Dra. Lilliam Casillas Martinez

“I am a first generation Latina in STEM”


Role: Professor

School: University of Puerto Rico at Humacao

Department: Biology

Telephone: (787) 850-0000 x-9162

Email: lilliam.casillas@upr.edu

For the past decade Casillas has lead several research funding initiatives that allowed the training of Hispanics in emerging fields such as Metagenomics and Geomicrobiology. Her personal research experience in these highly masculine fields has ignited her desire to make these disciplines more accessible to other Latinas. She is the director of the Cybernetic girls can be Pinky proposal to allure Latinas into Computational Biology through initiatives like imparting gender and programming workshops, implementation of the Small World Initiative and a Women in Science course where students discuss the relevant contributions of Latino women. Dr. Casillas was designated the 2016 AAAS Delegate to the Gender Summit in Mexico City to share these
initiatives worldwide. In 2011, she was the first Latina to receive the Carski Award for Excellence in Teaching Microbiology from the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). She has co-authored with her undergraduate students more than 20 publications including a book for elementary level students. All these efforts are directed to change the sad statistics that less than 5% of the Latinas in the US currently pursue a doctoral degree in STEM fields.

 

Education – Professional Preparation:

1998    PhD    Microbiology                                  University of Connecticut, Health Center

1989    BS      Industrial Microbiology                  University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez

 

 

Relevant Professional Positions

  •  Director, Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning at UPRH, HHMI, 2022-present.
  •  Coach, Teaching to Increase Diversity and Equity in STEM-TIDES-AAC&U, 2022-23.
  •  Member, Bio-Interactive Advisory Board, Education HHMI, 2020-present.
  •  PI, PROUD Program, HHMI-Inclusive Excellence, 2018-present.
  •  Member, Advisory Board, Project Kaleidoscope, AACU, 2016-present.
  •  Associate Dean of Research Affairs, University of Puerto Rico-Humacao. 2014-2017.
  •  Biology Department Senator, Academic Senate, UPR-Humacao. 2011-2013.
  •  Visiting Scientist, Bosak Lab, Geology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).Summer 2008.
  •  Professor, Biology Department, University of Puerto Rico-Humacao, PR. 1999-Present.
  •  Professor, Biology Department, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Puebla, Puebla, México 1998-1999.
  • Quality Control Technician, Johnson and Johnson, PR, 1990-1991.
  • Laboratory Technician I, Syntex, F.P., PR, 1998-1990.

 

Memberships:

Member of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM).
Member of the Society for General Microbiology.
Member of the American Society for Microbiology in Puerto Rico (ASM- Puerto Rico).

 

Languages:

English and Spanish

Honors

 

2024-present: Pulse Fellow. Partnership for Undergraduate Life Science Education.

2023: Invited participant for Capacity Building in Science Diplomacy Training Program for Policy Makers in the Americas. Panama City.

2020-present: Member of Bio-Interactive Advisory Board, Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

2016-present: Member of the National Advisory Board of Project Kaleidoscope, American Association of Colleges and Universities.

2016: American Association for the Advancement of Science. AAAS Travel Award for 2016 Ambassador Program to Latin America. Gender Summit.

2016: Society for Toxicology Travel Award to increase minority participation.

2012: Carski Foundation Distinguished Undergraduate Microbiology National Teaching Award. American Society for Microbiology.

2011: Arturo Carrion Award for Excellence in Microbiology. American Society for Microbiology Local Chapter in Puerto Rico.

Synergistic Activities

co-PI of DIVAS (Diversificadas y Valientes) a research on Mathematic self-efficacy of Latinas within Hispanic Serving Institutions to understand current barriers of female students. We plan to create a cybernetic community for Latinas to receive needed tools to improve their math skills.

PI of NSF-HEARTS 2022 Conference  and  investigation  to  support  faculty,  service personnel, and administrators from Puerto Rico by promoting their wellbeing, enhance their grant writing capacities and increase self-efficacy and sense of belonging – thereby building  their capacity to engage and retain more Latinx students in STEM fields.

PI of the Puerto Rican Outstanding Undergraduate and Diversified (PROUD) program at      the University of Puerto Rico in Humacao to establish a Center for Teaching and Learning on Inclusive Pedagogies sponsored by  the  Inclusive  Excellence  Program  of  the  HHMI- Howard Hughes Medical Institutes.

PI of the Cybernetic girls can be pinky initiative to increase the number of females biologists entering Computational Biology via the Teaching to Increase Diversity  and Equity (TIDES) in STEM sponsored by American Association of Universities and Colleges.

Main coordinator of the Puerto Rican Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) branch for faculty development hosting annual meetings of the program in collaboration with the LS-Alliance for Minority Participation Best Educational Practices since 2016.

