Black Scientists Research Articles

Quantifying the use and potential benefits of artificial intelligence in scientific research.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to reshape almost every line of work. Despite enormous efforts devoted to understanding AI's economic impacts, we lack a systematic understanding of the benefits to scientific research associated with the use of AI. Here we develop a measurement framework to estimate the direct use of AI and associated benefits in science. We find that the use and benefits of AI appear widespread throughout the sciences, growing especially rapidly since 2015. However, there is a substantial gap between AI education and its application in research, highlighting a misalignment between AI expertise supply and demand. Our analysis also reveals demographic disparities, with disciplines with higher proportions of women or Black scientists reaping fewer benefits from AI, potentially exacerbating existing inequalities in science. These findings have implications for the equity and sustainability of the research enterprise, especially as the integration of AI with science continues to deepen.

The Cosmos Is a Black Aesthetic

This essay begins with the premise that Evelynn Hammonds’s highly cited “Black (W)holes and the Geometry of Black Female Sexuality” provides a reading strategy that has largely been ignored by subsequent scholarship. This work theorizes science as a Black episteme and addresses space-time as a self-reading strategy and an exemplar for how scientific analogies can illuminate analyses in Black thought. It problematizes the uptake of physical ideas without taking care to understand those physical concepts in conversation with Black scientists. The author shows how Black queer thought can and should inform the creation of intellectual links between Black scientific thinkers and Black thought outside of science.

A flexible linker of 8-amino acids between the membrane binding segment and the FMN domain of cytochrome P450 reductase is necessary for optimal activity

The diflavin NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CYPOR) plays a critical role in human cytochrome P450 (CYP) activity by sequentially delivering two electrons from NADPH to CYP enzymes during catalysis. Although electron transfer to forty-eight human CYP enzymes by the FMN hydroquinone of CYPOR is well-known, the role of the linker between the NH2-terminus membrane-binding domain (MBD) and FMN domain in supporting the activity of P450 enzymes remains poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that a linker with at least eight residues is required to form a functional CYPOR-CYP2B4 complex. The linker has been shortened in two amino-acid increments from Phe44 to Ile57 using site directed mutagenesis. The ability of the deletion mutants to support cytochrome P450 2B4 (CYP2B4) catalysis and reduce ferric CYP2B4 was determined using an in vitro assay and stopped-flow spectrophotometry. Steady-state enzyme kinetics showed that shortening the linker by 8–14 amino acids inhibited (63–99%) the ability of CYPOR to support CYP2B4 activity and significantly increased the Km of CYPOR for CYP2B4. In addition, the reductase mutants decreased the rate of reduction of ferric CYP2B4 (46–95%) compared to wildtype when the linker was shortened by 8–14 residues. These results indicate that a linker with a minimum length of eight residues is necessary to enable the FMN domain of reductase to interact with CYP2B4 to form a catalytically competent complex. Our study provides evidence that the length of the MBD-FMN domain linker is a major determinant of the ability of CYPOR to support CYP catalysis and drug metabolism by P450 enzymes. PreambleThis manuscript is dedicated in memory of Dr. James R. Kincaid who was the doctoral advisor to Dr. Freeborn Rwere and a longtime collaborator and friend of Dr. Lucy Waskell. Dr. James R. Kincaid was a distinguished professor of chemistry specializing in resonance Raman (rR) studies of heme proteins. He inspired Dr. Rwere (a Zimbabwean native) and three other Zimbabweans (Dr. Remigio Usai, Dr. Daniel Kaluka and Ms. Munyaradzi E. Manyumwa) to use lasers to document subtle changes occurring at heme active site of globin proteins (myoglobin and hemoglobin) and cytochrome P450 enzymes. Dr. Rwere appreciate his contributions to the development of talented Black scientists from Africa.

PAIR UP Imaging Science Program, a new framework for a diverse scientific workforce.

PAIR-UP is a new conceptual framework for developing a diverse scientific workforce for the 21st century. PAIR-UP stand for Partnering to Advance Imaging Research for Underrepresented scientists Program. The goal of PAIR-UP is to solve the longstanding and wicked problem of underrepresentation of Black scientists in the imaging science field. PAIR-UP uses a multipronged approach designed to create culturally responsive environments at historically white colleges and universities (HWCUs) where Black scientists are culturally isolated. The PAIR-UP model shows that maintaining a strong cultural identity empowers Black scientists to be more creative and productive and therefore persistent in the discipline.

