Dr. Adania Flemming defended her dissertation in fall 2024 at the University of Florida (UF) department of biology and the Florida Museum. Adania is an Ichthyologist, science educator and leader who studies the ecology and evolutionary relationships of fishes while using NHMS as a resource to broaden representation in STEM. She has peer reviewed publications on both research disciplines. Before joining UF, she earned a Bachelor of Science in marine biology from the University of Tampa and completed a Master of Science in zoology from the University of Florida. She has received numerous awards including the Academic Association of Women Madelyn Lockhart Dissertation Fellowship, The UF Alumni Association’s inaugural Leadership Award and the Dr. J. Michael Rollo award and helped secure a million-dollar NSF grant (BCEENET). She is a 2022 SEC Emerging Scholar, SREB scholar and a 2023 Edward A Bouchet honor society inductee. Adania has served as a role model and created and curated opportunities to inspire others such as cofounding the iDigTRIO biological conference and fair or founding the 501C3 non-profit BlackInNaturalHistoryMuseums, where she serves as the president. She is currently a researcher at Florida State University and the Program manager for Black Women in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Science. Ultimately, Adania inspires to work at the intersection of science and education.