Below are interactive visualizations of my student evaluations as a teaching assistant.

On Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Throughout my years of involvement with education, I have engaged in practices that are dedicated to lend support to the advancement of inclusion and diversity in universities. Within the core values of my teaching philosophy resides the appreciation of diversity as a unit of richness for the pursuit of knowledge.

In both public speaking engagements and classroom settings, I have emphasized to my students that diversity (defined by individuals from different walks of life, with varied worldviews) offers unique and valuable lenses through which scientific inquiry can be assessed, expanded, and reimagined. I firmly believe that these diverse perspectives enhance not only the quality of science but also its societal relevance.

Community Outreach and Global Engagement: Beyond academia, I have actively dedicated my time to outreach initiatives that bring science into under-resourced communities. In my hometown in Brazil, I have led workshops and delivered talks to low-income populations, many of whom have limited access to formal education. Alongside esteemed colleagues, I have spoken to adult learners in government-funded programs that support individuals returning to school after years, sometimes decades, of interrupted education. I have also mentored students from these same backgrounds, offering guidance in both scientific methodology and bioinformatics/data science during my time as an undergraduate research assistant in Brazil.

Adding Indigenous and other culturally relevant perspectives to traditionally homogenized topics: I have engaged in collegial conversations with faculty members who are actively engaged in decolonizing biology education. In the courses I am involved, I integrate local Indigenous knowledge as valuable perspectives on subject matter. This includes assigning readings authored by Indigenous scholars and framing Indigenous communities as key stakeholders in case studies. For example, when reflecting about policy-making related to salmon conservation in British Columbia, I guide students to consider Indigenous communities as central participants with both ancestral and ecological ties to the species and lands in question. In this context, I have been privileged to work alongside members of local Indigenous community, with whom I have developed a respectful and very enriching professional relationship.

Addressing Systemic Inequities: As part of my lectures, I incorporate uncomfortable but highly necessary discussions, engaging in class-wide conversations on the challenges faced by women and other historically marginalized groups in STEM. My goal is to not only recognize structural inequities but also collectively envision strategies to empower, support, and protect individuals across the spectrum of gender, race, socioeconomic status, and cultural identity within scientific spaces.

Innovative Assessment Practices: Alongside these pedagogical approaches, I have also implemented ungrading practices in an effort to disrupt traditional hierarchical structures between instructors and students. My intention is to create a learning environment that fosters student autonomy, self-determination, and avoids pitfalls of traditional methods of assessment. I recognize that ungrading, when thoughtfully applied, has the potential to honor and support inclusive educational practices.

Philosophical Foundation: My philosophical stance on these issues is grounded in optimism: I believe that, through the authority and responsibility that comes with being an educator, I can contribute to dismantling linear and standardized modes of teaching. Instead, I seek to cultivate educational spaces that are dialogical, experiential, and rooted in the lived histories and perspectives of my students, teaching assistants, and my own without compromising the academic rigor or integrity of the subject matter.