supportive environments, I also received my fair share of hostility and discrimination. These reasons are why I am an openly queer professor whose lab is supportive of all marginalized students and trainees, especially LGBTQ, at all levels of their studies. Being an out and active professor on campus is one of the most important parts of my job!