O. Hecmarie Meléndez-Fernández completed her bachelor's in integrative biology at the University of Puerto Rico–Río Piedras and is a Ph.D. candidate in the West Virginia University neuroscience department. Her dissertation research focuses on how exposure to artificial light at night (circadian disruption) impairs cardiovascular function. When she’s not running around-the-clock experiments, she likes to hike and spend time outdoors, participate in group exercise, paint and work with clay. She has a passion for science communication, education and outreach, and she hosts a monthly seminar on nonacademic careers in science for graduate students and postdocs.