Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement

The Stanford Biophysics Program is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive community. In doing so:

  • We acknowledge ancestral, historic, and current systemic and communal inequities.
  • We welcome scientists of all backgrounds, including (but not limited to) ethnicity, nationality, race, religion, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, socioeconomic status, experience, and training.
  • We strive to provide equal opportunities and support for all members of our community.
  • We are committed to promoting the well-being of everyone in our community.
  • We recognize that diversity is essential for the broadest scientific inquiry and responsible use of knowledge.
  • We dedicate ourselves to ongoing discussion and action to address our role in science and society.


To achieve these objectives, there are a number of activities and practices in which students and faculty engage for promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

  • We endeavor to use a holistic admissions process to ensure equitable consideration of all candidates, and iteratively seek feedback to improve and codify this process.
  • We recognize that establishing and maintaining a diverse and inclusive environment requires grassroots outreach programs at different stages and across different communities. We encourage students to participate in outreach, and emphasize the value of these contributions to all faculty.
  • We value contributions of students to JEDI, and consider these contributions in Biophysics Program nominations for fellowships.
  • A non-comprehensive list of program wide outreach activities is below; some of these activities are funded and powered at least partially by the Biophysics Program, and all are integral to the program’s character.

- The Future Advancers of Science and Technology program, a weekend program where graduate students mentor high school students in the Bay Area on small research projects for local and state science fairs
- Community outreach at the California Academy of Sciences, with graduate-student led science exhibits for the general public.
- Stanford Graduate Researchers, Active Minds, and Science, which provides research lectures to senior citizens in the local community.
- Ask-A-Scientist, where graduate students demonstrate science experiments to elementary students at Escondido Elementary
- Stanford SPLASH, an outreach program where graduate and undergraduate students teach topics of their choosing to students in grades 8-12.
- Stanford Summer Research Program, a diversity-promoting summer research program for undergraduate students.
- Summer research partnership with the Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines at the University of California at Merced, a largely Hispanic-serving institution in the Central Valley.

We recognize that creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment is a continuous process. Below are initiatives that the JEDI committee is or will be working on to meet our stated goals:

  • A diverse representation of faculty in the program.
  • Providing information about our Program to as broad an applicant pool as possible.
  • Providing fair compensation for JEDI work to students and faculty.
  • Building an environment to support and retain matriculated students from historically marginalized communities.
  • Engaging all members of the department in JEDI activities


We welcome any feedback about these efforts; please reach out to anyone on the Biophysics JEDI committee below or to the program administrative assistant Kathleen Guan (kguan@stanford.edu).

Bryce Bagley (Biophysics)   
KC Huang (Biophysics Program Director)
Maria Filsinger Interrante (MSTP, Biophysics)
Lynnette Jackson (Structural Biology)
Carla Perez (Biophysics)

bbagley@stanford.edu
kchuang@stanford.edu
mariav@stanford.edu
lynnettj@stanford.edu
cperez8@stanford.edu