Research advisor to more than 150 undergraduate students in Microbiology, Geomicrobiology and Metagenomics with 40% of graduates following post baccalaureate studies and more than 10 publications with undergraduate students as co-authors.

  • Main leader of an outreach program that has impacted more than 1000 students and teachers from the public system with workshops, conduction of scientific fairs projects and
  • Coordinator of Semillas de Truinfo a project from Amgen Foundation to increase the number of females following STEM careers at
  • Coordinator of the Small World Initiative for curricular enhancements of the Molecular and Cell Biology courses and laboratory at
  • PI of the Cybernetic girls can be pinky initiative to increase the number of females biologists entering Computational Biology via the Kaleidoscope project of the American Association of Universities and
  • PI of NSF-Microbial Observatory within the Cabo Rojo salterns for biodiversity and conservational studies. Establishment of a Research at Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) for studies in Geomicrobiology at UPR-Humacao.
  • Active member of org, a cybernetic platform designed to promote science education and co-author in their book Ciencia Boricua and I can Science program of National Geographic https://edhub-ui.nationalgeographic.org/resource/i-can-science-lilliam-casillas/
  • Co-PI of USDA-funded proposal to generate metagenomic libraries from two forests within Puerto Rico. Geomicrobiology and Metagenomic Studies (GeMS) from puertorrican
  • Designer of a Certificate of Techniques in Industrial Biotechnology for the Continuous Education Division at the UPR-Humacao to train dislocated professionals in Industrial

 

Ad hoc grant reviewer for National Institutes of Health (NIH), Israel Science Foundation (ISF), National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Agriculture. Washington, D.C.

 

Current funding

  1. NSF-Higher Education Assembly of Researchers, Thriving, not just Surviving (HEARTS) Conference 2.0. Consultant. Puerto Rico Science and Technology Trust. $100,000. 01/01/2025 to 12/31/2025.
  2. Creation of Biomanufacturing Program at C3Tec Museum. Century 21 Techforce Bioinnovative Program. Department of Commerce. $323,000. 01/11/2024 to 08/31/2025.
  3. co-PI. HSI Pilot Project:Diversificadas y Valientes (DIVAS) in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Environments. $300,000. 08/15/2023 to 07/31/2026.
  1. NSF-Higher Education Assembly of Researchers, Thriving, not just Surviving (HEARTS) Conference. $100,000. 08/01/2022 to 07/31/202.
  2. HHMI Inclusive Excellence Program. Puerto Rican Outstanding Undergraduate Diversified (PROUD) program. $1,000,000. 07/01/2018 to 07/01/2023.

 

Prior funding

  1. NSF-Higher Education Assembly of Researchers, Thriving, not just Surviving (HEARTS) Conference. $100,000. 08/01/2022 to 07/31/2024.
  2. “Cybernetic girls can be pinky”. American Association Universities and Colleges. 299,000. 01/06/14 to 04/16/18.
  1. RUI-Cabo Rojo Microbial Observatory. National Science Foundation. Microbial Observatories Program. $1,400,000.00, 02/01/05 to 02/01/12.
  2. Co-PI. Geomicrobiology and Metagenomic studies of tropical Forests. USDA-CSREES Program. $295,000. 07/01/07 to 06/31/09.
  3. RUI-Microbial Observatories: Diversity of halophilic bacteria and geochemical signatures in a tropical solar saltern. National Science Foundation. Microbial Observatories Program. $608,000. 02/01/02 to 02/01/05.
  4. Co-PI. UPR-Humacao Women’s Educational Equity Act Program. U. S. Department of Education. Educational Equity Act Program. $524,850. 08/01/00 to 07/31/05.

Relevant Publications

(*publications co-authored with undergraduate students)

