The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado (CU) Boulder has named Dr. Lynda Duran associate director for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).
“We welcome Dr. Duran to the LASP community and look forward to working with her to foster an inclusive environment where all feel welcome, valued and respected,” said LASP Director Daniel Baker. “She brings more than a decade of experience designing, implementing, and assessing DEIA programs and training and is dedicated to engaging in institutional and systemic change that serves the diverse communities of LASP and CU Boulder.”
In her previous role, as the DEI program and assessment manager in the office of the senior vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion at CU Boulder, Duran led the development of diversity- and equity-related goals and the integration of those goals into strategic plans. In 2023, while celebrating the 75th anniversary of its founding, LASP undertook its own strategic planning initiative to map out the research institute’s next 75 years.
“I am elated to join LASP at this critical point in its transformation,” Duran said. “The innovative spirit of LASP brings exciting opportunities to explore intersections of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as we work to iterate and co-construct a meaningful and inclusive future for scientific achievement.”
Duran also oversaw the CU Boulder campus-wide DEI seed grant program supporting the campus’s five diversity, equity and inclusion goals, which highlight employee skills and development, student achievement outcomes, community building, employee recruitment outcomes, and preparing students for a diverse democracy.
Duran continues to engage in her own research, which applies equity-focused mixed methods and critical quantitative strategies to explore ways to empower students, faculty, researchers, and staff to recognize the cultural capital and knowledge that they bring with them as they navigate the higher education landscape.
“As I transition into LASP, I look forward to learning more about the innovative aspects of everyone’s work and how we can leverage our collective knowledge toward a scientific culture that honors and values diverse perspectives and welcomes voices that have been historically excluded from the field,” she said. “I am confident that over the next few years we will design and illuminate powerful equity-minded strategies that elevate the LASP community and its critical endeavors in atmospheric and space physics.”
Duran holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in Spanish from Colorado College and a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Colorado Denver. She received her doctorate degree in higher education from the University of Denver in June 2023.
– By Sara Pratt, Senior Communications Specialist
Founded a decade before NASA, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder is on a mission to revolutionize human understanding of the cosmos by pioneering new technologies and approaches to space science. The institute is at the forefront of solar, planetary, and space physics research, climate and space-weather monitoring, and the search for evidence of habitable worlds. LASP is also deeply committed to inspiring and educating the next generation of space explorers. From the first exploratory rocket measurements of Earth’s upper atmosphere to trailblazing observations of every planet in the solar system, LASP continues to build on its remarkable history with a nearly $1 billion portfolio of new research and engineering programs, backed by superb data analysis, reliable mission operations, and skilled administrative support.