Introduction to the special feature: amplify Black voices in optics and photonics.

This multi-journal special issue highlights the work of Black scientists and engineers in optics and photonics to accomplish the goal of engaging the entire optics and photonics community and bring awareness to the quality of their research and contributions to the field.

Resilient wings, tangible impact: My journey from chrysalis to changemaker in STEM

Jaye Antoinette Wilson is a winner of the fourth annual Rising Black Scientists Award for a scholar in the physical, data, earth, and environmental sciences. We asked emerging Black scientists to tell us about their scientific vision and goals, experiences that sparked their interest in science, how they want to contribute to a more inclusive scientific community, and how these all fit together on their journey. This is her story.

Bridging past with progress: My mission in the world of polymers

Akorfa Dagadu is a winner of the fourth annual Rising Black Scientists Awards for a scholar in the physical, data, earth, and environmental sciences. We asked emerging Black scientists to tell us about their scientific vision and goals, experiences that sparked their interest in science, how they want to contribute to a more inclusive scientific community, and how these all fit together on their journey. This is her story.

Enough with “the shakes”: Fighting Parkinson’s as a Black researcher and a community organizer

Senegal Alfred Mabry is a winner of the fourth annual Rising Black Scientists Awards for a scholar in the life and health sciences. We asked emerging Black scientists to tell us about their scientific vision and goals, experiences that sparked their interest inscience, how they want to contribute to a more inclusive scientific community, and how these all fit together on their journey. This is his story.

From the operating table to global science: How a near-death experience sparked my passion for life

Kevin Christopher Brown Jr. is a winner of the fourth annual Rising Black Scientists Awards for a scholar in the life and health sciences. We asked emerging Black scientists to tell us about their scientific vision and goals, experiences that sparked their interest in science, how they want to contribute to a more inclusive scientific community, and how these all fit together on their journey. This is his story.

Disparities in funding for Nobel Prize awards in medicine and physiology across nationalities, races, and gender.

Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine has been awarded to numerous individuals for their outstanding contributions. This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the Nobel Prize recipients, focusing on gender, race, and nationality. We observe that an alarming disparity emerges when we examine the underrepresentation of Black scientists among Nobel laureates. Furthermore, trends in nationalities show how Americans make up the majority of Nobel Prize winners, while there is a noticeable lack of gender and racial minority winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Together, this highlights the importance of diversity and inclusion in scientific achievement. We offer suggestions and techniques, including funding opportunities and expanding nominators, to improve the gender, racial, and geographical diversity of Nobel Prizes.

Conducting Field Work While Black (FWB).

Field Work is essential to the career of many biologists, however when working in the Field While Black (FWB), everyday tasks conducted while in the field can be life threatening. As a Black individual or as the principal investigator supervising Black individuals, safety in the field requires you to not only navigate weather and wildlife but also your fellow humans. In this article I address some of the challenges faced by Black scientists in the field, as well as within conservation agencies, universities, and neighboring towns of field sites. I will also discuss how PIs, universities, and employers can ensure a safer, more inclusive experience for their Black friends, colleagues, and students while conducting fieldwork.

Juneteenth in STEMM and the barriers to equitable science

We are 52 Black scientists. Here, we establish the context of Juneteenth in STEMM and discuss the barriers Black scientists face, the struggles they endure, and the lack of recognition they receive. We review racism's history in science and provide institutional-level solutions to reduce the burdens on Black scientists.

What does Juneteenth mean in STEMM?

Juneteenth commemorates the freeing of the last large group of enslaved people in 1865 at the end of the American Civil War. We asked several Black scientists what Juneteenth means to them in the context of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM)? Their answers run the emotional gamut.

How do DEI initiatives impact STEMM, and why do we still need them?

The number of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) have grown over the last few years. We asked several Black scientists what impact they have and why STEMM still needs them. They answer these questions and describe how DEI initiatives should evolve.

