Women have historically been excluded from and not given proper accreditation in the sciences, and this includes women who have broken down barriers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math research. 

The following women are exceptional UC Santa Barbara alumni that have paved the pathway to empower future women and girls to pursue their Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (S.T.E.M.) aspirations. 

Angela Belcher

Dr. Angela Belcher is a materials scientist, biological engineer and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Belcher earned her undergraduate bachelor’s degree from UCSB’s College of Creative Studies in 1991 and her Ph.D. in chemistry in 1997. Belcher’s work has been published in a number of prominent scientific journals such as Science and Nature, and in 2006 she was named Scientific American’s Research Leader of the Year. At her lab at MIT, Belcher uses biological systems for green synthesis of biomaterials and devices used for energy, environmental and cancer research. Belcher’s work has gained a lot of attention, including a visit to her MIT lab from former President Barack Obama and a spot in the 2009 Rolling Stone Magazine’s top 100 people changing the country. She also recently received the 2024 National Medal of Science in Biological Sciences from former President Joe Biden. 

Tanya Das

Dr. Tanya Das earned her Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from UCSB in 2017, following her work under Jon Schuller Lab where she studied the effects of illumination engineering on multipolar resonances in sub-wavelength particles. Following her graduation, Das served as a Professional Staff Member in the United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, working on legislation in clean energy and manufacturing policy. Das was then appointed by the Biden administration as Chief of Staff for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, with a focus on the implementation of climate change and clean energy, economic growth and diversity, equity and inclusion. Das is now Director of AI and Energy Technology Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, influencing policy on artifical intelligence and energy, tech commercialization and manufacturing. 

Carol W. Greider

Dr. Carol Greider finished her Bachelor of Arts in Biology at UCSB’s College of Creative Studies in 1983. After graduating. Greider went on to earn her Ph.D. in molecular biology at UC Berkeley, studying age-related degenerative disease and cancer. In 2009, Greider became the first UCSB alum to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. She was awarded for discovering the enzyme telomerase and its role in protecting the ends of chromosomes. Greider joined the faculty at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1997 as Director of Molecular Biology & Genetics. In 2021, Greider moved her work to the UC Santa Cruz Greider Lab where she is continuing her research in the mechanisms regulating telomere length and how it relates to disease. 

Dawn Wright

Dr. Dawn Wright earned her Ph.D. in physical geography and marine geology and geophysics from UCSB in 1994. In 2022, she became the first Black person to explore the Challenger Deep, the deepest and most unexplored point on Earth located almost 11,000 meters beneath the Pacific Ocean’s surface. The data Wright collected in her seafloor exploration was brought to her geographic information system (GIS)-based doctoral research. In 2024, Wright published her book “Mapping the Deep: Innovation, Exploration, and the Dive of a Lifetime,” which focuses on deep-sea exploration and how ocean mapping will affect our planet’s future. Right now, Wright works as Chief Scientist of Environmental Systems Research Institute, where she has written and contributed to prominent literature on marine GIS technology. 

Victoria Orphan

Dr. Victoria Orphan is a geobiologist studying microbial community structure and function in Earth’s extreme environments. After receiving her Ph.D. in ecology, evolution and marine biology at UCSB in 2001, Orphan went on to serve as a National Research Council fellow at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Ames Research Center before joining the geobiology faculty at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). At the Caltech Orphan Lab, Orphan and her research team characterize interspecies interactions and ecological physiology of microbes linked to the cycling of nutrients in ocean sediments and extreme environments. Orphan has been recognized for pushing boundaries in her field, receiving the 2016 MacArthur Fellowship, a $625,000 grant awarded to individuals with exceptionally creative work. 

These five women display incredible achievements in the S.T.E.M. field, inspiring future UCSB alumni to follow in their footsteps towards groundbreaking innovation and leadership in the sciences. As we continue to see more women making revolutionary impacts on the field, it is clear that the future of S.T.E.M. will thrive as it becomes a more inclusive environment for all aspiring S.T.E.M. professionals.

A version of this article appeared on p.13 of the Apr. 10, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.