Episode 33: Dr. Joseph L. Graves, Jr.

Trigger warning: This episode discusses suicide.

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Joseph L. Graves, Jr., the MacKenzie Scott Endowed Professor of Biology at North Carolina A&T State University. He also serves as the Director for the Genomic Research and Data Science Center for Computation and Cloud-Computing (GRADS-4C, the NIH), the Associate Director for Precision Microbiome Engineering (PreMiEr) (NSF Gen-4 ERC), and the Director of NC Amgen Biotech Experience. Joe’s dissertation research focused on life history, evolution, and aging in Drosophila. His work now focuses on the evolutionary genomics of adaptation applied to several different systems, including the evolution of anti-metal resistance in bacteria, as well as continued work on  life history, evolution, and aging in Drosophila. Here, Joe discusses how he navigated being a graduate student at historically white institutions as an African American, the challenges he faced, and how he persisted. Let’s listen!

• Transcript: Here
• Scientist Info: Joseph L. Graves, Jr.
  • University Profile: https://profiles.ncat.edu/en/persons/joseph-graves/ 
  • Further reading by Dr. Graves:
    • A Voice in the Wilderness: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/professor-joseph-l-graves-jr-ph-d/a-voice-in-the-wilderness/9781541600737/?lens=basic-books 
    • Racism, Not Race: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/racism-not-race/9780231553735/ 
    • Why Black People Die Sooner: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/why-black-people-die-sooner/9780231217965/ 
• Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe 
• International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ 
• Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing 
• Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0