Racial Inequity in Key Publication Metrics

Non-white scientists—in particular Black scientists—are underrepresented on editorial boards, receive proportionally fewer citations, and experience longer review times for their papers, factors that can all impact their career prospects.

Supporting Antiracism Through the Thoughtful Conduct, Evaluation, and Use of Research

Supporting Antiracism Through the Thoughtful Conduct, Evaluation, and Use of Research

Dismantling the curse of the “first”

For a discipline often lauded for its ubiquity, science can be incredibly isolating. This is especially true for Black folks. When I was in third grade, my favorite teacher Mrs. Schiele, a Black woman herself, tasked our class with individual reports concerning a Black historical figure not often acknowledged in the mainstream. For me, she chose, Dr. Mae C. Jemison, the first Black woman to travel to space. When I got home, I immediately accused my parents of hiding valuable information from me, “How could you not tell me about this?! Black people in space!” I obsessively read articles and interviews about and of Dr. Jemison; learning of a Black woman in science changed my life. I wanted to become someone as brilliant as her. My teacher and my parents affirmed me in this desire. “You are brilliant. You can do it,” they would say to me. I never thought that I could not be a scientist until I actually began pursuing science. I realized how few people looked like me, and even fewer believed in me. In science, not belonging is often disguised by the descriptors “first”, “only”, and “one of”. Knowing one’s own ability and brilliance is difficult when you are faced with the overwhelming solitude of science. Having a community of Black scientists will alleviate that burden for many young researchers. I find joy in establishing a community of chemists from underrepresented backgrounds. Many of my efforts have been toward increasing the accessibility of undergraduate research opportunities. During my own undergraduate experience, I felt extremely isolated and had little help in securing a research position. In a large school like University of Texas, research positions are an even more finite resource. Without research experience, students will not pursue higher positions within academia or scientific careers. This lack of representation does a disservice to Black students and the field of chemical research. By expanding the inclusion of the TEJAS program at University of Texas at Austin (UT), I have helped even the playing field. This program provides research opportunities for undergraduate students who receive work-study accommodations. This has been incredibly beneficial because students of lower socioeconomic backgrounds are prioritized, and those students are historically underrepresented in science. When I was able to obtain a summer undergraduate research position, my work was unpaid. I had two other jobs to afford living, minimizing my time in lab. Instead, students in the TEJAS program, one of which is working in my own research lab, can focus on enjoying their research and learning. To provide additional resources for undergraduates, I have acted as a counselor for the Jackson School of Geosciences Virtual Math and Science Institute, which provides courses for minority high school students before they began their collegiate careers. This offers students with resources to be successful in “weed-out” STEM courses. These programs also allow these students to develop community with one another. Upon completion of these programs, students have a community of professors, graduate students, and other undergraduates to look to when they need encouragement or assistance. I also find joy in my work. Initially, I coped with my own lack of community by dreams of how I could contribute to improving the world with my research. I was inspired to pursue chemistry after learning about the pathology and treatment of various diseases in both my Cancer Biology and Technology course and my Drug Design, Development, and Delivery course. Learning how the work of researchers directly saves lives led to my pursuit of an organic chemistry and methodology PhD at UT. Currently, I work with developing rapid assembly of drug molecule analogs, particularly making carbon–nitrogen bonds. Amine-containing molecules make up about 75% of market drug products, yet they are extremely challenging to synthesize. To make healthcare accessible, there must be an efficient and inexpensive route to life-saving drug molecules. Many diseases often disproportionately affect Black and brown communities. While researchers diligently work to discover cures, serving these communities and ensuring Black and Brown people are properly treated is usually not a priority. I plan to work on improving the equity and transparency of the pharmaceutical industry. With my work as a medicinal chemist, I will leverage my skills and discoveries to lobby for access to healthcare for underserved communities. While I have been lucky to have the unconditional support of my family and friends, forging my path in science is still something I have largely done alone. This has made me a self-sufficient and diligent chemist, who has a passion for establishing equity and diversity in every space I occupy. I still would have preferred to have more support within my scientific network. That is my hope for future Black scientists. Science is important and challenging work; we should not have to do it alone.

Data or opinion?

