We believe that diversity promotes excellence, and we celebrate the uniqueness of every member of our department. Our goal is to build and maintain a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative environment that empowers innovation and scientific discovery. We are therefore committed to dismantling barriers that exclude anyone from our scientific community. This work is essential to live up to the values of our department:

  • Curiosity. We are driven to create new knowledge through scholarship, research, and innovation.
  • Integrity. We strive to act honestly and ethically in all situations.
  • Excellence. We strive to produce scholarly work of the highest standard.
  • Respect. We strive to foster an inclusive environment through mutual respect and value the perspective of everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, gender, gender presentation, sexuality, disability, veteran status, nationality, or any other social identity.
  • Teamwork. We encourage collaborations, which increase our collective impact.
  • Service. We are public servants supported largely by taxpayer dollars. We take this responsibility seriously and are dedicated to the betterment of society in our community, state, country, and world.
  • Communication. We are experts in our fields, and we enthusiastically share our knowledge and ideas through our scholarly work, teaching, and outreach.

The Biochemistry committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee values transparency and accountability. We publish an annual report (2022 report) that summarizes our activities, and anyone at UW can view the minutes of our monthly meetings.

Current members of the DEI committee

  • Dana Miller (she/they), co-chair
  • Suzanne Hoppins (she/her), co-chair
  • Young Kwon (he/him), faculty representative
  • Sophie Hurwitz (they/them), grad student representative
  • Megi Rexhepaj (she/her), grad student representative
  • Devon Ehnes (she/her), postdoctoral fellow representative
  • Kelli Hvorecny (she/her), postdoctoral fellow representative
  • Teri Alvarado (she/her), staff representative

Let us know how we are doing! If you have any questions or if there are issues you would like us to consider, please contact us (you can remain anonymous).

Please visit the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion site to read more about how the University of Washington is dedicated to these principles.