Modern Figures Podcast

We were honored to be featured guests of the first Color of Our Future webinar of NCWIT’s Conversation for Change series in 2023 took place on February 8 at 12 pm MT. Listen to our discussion, led by Dr. JeffriAnne Wilder, as we share how we met, who our dream podcast guests are and why all roads lead back to Dr. Juan E. Gilbert. The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) lever...

Welcome Dr. Christina Carrington, an Assistant Professor of Human-Computer Interaction in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University who works at the intersection of interaction design and health and racial equity. Listen as she shares her journey from her mom driving her three hours to participate in NSBE to her focus on the development of products to support older adults, indiv...

Let us introduce you to our wonderful guest, Dr. Sanethia Thomas. Dr. Thomas currently serves as Assistant Instructional Professor at University of Florida. However, she will attest to being a lifelong student, multi-talented and multi-passionate. Listen to her inspiring story on why she decided to combine sports and tech to launch her own company and nonprofit organization and why you’re never to...

We welcome another special guest Shameeka Emanuel (and bonus guest Dr. Corey Baker) for a fun conversation among friends and colleagues. Shameeka used her personal mission statement to guide her career trajectory. The result? Numerous positions focused on holding space and pushing boundaries.

This week’s episode features the Black woman believed to have the most issued patents in the entire world. Dr. Ruthie D. Lyle is an “emerging technology junkie” and has made her mark by being the first African American woman to earn a doctorate in Electrical Engineering from New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering to being one of the first African Americans to hold the title of IBM Mast...

From growing up seeing the Confederate flag to taking bold steps and making major moves, Dr. Monica F. Cox credits her upbringing and personality to being unapologetically herself. Listen as the Author of “Demystifying the Engineering PhD” shares her journey to not only being a steward in her field but also helping others do the same.

From growing up as a “science nerd”, to a career in respiratory therapy to founding Black Women in Technology, an organization dedicated to encouraging Black Women and other women of color to pursue technology as a career. Listen as Lori Mitchell shares why she is not done yet and why we call her the true definition of levels, levels, levels.

On this episode, we welcome back Dr. Pamela Gibbs to the Modern Figures Podcast as a rare repeat guest (check her out on Episode 26). If you have all of the questions about crypto, Dr. Gibbs has all of the answers. Learn how being “nosey for a living” led to a career and the connection between Walmart and crypto.

Welcome to our crossover episode with Deena McKay is a technologist, speaker, and host of the podcast, Black Tech Unplugged. Listen to this Certified Scrum Master as she educates us on her journey to the tech field, how ashy feet made her pivot and her motivation for launching the Black Tech Unplugged podcast.

Dr. Shani B. Daily is a Professor of practice in Electrical and Computer Engineering & Computer Science at Duke University and Levitan Faculty Fellow, Special Assistant to the Vice Provosts. Her research focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of technologies, programs, and curricula to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM fields. Dr. Daily’s work has been featured in USA...

We continue our conversation with Deidra Morrison Wells, Ph. D. In part 2, we learn more about her experiences in academia and find out why she decided to leave.

Today, we are speaking with Deidra Morrison Wells, Ph. D. , a self-professed Lego-head, who went from having animals as classmates in high school to becoming a certified joy-pusher. Listen to Part 1 of our conversation as she shares her journey to becoming a Ph. D., to how the pandemic changed her career trajectory.

This episode is part of a series dedicated to giving the Modern Figures Podcast listeners the inside scoop of a career in academia directly from our hosts, Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen. From mapping out a career path and investing in yourself to navigating tenure politics, this series will cover it all. In Part 4, we take a closer look at the importance of mentoring. What is a mentor? Ho...

Welcome to Season 4 of the Modern Figures Podcast! We open this season with an unscripted conversation between our esteemed co-hosts, Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen. Listen as they share what’s been going on in the world and their professional lives. Also, stay tuned to hear what’s in store this season. As always you can find us on our website at www.modernfigurespodcast.com You can ask us...