I believe, with proper data comes better decisions and considerations. It is a fact that we have long been collecting data about oppression of Black and marginalized communities. Unfortunately, data collection methods often exclude segments of the population, commonly BIPOC communities. My long-term goals include focusing on implementing data-driven and human-centered solutions to social problems like hunger and education. It is not a secret that the most marginalized of us are also the most affected by food apartheid. Black people living in rural communities are 2.5 times more likely to be at risk of hunger compared to white counterparts. There is a growing need in the public policy sectors for professionals to analyze the raw data continuously generated on these issues. I believe my role as a Black Data Scientist extends beyond deriving software and modeling data—it is my duty to minimize the bias in data. This spans from how the data are collected, analyzed, and converted into useful insights. Growing up in Zimbabwe, one thing was clear; my escape route to survival was through education. I was raised in a low-income family; my father was a truck driver, and my mother was a housewife. In early 2007, my father had a rare and lethal condition, meningitis. When my father died, my world collapsed with him. My mother had no work experience, no education, or access to resources to ensure our family had the basics such as food and education. This lived experience means that I have been in the shoes of those whom non-governmental organization’s solutions aim to target. It also means that I have experienced the effects of the gap between data and policy as a Zimbabwean national. I was once a part of the 90% of starving children in Africa. However, because of government policies barring international organizations and non-governmental organizations from alleviating the pain, these solutions never reached me. My family and I just remained data points. At the age of 16, I copped a life changing opportunity. I was selected as one of three Zimbabwean students to attend United World College (UWC) in Eswatini. Hunger and poverty in Eswatini was as rampant as it was in Zimbabwe. In addition, because of the international community at UWC, with over 60 countries represented, I learned that these problems did not only exist in Africa. I became more aware of the system of oppression against BIPOC communities in North America through my yearlong Civic Engagement fellowship with Up-to-Us (a bipartisan umbrella organization of Net Impact). UWC and Up-to-Us provided me with a holistic and integrated dimension of world issues; this ignited my motivation to make a difference. Data science came naturally to me, and I saw it as my tool to continue fighting injustices. As an undergraduate at Earlham College, I am learning about the skills and bias related to data collection, analysis, and interpretation. I am working on my senior capstone project: Using Machine Learning to Predict Social Unrests. I am incorporating metrics such as GDP, GNI, discrimination proxies, and poverty rates to try to predict where there may be social unrests. I aim to use this tool to pinpoint locations where aid and policy changes are needed before the lack of support have a permanent and damaging effect on communities. I am applying to graduate school where I plan to get my masters and eventually PhD in Data Science so that I can dedicate my research to proving our oppression and experiences are more than data points. I want to leave a tangible impact with my work—one that will last for generations to come. The world continues to move into an era dominated by technology, and it is important that these tools do not hide systematic oppression and inequities among marginalized communities. I acknowledge my privilege to be graduating college. I view this privilege as an opportunity to guide younger people to finish college and inspire the idea of there being light at the end of the tunnel. One of the things you cannot buy someone is hope, but I do believe you can share with others. I continuously find ways to share my experience as a Rising Black Scientist to render hope to those who look like me and might doubt themselves. Through the “This is my story program” I co-founded during my gap year before college, I keep in touch with several of my mentees to continuously encourage them. I recognize that as a Black male, it is also my role to let my Black women counterparts feel seen and heard. While I cannot fully relate to their experience, I share stories of successful Black women in my outreach because I believe in the importance of young Black women having role models in science.

My Christmas holidays.

Admirabilis Kalolella Jr. is the winner of the third annual Rising Black Scientists Award for an undergraduate scholar in the life and health sciences. For this award, we asked emerging Black scientists to tell us about their scientific vision and goals, experiences that sparked their interest in science, how they want to contribute to a more inclusive scientific community, and how these all fit together on their journey. This is his story.

One less weary smile.

Camryn Carter is the winner of the third annual Rising Black Scientists Award for an undergraduate scholar in the physical, data, earth, and environmental sciences. For this award, we asked emerging Black scientists to tell us about their scientific vision and goals, experiences that sparked their interest in science, how they want to contribute to a more inclusive scientific community, and how these all fit together on their journey. This is her story.