Helen Urpi Wagner Coello, PhD – Chair
Helen Urpi Wagner Coello is a postdoctoral fellow exploring the intersections of identity, education, and belonging in the experiences of undocumented and DACA students in higher education. With a PhD in Biology, Helen transitioned from genomics and landscape ecology into STEM education research, where she brings a unique interdisciplinary approach. During her PhD, Helen taught and mentored nearly 1,000 undergraduate students, founded the BSC 3941: Florida Aedes Genome Group (FLAGG) Research Internship, while contributing to numerous workshops and programs aimed at student success and advocacy. After graduating, she worked with project VOCES at FIU, supporting student advocacy and research, helping build inclusive spaces on campus and implement institutional change. Helen is currently an IMPACT NPA Fellow and a member of the ICQCM 2024 Cohort, which reflects her dedication to advancing leadership and critical research methodologies in education. Passionate about amplifying marginalized voices and creating inclusive academic spaces, Helen serves as Chair of FIUPAS, fosters supportive communities for postdoctoral scholars, volunteers with Letters to a Pre-Scientist, SACNAS and Científico Latino to inspire future STEM leaders, and writes for the NPA PostDocket, reflecting her commitment to transforming higher education into an equitable space for all.
Department/Lab: STEM Transformation Institute – Science Education And Society (SEAS) Lab – UNIDOS Center
Research Interests: Undocumented/DACA Student Experiences, Citizen Science, Science Communication, Institutional Reform, Expanding Educational Opportunities for Underserved Communities
Samuel Neely, PhD – Vice Chair
Samuel Neely is a paleoecologist and environmental scientist who is focused on peat dynamics within coastal ecosystems over time. He earned his doctorate in geology from Texas A&M University, where he examined taphonomic processes influencing peat formation in mangroves, leading to insights into historical depositional environments and ancient permineralized deposits. With a keen interest in conservation paleobiology and the impact of invasive species on ecosystem stability, he has studied predator-prey interactions among Plio-Pleistocene mollusks and conducted modern field research throughout South Florida, assessing the impacts of non-native invertebrate fauna to inform management strategies aimed at mitigating their spread. Currently, Dr. Neely is working with Dr. Jessica Siltberg-Liberles to expand his research to include STEM, biomedical, and bioinformatics-driven education and career development, seeking to integrate scientific insights into innovative educational frameworks.
Department/Lab: Department of Biological Sciences; STEM Transformation Institute
Research Interests: paleontology, wetlands, peat dynamics, evolutionary biology, invasion ecology, STEM education, course-based undergraduate research experiences, mentoring and career development
Samuel Snyder, PhD – Treasurer
Samuel Snyder is a postdoctoral fellow exploring the intersection of engineering ethics, institutional change, and social network analysis. He is currently working in collaboration with Dr. David Delaine on projects supporting the broadening participation in engineering (BPE) and engineering community development (ECD). He earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Materials Science and Engineering and PhD in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech. He aims to expand his work to further understand the discrepancies in priorities between teaching and practice through the lens of professors of practice.
Department/Lab: STEM Transformation Institute
Research Interests: engineering ethics, institutional change, social network analysis, and community engagement
Chika Christle Chuku, PhD, MPH – Membership Coordinator
Chika Christle Chuku is an epidemiologist and current postdoctoral research fellow working in Dr. Adam Carrico’s iCARUS lab, where she is responsible for data management. Chika received her doctorate at the University of Miami in 2023, where her dissertation focused on the intersectionality of oppressive systems affecting Black women living with HIV, as well as positive psychosocial factors that may influence ART medication adherence. While her current work focuses on sexual minority men who use stimulants and factors that influence viral load detectability, she hopes to expand her work to include women’s health, specifically, topics related to PCOS, menstruation, fertility, and birth outcomes.
Department/Lab: Department of Health Promotion & Disease Prevention
Research Interests: HIV, substance use, sexual minority men, viral load, intersectionality, Black women’s health
Pedro A. Peres, PhD – Community Officer
Pedro A. Peres is an evolutionary biologist/molecular ecologist working as a Postdoctoral Associate with Dr. Heather Bracken-Grissom. Pedro earned his MSc in Ecology and PhD in Comparative Biology in Brazil, where he investigated how biological traits (e.g., habitat, physiology, fecundity, behavior), geological events, and environmental variables affect population differentiation, demographic history, genetic diversity, and biodiversity metrics in crabs and amphipods. Currently, Pedro is focusing on conservation genomics applied to deep-sea systems.
