We Rep STEM aims to promote the work of inspiring people in the STEM community. Today, we’re featuring Lietsel Richardson — who, excitingly, has launched a blog of her own called Mother of Neurons.

Read on to learn more about Lietsel and what her work entails, in her own words.


Hello, my name is Lietsel Richardson and I am a first-year Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. student at the University of Central Florida. I recently graduated with an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering in the biomechanics track. My current doctoral research in neuromechanics involves integrating lower limb movement with interactive art media to determine whether sensorimotor processes engaged in creativity and self-exploration are beneficial to lower limb rehabilitation. 

I have always loved creative expression: dance, theater, visual art, and film. I have also always been fascinated by the intricacies of the human brain and the way our bodies function. What I study is the intersection of both of these passions and I feel so lucky that I get to do this for a living. I get to study motor function and how neural mechanisms interplay with biomechanical processes involved in movement.

When I’m not reading fantasy novels, running races, and spending time with my partner, I participate in a mentoring program for LGBTQ undergraduates in STEM majors and dabble in science communication through my blog, “Mother of Neurons“. In this blog, I share experiences from my Ph.D. journey, being a minority with many intersections in the engineering field, as well as topic reviews on neuromechanics, neurophysiology, biomechanics, and interesting developments in biomedical engineering.

You can connect with Lietsel on Twitter and Instagram.

If you’d like to have your work featured on We Rep STEM, get in touch! We can be reached via email at werepstem@gmail.com.

Photos courtesy of Lietsel Richardson.