Yesenia Garcia
They/Them
I am nonbinary and I am a neuroscientist.//
Hi everyone! My name is Yesenia and I am a first year PhD student at Emory University. I am a Latinx, first-gen, queer, nonbinary, neuroscientist.
My current independent research project stems from the desire to critique neuroscience practices and understand the ways in which sociocultural factors negatively influence scientific knowledge production, dissemination, and communication. I’m focusing on this topic by analyzing how sex differences are frequently misinterpreted and miscommunicated in primary literature.
For my future thesis work, I’m really interested in studying the dynamic role that steroid hormones, particularly, estradiol (E2), play in regulating complex social behaviors and investigating their underlying neural circuits. I want to pursue a career in neuroscience research while also advocating for improved transgender healthcare because I want to use my skills to serve my communities.
I recently launched a blog called nonbinaryneuro.com where I talk about my experiences navigating academia. I created this platform because my own identities are not represented by spaces that often center the experiences of white, cis, middle-class scientists. Through my visibility and mentorship I hope to share resources, empower and support fellow students in STEM who have been historically excluded, marginalized, and oppressed.