Associate Professor
HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholar
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology
University of California, San Diego
My goal is to achieve a culture of growth mindset. This requires leadership that is trustworthy, embraces inclusiveness, and celebrates the wins and failures equally.
Dr. Sonya Neal received her Ph.D. from U.C. Los Angeles in 2013 in the laboratory of Dr. Carla Koehler. She then carried out her postdoctoral studies at U.C. San Diego in the laboratory of Dr. Randolph Hampton. She received the Burroughs Wellcome Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Award and Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship. Dr. Neal joined the faculty in 2018 in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at University of California San Diego where her lab studies the role of the rhomboid superfamily in membrane-related functions and homeostasis. She is the recipient of the NIH MIRA, NSF CAREER, Pew, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in Science Diversity Leadership Award, and HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Award. She is also a champion for diversity; she co-founded the Biology Undergraduate & Master's Mentorship (BUMMP) program, serving over 500 URM and first-generation students. Moreover, she teaches a new DEI graduate course, "Social Issues in Biology." For these efforts, she received the campus-wide Inclusive Excellence and the Faculty Mentorship awards.
