Dr. Brea A. Manuel is currently a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Postdoctoral Associate under the direction of Dr. Michael Summers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She received her Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Louisiana State University in 2018 before obtaining their Ph.D. in 2022 from Emory University under the mentorship of Dr. Jennifer Heemstra. Their dissertation research focused on developing nucleic acid-based tools for biological sensing and modulation such as cocaine detection and cocaine overdose therapeutics. Dr. Manuel published five peer-reviewed manuscripts and was awarded Emory University’s Centennial Scholars Fellowship and Emory Chemistry’s Quayle Citizen Scholar Award. Her current research at HHMI and UMBC is focused on elucidating and understanding retroviral genome fate.

Outside of her scientific expertise, Dr. Manuel is an advocate for scientists of color. She co-authored the Nature Reviews Chemistry article “Recruit and retain a diverse workforce”, where she touched on the origins of exclusivity and promoting a more inclusive workplace. She’s been an active member of NOBCChE since 2018 and has served as founding Vice President of Emory’s re-instated chapter, where she developed programming to recruit and retain Black students in the chemistry department. She, alongside Dr. Aimee Sanford, co-founded the Heemstra lab DEI committee, where they organized monthly DEI discussions on topics such as hidden curriculum, building an anti-racist lab, and dangers of diversity without equity, inclusion, and justice, amongst others. Dr. Manuel also implemented changes to lab policies and developed action items following those discussions.

At the departmental level, Dr. Manuel served on Emory Chemistry’s Student Feedback for Faculty Hiring committee, where students and postdocs from all backgrounds and affinity groups interviewed faculty candidates, developed student-driven interview questions and criteria, and participated in the hiring decision. This effort then led to the development of the Student Advisory for Full Engagement (SAFE) where Dr. Manuel served as a graduate ambassador.