Dr. Lataisia Jones

Bio: Dr. Lataisia Jones began her journey in science as an intern at the College of William and Mary where she studied “Cell Cycle Exit Mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans”. She later received her B.S. (2010) and M.S. (2012) at the Virginia State University where she studied Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus. During this time she taught undergrad biology and participated in several outreach opportunities to include teaching young students in Ghana. In 2017, Dr. Jones became the first African American to earn her Ph.D. from the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Medicine at Florida State University.

Her continued mission to further the understanding of neurological disorders that affect children led her to a position at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. where she researched Autism Spectrum Disorders for over two years.

Throughout the year, Dr. Jones visits local schools and after school programs to teach science, expose the youth to different science careers, and spread advice about attending college. She also volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House where she initiated the Young Scientist Wednesdays program to teach kids residing at Children’s National Hospital science through fun hands-on activities. To assist with science education during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Jones started a YouTube show called Kitchen Science which teaches science through experiments that you can do from home with common household items. She also created an initiative called S.T.E.M.ING WHILE BLACK which provides guidance from a panel of "Blacks in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math." Join us as we share our personal journeys and advice on how to make it past common challenges within S.T.E.M.

Dr. Jones serves as an American Association for the Advancement of Science IF/THEN Ambassador, and recently starred on a CBS show called Mission Unstoppable, WUSA9 Great Day Washington, and WTOP Radio Station. A statue honoring Dr. Jones and the other AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadors will soon be unveiled at a park in Dallas, TX as a tribute to female STEM leaders.

Dr. Jones believes that if young girls (especially girls of color) see her working in a lab or read about her achievements, they will believe in their own ability to be anything they dream of becoming and more. With this belief in mind, Dr. Jones recently decided to leave the lab life to pursue more of her passion-filled initiatives through her new Ethics Fellow position at the American Society for Microbiology and her ongoing work within the community.