Kishana Taylor

Dr. Taylor’s love for science was sparked spending time with her great grandmother, who introduced her to her favorite animal, dolphins, among others. Growing up in Northern New Jersey gave her access to places like the Bronx Zoo, NY Aquarium, nearby Bear Mountain, and Jersey shore which allowed her to foster a love for nature and wild animals. A love for animals was just the beginning of her journey to becoming a scientist. Dr. Taylor earned her B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Delaware; followed by her M.S. in Public Health Microbiology and Emerging Infectious disease from GWU and her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Science from the University of Georgia.
Today, Dr. Taylor is a virologist whose research and interests lie in viruses that can be spread from animals to people and in educating people about them. In a return to the activities that fostered her love of animals and science, science education and outreach, she enjoys speaking with a variety of audiences through different mediums about science literacy and microbes in addition to her work with students. She is a founding member of the Black in Microbiology Online Conference and the Black Microbiologists Association. When she’s not doing or thinking about science, Dr. Taylor is an avid reader of sci-fi and fantasy novels, with hopes to one day pen her own. She is also women’s soccer fan and loves to cheer on the United States Women’s National Soccer Team.