Episode 50 – Miss Me with the Ms. Part 2 Host: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen Guest: Tiffanie R. Smith, Ph. D. http://www.tiffaniersmith.com Episode Description: The conversation continues with Tiffanie R. Smith, Ph. D. as we celebrate reaching 50 episodes! Listen as Dr. Smith shares how she was successful in combining her love of dance with STEM along with why how her students a...

Episode 49 – Miss Me with the Ms. Part 1 Host: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen Guest: Tiffanie R. Smith, Ph. D. http://www.tiffaniersmith.com Episode Description: We are joined by Dr. Tiffanie R. Smith, a self-professed over-achiever, who recounts her journey to PhD from making the “best decision ever made” in her entire life to being shunned by her lab mates. Her path to current...

Episode 48 – The Intersection of Psychology and Technology Host: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen Guest: Dr. Courtney D. Cogburn Twitter: .@courtneycogburn Episode Description: Unlike most people, Dr. Courtney D. Cogburn knew early on that she was interested in a career in Psychology and later, Social Work. Listen as she shares how these two disciplines contribute to her current wo...

Episode 47 – A Pivot For the Culture Host: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen Guest: Bethlehem Mesfin Twitter: .@BettyMes_ Episode Description: Meet friend of the podcast, Bethlehem Mesfin, a graduate student pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Science. Learn about her shift into tech and how a need for community lead to co-founding Code 4 the Culture. Betty’s Bio- Bethlehem Mes...

Episode 46 – Young, Gifted, and Black-ademic III Host: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen Twitter: .@Dr_Kyla .@jeremywaisome Episode Description: This episode is part of a series dedicated to giving Modern Figures Podcast listeners the inside scoop of a career in academia directly from our hosts. From mapping out a career path and investing in yourself to navigating tenure politics,...

Episode 45 – A Data Scientist For Humanity Host: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen Guest: Dr. Brandeis Marshall Twitter: . @csdoctorsister Episode Description: Dr. Brandeis Marshall was able to combine her two loves: math and dance. What began as rolling coins for her mom led to a career in computing which placed her on the front end of “this internet thing”. Get ready for a multitu...

Episode 44 – Mechanical Engineers Compute Too Host: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen Guest: Dr. Makita R. Phillips Twitter: . @ HeyDrP Episode Description: At the suggestion of her middle school teacher, Dr. Makita R. Phillips began her journey of pursuing a career in mechanical engineering. She prides herself on living on faith and has had a multitude of experiences leading her ar...

Episode 43 – From Peace Corps To PhD Host: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen Guest: Ihudiya Finda Williams Twitter: .@iogburu Episode Description: At the age of 14, Ihudiya Finda Williams knew 2 things: she loved to code and she wanted to be in the Peace Corps. On this episode, listen in as she shares lessons learned that led from corporate internships to Africa to Harvard. Ihudiya...

Episode 42 – Young, Gifted, and Black-ademic II  Host: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen Twitter: .@jeremywaisome .@Dr_Kyla Episode Description: This episode is part of a series dedicated to giving the Modern Figures Podcast listeners the inside scoop of a career in academia directly from our hosts, Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen. From mapping out a career path and...

Episode 41 – The Chic Geek Host: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen Guest: Dr. France Jackson Twitter: .@franceljackson Episode Description: Dr. France Jackson shares her journey from being the “smart girl” in elementary school to a PhD student working within the intersection of fashion and design-centered culture. She shares why authenticity can be a competitive advantage and how cu...

Episode 40 – NoireSTEMinist Host: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen Guest: Dr. Carlotta Berry Twitter: .@NoireSTEMinist .@blackinrobotics .@DrCarlottaBerry .@BlackInEngineering Episode Description: Dr. Carlotta Berry joins us to talk about the importance of community, utilizing available resources and reaching back as we climb the proverbial ladder. Passionate about recruitment and...