Biology Leadership Community
BLC 2026 Keynote Speaker:
Jennifer Nuzzo
Brown University
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Jennifer Nuzzo is Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University School of Public Health. Dr. Nuzzo received a DrPH in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, an SM in environmental health from Harvard University, and a BS in environmental sciences from Rutgers University.
Her work focuses on global health security, public health preparedness and response, and health systems resilience. Together with colleagues from the Nuclear Threat Initiative and Economist Impact, she co-leads the development of the first-ever Global Health Security Index, which benchmarks 195 countries’ public health and healthcare capacities and capabilities. In addition to her scholarly work, Dr. Nuzzo regularly advises national governments and for-profit and nonprofit organizations on pandemic preparedness and response, including COVID-19. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Nuzzo regularly engages with media to educate and inform about emerging health security trends. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, Fox News, Politico, The Hill, and The Boston Globe. She was featured in the television series, Debunking Borat, and on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
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WORKSHOP SPEAKERS
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Keefe Reuther is an Assistant Professor in the department of Ecology, Behavior & Evolution at University of California, San Diego. He teaches a variety of upper and lower division courses at UCSD and created a new required course for biology majors, “Data Analysis and Design for Biologists,” which equips students with practical skills in experimental design, statistics, data science and programming. His research focuses on developing and evaluating generative AI tools and curricula to enhance teaching and learning in biology. When he’s not in the classroom, Keefe enjoys hiking San Diego’s desert mountains, solving puzzles, and embracing the adventure of parenthood with his infant and toddler sons.
Tessa Andrews is a discipline-based education researcher (DBER) and Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor of Genetics at University of Georgia. The Andrews Lab conducts research to better understand STEM teaching and learning at the undergraduate level. They investigate the factors that influence the adoption and effective use of evidence-based teaching strategies, including faculty expertise and departmental culture. Tessa loves teaching evolutionary biology and mentoring graduate students in research.
Lizabeth Allison, Chancellor Professor of Biology at William & Mary, teaches upper-division molecular biology courses. She is a coauthor of Biological Sciences, now in its eighth edition; and sole author of Fundamental Molecular Biology, now in its third edition. The Allison Lab’s research focus is on thyroid hormone receptor intracellular trafficking and the role of receptor mislocalization in pathogenesis. Dr. Allison was elected as a lifetime Fellow of the AAAS in 2024.
