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RW: What is your current position, and what does it entail?

BM: I’m an Assistant Professor at Yale University with a primary appointment in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and a secondary appointment in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences. My lab studies how cytoskeletal and chromosomal dynamics are coordinated to keep oocytes healthy and ensure accurate meiosis, with particular interest in how these systems decline with age. Day to day, I split my time between mentoring my trainees, designing and interpreting experiments, writing grants and manuscripts, and trying to push the boundaries of what we can understand about oocyte biology.

RW: Can you talk a little bit about yourself, where you’re from, what first attracted you to science, and how you got to your current position?

BM: I was born and raised in Ethiopia, and as in my high school biology classes, I spent a lot of time trying wrap my head around how scientists managed to piece together tiny biochemical and cellular processes, and that sense of mystery hooked me. I wanted to understand how life actually works at the microscopic scale.

That curiosity eventually took me to Germany for college, then to London for my PhD, and later to Cambridge and Göttingen for postdoctoral work. I started my first independent lab in the UK as a Wellcome Trust and Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellow, then moved the group to Yale where we continue to explore how cytoskeletal and chromosomal systems safeguard healthy oocyte development and how these systems change with age.

RW: What are you most excited to do this year?

BM: This year is all about taking big scientific swings. We’re developing new tools to model “synthetic oocyte aging,” and I’m excited to translate those tools into insights that actually change how we think about reproductive longevity. I’m also energized by mentoring my team as they launch their own bold ideas.

RW: Are there ways in which you think your heritage has affected your perspective or career trajectory?

BM: Growing up in Ethiopia, I was surrounded by Black scientists and physicians who were excellent at what they did. Seeing that so early meant I never linked scientific ability to the color of anyone’s skin. That grounding mattered later. When I moved to Europe and trained across several flagship institutions, I often found myself as the only Black scientist in the department, or sometimes across all ranks. With no representation to look toward, I had to rely on that early realization that I belonged in those spaces and could thrive there. That experience shapes how I mentor now. I want my trainees to feel they belong in every room their science takes them into, and that their perspective is a strength, not something to downplay.

RW: What words of inspiration would you like to share with the next generation of scientists, especially those from diverse backgrounds?

BM: Be fearless with your curiosity and unapologetic about the perspective you bring. Science is strongest when people with different lived experiences shape the questions, the experiments, and the stories we tell about discovery. Find mentors who invest in your growth, build community that lifts you up, and pursue ideas that keep you awake at night in the best possible way.