The fields of STEM have long been shaped by brilliant minds, yet the contributions of LGBTQ+ women and gender-diverse individuals are too often overlooked. They are not only advancing research, innovation, and discovery, but also breaking barriers, challenging stereotypes, and reshaping what leadership and excellence look like in STEM. In this post, we’re highlighting seven remarkable individuals whose stories reflect resilience, brilliance, and advocacy. From developing life-saving technologies to pushing the boundaries of particle physics, founding global visibility campaigns, and using AI for public good, these scientists and engineers are not just changing their fields, they're helping to build a more equitable future.
At Project Scientist, we believe that true innovation comes from inclusion. As a nonprofit committed to delivering high-quality STEAM education to girls from underserved and marginalized communities, we recognize the urgent need for diverse role models in STEM. Our work is grounded in the vision of a future where girls and women across all gender, racial, and cultural identities can see themselves as scientists, engineers, and leaders.
Shrouk El-Attar is a refugee, engineer, and performer whose work and activism have earned international recognition. Shrouk El-Attar is an electronic design engineer at Renishaw, where she has contributed to cutting-edge technologies like cancer detection machines and surgical evaluation systems. Shortlisted for the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award, she combines technical excellence with a passion for social impact. A refugee from Egypt, Shrouk fought for years to access higher education in the UK and now advocates for asylum seekers' rights, helping secure education access at over 70 universities. Named UNHCR Young Woman of the Year and one of the BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women, she is also a prominent LGBTQ+ activist. As a queer, neurodivergent woman of color in a male-dominated field, Shrouk champions diversity in engineering and uses her platform to break stereotypes and build a more inclusive future in STEM.
Ann Mei Chang is a leader in technology, innovation, and social impact. As CEO of Candid, she oversees the nation’s most comprehensive source of data on the nonprofit sector. Chang holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University and is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. With over two decades of experience as a technology executive at companies such as Google, Apple, and Intuit, she transitioned to public service, holding key innovation leadership roles at USAID and Mercy Corps. At the U.S. Global Development Lab, she applied private-sector innovation strategies to advance scalable global development solutions. Ann Mei is also the author of Lean Impact: How to Innovate for Radically Greater Social Good, a widely recognized resource for applying agile principles to mission-driven work. Her contributions have earned her recognition from The Nonprofit Times, Newsweek/The Daily Beast, and Business Insider as one of the most influential LGBTQ+ figures in technology and the nonprofit space.
Robin Aguilar is a queer, nonbinary, and Latinx computational biologist and science communicator based in Seattle. They recently completed a Ph.D. in Genome Sciences at the University of Washington, where their research focused on synthetic biology and microscopy technology for imaging satellite DNA. Robin is a passionate science illustrator and the founder of Melon x Heart Art Shop, where they explore themes of Latin American identity, biodiversity, and queer life. They integrate their creative and scientific worlds to make STEM more inclusive and accessible—developing science communication workshops and visual storytelling tools that empower queer and trans people of color in academia. In their Nature Career Column, “Breaking the binary by coming out as a trans scientist,” Robin shares their journey of navigating STEM as a person with multiple marginalized identities. They emphasize the importance of mentorship, community organizing, and storytelling as vehicles for change.
Imogen Gingell is a trans woman and accomplished space plasma physicist at Imperial College London, where she explores the dynamic relationship between the Sun and Earth. Her research focuses on how solar plasma interacts with Earth's magnetic field—particularly during the formation of shock waves. By combining NASA satellite data with high-performance simulations, Imogen investigates how energy is transferred through space environments, helping us better understand the forces that shape our solar system. As a visible trans scientist in astrophysics, Imogen is also helping pave the way for greater LGBTQ+ representation in space science and academia.
Audrey Tang is a technologist and Taiwan’s former Digital Minister (2016–2024), renowned for advancing digital democracy, cybersecurity, and collective intelligence. As the world’s first openly nonbinary cabinet official, Tang has redefined leadership in tech and government, identifying as “post-gender” and championing inclusive innovation. Tang played an important role in Taiwan’s COVID-19 digital response and in defending the integrity of the 2024 elections from foreign cyber threats. Honored in TIME’s “100 Most Influential People in AI”, Tang is now focused on Plurality, a vision for using technology to foster collaborative diversity and global civic engagement. A self-taught child prodigy in math and programming, Tang began a career in Silicon Valley by age 19 and co-founded the open government initiative g0v, promoting radical transparency in Taiwan. Tang continues to inspire through a vision of technology grounded in human values.
Dr. Jessica Esquivel is a physicist and Associate Scientist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, where her research tests the limits of the Standard Model and seeks to uncover new physics. Her doctoral work includes applying machine learning techniques to study neutrino interactions in the MicroBooNE experiment. As one of only about 150 Black women in the U.S. with a PhD in physics, Dr. Esquivel is committed to reshaping what representation in STEM looks like. A proud Black, AfroLatine, lesbian physicist from Texas, she leverages her intersecting identities to champion equity in STEAM, particularly within race, gender, and sexuality. Dr. Esquivel is co-founder of Oyanova Enterprises, which delivers culturally relevant STEAM education, mental health support, and financial literacy resources to Black and Brown communities.
Lauren is a arachnologist and museum curator whose work centers on the study and public interpretation of spiders and other arachnids. As the first openly queer curator in the 167-year history of their institution in San Francisco, they bring both scientific expertise and a deep commitment to inclusive science communication. Despite growing up in a family of scientists, Lauren’s journey through academia was marked by many barriers, including implicit bias, gendered harassment, and a lack of visible LGBTQ+ representation. These experiences shaped both their personal and professional trajectory. In 2018, Lauren founded 500 Queer Scientists, a visibility campaign that highlights the stories of LGBTQ+ individuals in STEM fields. What began with 50 contributors has since grown into over 1,500 stories internationally, serving to foster connection, mentorship, and representation across disciplines. Through their scientific work and advocacy, Lauren continues to lead efforts to build a more equitable and inclusive STEM community.
