Jehan Idsassi
2023 Fellow
Executive Director, STEM Up
Focus Areas
STEM Up, is an organization dedicated to promoting gender diversity and representation in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Founded by Jehan Idsassi, STEM Up focuses on providing educational resources and support to young girls in underserved communities, with a global perspective. STEM Up’s mission is to advocate for equitable female representation in STEM. Under her leadership, STEM Up hosted a virtual summer program in the summer of 2023 which allowed registered participants to learn more about the importance of advocating for female representation in STEM, particularly in underrepresented and minority groups.
Additionally, as a minority woman in STEM, Jehan is very passionate about conducting research within the neuroscience field. During her senior year of high school, Jehan interned at the University of Maryland, College Park in the Araneda Laboratory, where she was mentored by PhD candidate Ms. Lucy Irvine, to conduct a research practicum project on assessing the efficacy of Simple Behavioral Analysis (SimBA) in analyzing the influence of sex and age on behavioral repertoire in wild-type c57 mice.
Jehan has earned the recognition of becoming a National STEM Challenge Champion representing the state of Maryland, being inducted as a Lifetime Fellow on behalf of the National Association of Academies of Science American Junior Academy of Sciences, receiving the 24: Maryland’s Emerging Scholars Award, the 2023 Buford Harvest Outstanding Leader Award, and more.
In the future, Jehan hopes to pursue a Doctorate of Medicine (MD) and aspires to become a neurosurgeon whilst continuing to advocate for the importance of female representation in STEM.