Speaker Bio: Bruce Birren , Ph.D.

Bruce Birren is an Institute Scientist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Director of the Broad’s Genomic Center for Infectious Diseases. He received his PhD and postdoctoral training in molecular biology, and for more than 40 years has developed and applied new methods for genome analysis, across a wide variety of organisms. His current research focuses on infectious disease genomics. In 2003 he founded the Broad’s Diversity Initiative, and later an institute-wide mentoring program. He is a Principal Facilitator for both the National Research Mentoring Network and the Center for Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research, with a focus on culturally aware mentoring. He develops curriculum and facilitates workshops on optimizing mentoring relationships and leadership development for students, trainees and faculty. He designs and leads workshops and longer-term interventions to help organizations promote a culture of inclusion, and to reduce the personal behaviors and systemic practices that lead to overrepresentation of people who look like him at the expense of those with marginalized social identities.