I have been an Early Stage Investigator member of the IBBS Steering Council since 2024. During this time I served as the Vice Chair of the 2024 Barriers of the CNS Gordon Conference, attended several IBBS-affiliated meetings where I’ve served as a poster judge and mentor to trainees, and represented our field during attendance at field-specific meetings – where I recruited investigators new to our field to present their work at our IBBS-meetings. My vision is to represent the collegial nature and cutting-edge research of the CNS barriers field by serving as Chair of the 2026 Barriers of the CNS Gordon Conference and continue my mentoring and recruiting efforts. Additionally, given the impact of the political climate to our scientific endeavors, it is important that we continue making the CNS Barriers field a place where everyone interested in pursuing this important work feels they are wanted, welcome, and have opportunities to present their work. To this end, if I am elected to remain on the Steering Council, I would like to leverage my affiliations with the Society for Neuroscience and ALBA Network/FENS to increase representation within the IBBS, particularly by those with affiliations in the global South and who belong to demographic groups underrepresented in our society.