Department/Lab: Institute of Environment & Department of Biological Sciences – BBC – Crustacean genomics and systematics lab (CRUSTOMICS)
Research Interests: Evolutionary biology, population genomics, phylogenomics, environmental DNA.
Jingjing Liu, PhD – Community Officer
Jingjing Liu is a Postdoctoral Associate working with Dr. Bruk Berhane for research projects facilitating 2-year to 4-year transfer pathways and supporting post-traditional students with a focus on broadening participation in engineering. Dr. Liu completed her PhD in Higher Education at William & Mary and received the 2024 Bellwether College Consortium Outstanding Dissertation Award.
Department/Lab: School of Universal Computing, Construction & Engineering Education (SUCCEED)
Research Interests: Engineering students’ learning experiences, transfer pathways, college access and success, and STEM education
Preciosa Martinez-Motta, PhD, MS, RD/LDN, RN – Events Coordinator
Preciosa Martinez-Motta started attending Florida International University (FIU) as an international student, shortly after finishing secondary school in her home country, Venezuela. Her passion for science in healthcare led her to become a licensed Registered Nurse (RN), and later a Registered Dietitian (RD). During her dietetics internship, she was confronted with the difficult task of educating and counseling minority groups for behavior change, in the realm of weight management. This learning fueled her desire to explore alternative approaches for weight management and she returned once again to her alma mater to pursue a doctoral degree in dietetics and nutrition. Dr. Martinez-Motta’s doctoral project evaluated the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on the eating behaviors and perceived stress levels of bariatric patients of Hispanic origin. Having completed her training as a mindfulness facilitator, she designed and delivered a six-session intervention that combined the principles of mindfulness, psychological flexibility, intuitive eating, and stress management. She realized that problematic eating behaviors often start developing in childhood and with it the risk of chronic complex diseases, such as obesity and CVD, which disproportionately affect minority individuals, including Hispanics. Dr. Martinez-Motta is currently evaluating the effects of one-year soluble corn fiber (SCF) supplementation on bone mass in minority children and adolescents, mainly of Hispanic origin. Ultimately, her goal is to become an independent investigator with vast experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions targeted to improve both biological and behavioral outcomes in minority groups across the lifespan.
Department/Lab: Department of Dietetics and Nutrition/ MetA-Bone Lab
Research Interests: Design and evaluation of mindfulness-based education programs for improvement of eating behaviors and long-term weight management in minority populations, including bariatric patients of Hispanic origin.
Rhyisa Armbrister, PhD – Events Coordinator
Rhyisa Armbrister is a biochemist and NIH NINDS fellow specializing in gene-targeted therapies for neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Friedreich’s ataxia. With expertise in DNA repair mechanisms and a focus on developing innovative bionanoparticle-based therapies, Dr. Armbrister is advancing research at the intersection of neuroscience and Biochemistry.
Department/Lab: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research Interests: DNA Repair, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Bio-nanoparticle Bioengineering, Gene Therapy
Patience Ngozi Paul, PhD – Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator
Patience’s academic journey includes a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, followed by a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, FIU, Miami, Florida. Her current research focuses on the identification of nitrated proteins with disease-driving functions in neurological disorders, including nervous system tumors, with the goal of developing safe, long-term therapeutic approaches.
Department/Lab: Center for Translational Science
Research Interests: Protein nitration, redox signaling, tumor biology, drug discovery
Héctor Loyola Irizarry, PhD – Program Development Officer
Héctor Loyola Irizarry obtained a B.Sc. in Industrial Microbiology from the University of Puerto Rico –Mayagüez, where he performed research in Dimuth Siritunga’s lab in plant genetics. After graduating in 2018, he started his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at Cornell University, where he trained under Ilana Brito, characterizing genetic tools for human gut microbiome engineering. Now, Héctor works in increasing access to bioinformatics research for FIU students and performing biology education research. He aims to combine his areas of expertise to provide students with comprehensive research experiences in computational microbiology and expand on his education research in career development and mentoring.
Department/Lab: Department of Biological Sciences and STEM Transformation Institute
Research Interests: microbial genetics, bioinformatics, biology education, course-based undergraduate research experiences, mentoring and career development
Members of the FIUPAS meet monthly to advise and provide input to FIU’s Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Services. If you have suggestions about ways in which the Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Services may provide support for the professional development of FIU postdoctoral scholars or foster opportunities for social and professional interaction among FIU’s community of postdoctoral scholars, please email one of the Postdoctoral Advisory Council Members identified above.