Dr. Meli’sa S. Crawford received her Ph.D. in Biology with a focus in Physiology from Arizona State University in 2019 where her dissertation work focused on the effects of poor dietary consumption on the development of obesity, metabolic syndrome and gut dysbiosis. In 2020, she began her postdoctoral research at the University of California, Riverside in the Division of Biomedical Sciences. Her current research focuses on elucidating the communication between the lungs and the gut by understanding how exposure to environmental pollutants induce chronic airway inflammation and alter intestinal barrier function. In 2021, her postdoctoral work was funded by the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety. Dr. Crawford is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and is committed to mentorship and increasing participation and access to opportunities for underrepresented minorities in STEM. In March 2023, Dr. Crawford was awarded the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship. Following her postdoc, she hopes to continue her passion for mentorship, metabolic and gastrointestinal work as a tenure-tracked professor.