* Lauren Beach, J.D., Ph.D.

In July 2017, Lauren began an appointment as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Northwestern University-The Feinberg School of Medicine.

In July 2015, Lauren B. Beach, JD/PhD began an appointment as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Vanderbilt University in the research group of Dr. Kerri Cavanaugh. An alumna of the University of Minnesota's Joint Degree Program in Law, Science and Technology, Lauren completed her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology & Genetics.

While developing her academic career, Lauren has also dedicated herself to progressive student and community leadership, with an emphasis on serving and advocating for LGBTQIA and bisexual communities. As an undergraduate at Michigan State University, Lauren held multiple student leadership roles dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion on campus, including serving as President of the Alliance of LGBTQA Students and working as a student diversity programming employee at MSU's Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives. Upon her arrival to Minnesota, Lauren not only continued her work with LGBTQIA student groups, but also expanded into serving the community at large. From 2010-2013, Lauren led the 501(c)(3) organization Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP) as Chairperson, transforming it from a largely Twin Cities focused organization into a regionally, nationally and internationally recognized non-profit. From 2009-2014, Lauren also served as a core organizer of BOP's annual BECAUSE Conference on bisexuality. Additionally, Lauren has served on the boards of the 501(c)(3) organizations the Queer Student Cultural Center, the Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance, China AIDS Orphan Fund and currently serves on the board of the Zambian child health non-profit Healthy Kids: Brighter Future.