  1. Zemaitis J, G. Arias, A. Boyce, G. Garcia, K. Alicea, J. Vedrine and Casillas-Martinez. Development and validation of a climate survey for a Hispanic-Serving Institution. In Press. J. of Latinos and Education.
  2. Casillas-Martínez, L, M. Franco, R. Carrasquillo and W. González-Espada. 2023. Unpacking Racism Among Puerto Rican Scientists: Intersectionality of Colorism, Culture of J. of Latinos and Education, 22 (2): 10.1080/15348431.2023.2184370
  1. Marvasi, M., Casillas, A. Vassallo, D. Purchase. 2021. Educational Activities for Students and Citizens Supporting the One-Health Approach on Antimicrobial Resistance. Antibiotics. 10, 1519: https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics10121519
  2.  Casillas-Martinez, L. 2020. Strategies to Foster Latinx Inclusion in Microbiology Programs. Microbiol. Biol. Edu. 21(1): Casillas-Martinez, L. and W. Gonzalez–Espada. 2019. Cybernetic Girls can be Pinky: Strategies to recruit and retain Latinas into STEM in the context of Faculty-to-Student Empowerment. In Culturally Responsive Strategies for Reforming STEM higher Education: Turing the TIDES on Inequity, 33-51. Emerald Publishing Limited. (Mack K, K. Winter and M. Soto, Eds). DOI:10.1108/978-1-78743-405-920191003.
  3. Perito B., Casillas and M. Marvasi. 2018. Factors Affecting Formation of Large Calcite Crystals (≥1 mm) in Bacillus subtilis 168 Biofilm, Geomicrobiology Journal, 35:5, 385-391, DOI: 10.1080/01490451.2017.1377788
  4. Sills, J. et.al. 2017. E-letter. Prejudgment Call. Science. Vol. 355, Issue 6320, pp. 22-23, DOI: 10.1126/science.355.6320.22
  5. * Marvasi, M., Casillas-Santiago L. and L. Casillas-Martinez. 2016. Involvement of etfA gene during CaCO3 precipitation in Bacillus subtilis biofilm. Geomicrobiol. J. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01490451.2016.1248254
  6. Mack, K, Soto. M., L. Casillas-Martinez and Mac Cormark E. F. 2015.Toward Achieving Equity for Woman in Computing: The imperative of Critical Pedagogical Reform. Gender Equity in Education. Association of American Colleges and Universities. 18:8-10. https://www.aacu.org/diversitydemocracy/2015/spring/mack
  7. * Marvasi M., Y. Davila and L. Casillas-Martinez. 2013. Laboratory activity to effectively teach Introductory Geomicrobiology concepts to Non-Geology majors. J. of Microbiol. and Biol. Education. 14: 206-212. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3867758/ 
  8. * Marvasi M, K.L., Gallagher, L. Casillas-Martinez and P.T. Visscher. 2012. Importance of B4 medium in determining organomineralization potential of bacterial environmental isolates. Geomicrobiol. J.29:916–924. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01490451.2011.636145#.VV4WCblFC70
  9. Marvasi M, P.T., Visscher and Casillas-Martinez. 2010. Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) from Bacillus subtilis: polysaccharides polypeptides, and genes coding for their synthesis. FEMS Microbiology Letter, 313:1-9.
  10. Marvasi M., P.T. Visscher, B. Perito, and Casillas-Martinez. 2010. Physiological requirements for carbonate precipitation during biofilm development of B. subtilis etfA mutant. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 71:341-350. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20059546 
  11. * Visscher P.T., C. Dupraz, O. Braissant, K.L. Gallagher, C. Glunk, L. Casillas and R.E.S. Reed. 2010. Microbial Mats: Modern and Ancient Microorganisms in Stratified Systems, In: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology. J. Skeckbach and Oren A. (Eds). 14:443-468.
  12. Hernandez B. and Casillas-Martinez. 2009. Design and Assessment of an Introductory Geomicrobiology Course for non-Geology students. J. of Geoscience Education. Vol. 57, No.1. http://dx.doi.org/10.5408/1.3544225 
  13. Rios-Velazquez , L. Casillas-Martínez and P.T. Visscher. 2007. Learning Geomicrobiology as a team using microbial mats; a multidisciplinary approach. J. of Microbiol. and Biol. Education. 1:28-35. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3577146/ 
  14. Cantrell, S., M. Molina and Casillas-Martinez. 2006. Halophilic fungi from the Cabo Rojo Salterns. Mycological Research. 110: 962-970. doi:10.1016/j.mycres.2006.06.005
  15. * Casillas-Martinez, L., et al. 2005. Interrelations among communities, physiological structure and resulting mineralogy in the hypersaline mats of the Cabo Rojo salterns. Geomicrobiol. J. 22: 269-81.2. DOI:10.1080/01490450500182672.
  16. Casillas-Martinez L., Driks, B. Setlow and P. Setlow. 2000. Lack of a significant role for the PerR regulator in Bacillus subtilis spore resistance, FEMS Microbiology Letters, 188: 203– 208. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6968.2000.tb09194.x
  17. Basat N. A. Herbig, Casillas-Martinez and J. Helmann. 1998. Bacillus subtilis contains multiple Fur homologues: Identification of the iron uptake (Fur) and peroxide regulon (PerR) repressors. Molecular Microbiol. 29(1):189-98. DOI10.1046/j.1365-2958.1998.00921.x
  18. Casillas-Martinez, L., and P. Setlow. Alkyl hydroperoxide reductase, catalase, MrgA, and superoxide dismutase are not involved in resistance of Bacillus subtilis spores to heat and oxidizing agents. J. Bacteriol. 179:7420-7425.
Inicio Departamento
UPR Humacao – Departamento de Biología – Call Box 860 – Humacao, PR 00792
Teléfono: (787) 850-9388, (787) 850-9483
biol.uprh@upr.edu, @UPRH , UPRH