Research aside

I find my deepest sense of freedom on a bicycle, and there has been no better way to explore the beauty of Northern California than on two wheels. I am also an avid runner and opera aficionado; the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House is my favorite place in the city.

My passion for both the natural sciences and evidence-based policy is carried into my spare time through conservation efforts in the Southern Ocean: I co-founded and co-lead an international group of scientists to advocate for the establishment of a Marine Protected Area in the waters surrounding the Antarctic Peninsula. Learn more about AntarcticaNOW.

A second cause close to my heart is the democratization of data science: I am committed to making data science methods accessible and the data science community inclusive. To that end, I co-develop resources for students and early career scientists embarking on data-intensive research. I also co-founded and co-lead a group that promotes the use of artistic mediums to communicate about and derive additional insights from data. Learn more about Data Science by Design.

Select media and public outreach [Twitter]

• Translating science into policy [link]

• Microsoft Research conversations in STEM: Medical and health technology [link]

• The climate-COVID connection: Understanding the links between environmental change and public health is essential for creating effective solutions [link]

• Picture a STEMinist with the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive [link]

• Climate change and COVID-19: Can this crisis shift the paradigm? [link]

• Dronova and Vásquez selected for global women in science initiative, join Antarctic delegation [link]

• Worldwide audience for first BIDS Spanish-language training workshop [link]

• Listen: 1,200 years of earth’s climate transformed into sound [link]