Lisa M. Jones
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
1. What do you like most about your job? What do you like least about your job?
The thing I love most about my job is the ability to do original research. I love designing experiments that help us better understand human disease. The challenge in trying to understand what differences there are between the disease state and the healthy state and then attempting to correct the disease state is exciting. The think I like least about my job is the many meetings I have to attend.
2. Were there many females and minorities in your graduating college class?
The graduating class for my major, chemistry, was fairly small. I would estimate there was 10-15 of us. Of that I estimate there were 3-4 women. I was the only person of color.
3. What was it like learning science being from an underrepresented background? Did you ever feel that biases in science affected you or your work?
Being from 2 groups that are underrepresented in science, I did feel like biases affected how I was perceived. At first glance, people regard you as being there only because you are a minority. Often I found that I had to demonstrate that I was deserving of being in a Ph.D. program. I also feel that in my current position as a professor. I don’t feel that those biases have had a long term effect on my work because my research speaks for itself. Once people get past the initial thought that I am a minority and actually listen to or read about my research their perception changes.
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
1. What do you like most about your job? What do you like least about your job?
The thing I love most about my job is the ability to do original research. I love designing experiments that help us better understand human disease. The challenge in trying to understand what differences there are between the disease state and the healthy state and then attempting to correct the disease state is exciting. The think I like least about my job is the many meetings I have to attend.
2. Were there many females and minorities in your graduating college class?
The graduating class for my major, chemistry, was fairly small. I would estimate there was 10-15 of us. Of that I estimate there were 3-4 women. I was the only person of color.
3. What was it like learning science being from an underrepresented background? Did you ever feel that biases in science affected you or your work?
Being from 2 groups that are underrepresented in science, I did feel like biases affected how I was perceived. At first glance, people regard you as being there only because you are a minority. Often I found that I had to demonstrate that I was deserving of being in a Ph.D. program. I also feel that in my current position as a professor. I don’t feel that those biases have had a long term effect on my work because my research speaks for itself. Once people get past the initial thought that I am a minority and actually listen to or read about my research their perception changes.