Happy New Year from the IRACDA Program!
My name is Ruby Joy Kinney, and I am thrilled to join the team as the new IRACDA program manager, working with PIs David Greenstein, Kirsten Nielsen, and Julia Willett. Getting to know our scholars, PIs, and teaching mentors at Normandale and North Hennepin Community College has been wonderful and welcoming. We can’t wait to implement a few new elements to our program next semester- you can help support us by spreading the word and sharing our materials! We have two open positions in our program starting in Fall 2024. Please see the attached flyer and powerpoint slide to include in any upcoming presentations, or download our recruitment materials here.
Upcoming IRACDA programming in Spring 2024:
- Diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in research and teaching lecture series: Beginning in December, the IRACDA Program kicked off our bimonthly lunchtime lecture series. Topics will connect questions of DEIJ to topics of postdoctoral professional development. This series is open to all postdocs at the U of M!
- Peer to peer mentoring hour: Join the IRACDA cohort and other U of M postdocs for a focused hour to discuss job applications and opportunities, grant writing, publishing, and more. Held over zoom on the 2nd tuesday of the month.
- Postdoc Writing Support Groups: In collaboration with the PostDoc Association, CTSI, and other training labs, we are excited to offer writing workshops to support our postdocs in their grant applications and their publication process.
For more details on our program and these events you can visit our updated website, and you can reach me at [email protected], or 612-624-7024.
IRACDA positions are available for Fall 2024, we are now accepting applications on a rolling basis! Interested in joining the IRACDA program as a research mentor? We would love to hear from you. Please contact Ruby Kinney for more information.
Help us welcome our newest members of the IRACDA Program!
Ruth Isenberg, PhD
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest near Tacoma, Washington and graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology in 2016. I earned my PhD in Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023 in Dr. Mark Mandel’s lab where I studied cyclic diguanylate regulation of beneficial host colonization using the Vibrio fischeri-Hawaiian bobtail squid symbiosis as a model system. Now as a postdoc in Dr. Julia Willett's lab, my research focuses on investigating the mechanisms that underlie Enterococcus faecalis inhibition by Streptococcus mutans. My goal is to become a professor at a primarily undergraduate institution where I can continue teaching and mentoring undergrads in the classroom and the lab!
Michael Manoharan Valerio, PhD
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and carry my heritage with pride and joy. I have loved science ever since I was a boy reading comics and watching sci-fi films. The world of academia has allowed me to indulge in my curiosity and pursue “figuring out how things work” as a career. I eventually want to become a professor and help foster and nurture the innate curiosity we all possess. In my pursuit, I want to change the image of a scientist and help empower Latinx and non-native English speakers in the world of STEM. Siempre representando a mi isla del encanto!
Thank you for helping us spread the word and grow our program! Don’t hesitate to contact Ruby with any questions or connections.
Ruby Joy Kinney
IRACDA Program Manager