Professional, empathetic, energetic

"I want to nominate my PI, Dr. Tonia Schwartz, because of her amazing professionalism in our lab. Our lab consists of 7 graduate students, 1 undergraduate student and 1 lab manager. Dr. Schwartz has always been treating each one of us with extreme care, making sure she dedicates time and effort to ensure we all succeed and achieve our goals. She is not only a great PI but also a great mentor as she wants to pass her knowledge and experience to us, not only in an academic setting but also when it comes to life choices. Dr. Schwartz is very empathetic and realizes that we, students, also often encounter obstacles in our daily lives and that we can share with her what troubles us. This is even more pronounced when it comes to international students because we are all far away from our home country and our families but she is doing an amazing job in creating a very welcoming, warm and collaborative environment. Additionally, Dr. Schwartz inspires me to think about science more broadly and not to limit myself only to the specific project or model organism I work on. She always tells us "Find the thread! There is always something that ties your curiosity to a bigger question—follow it!" I am extremely happy I am part of her team because of the guidance, reassurance, and unwavering belief she has in my potential."

Nominated by Anet Filipova, Schwartz Lab/Biological Sciences, Auburn University, United States