Gabriel Reyes is a scientific researcher and social entrepreneur. Currently, they are the Founder and CEO of FLi Sci, a national nonprofit dedicated to creating pathways for first-generation/low-income (FLi) students to thrive in scientific careers. Their work has been supported by leading social impact organizations, including Camelback Ventures, the Roddenberry Foundation, Echoing Green, NewSchools, and others.

Throughout their career, Gabriel remained committed to breaking down barriers for FLi students while balancing their neuroscience training. First, as a program coordinator for Brown University’s Science Center, where they led a mentoring initiative to help minoritized students acclimate to STEM majors. They later joined the Opportunity Network as a Graduate Intern, where they designed and launched the Summer Science Research Program (SSRP) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s elimination of in-person programming. Then, as an Education Pioneers Fellow, Gabriel worked at Achievement Network, leading a data science project that analyzed student performance metrics to inform evidence-based instructional strategies for schools. This led to a brief tenure as a research analyst for the National Math and Science Initiative before formally launching and expanding FLi Sci.

Born in Albuquerque, NM to Mexican immigrants and a TRIO Upward Bound alumni, Gabriel became the first in their family to pursue college and the first from their high school to become a QuestBridge and Gates Millennium Scholar. They earned an Sc.B. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Brown University and an M.S. in Neuroscience and Education from Columbia University, where they conducted research on the cognitive and neural effects of financial stress on learning and memory. Currently, Gabriel is completing a Ph.D. at Stanford University, pursuing a degree in Developmental and Psychological Sciences as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar and Quad Fellow. Their doctoral research focuses on the role of poverty on children and adolescents cognitive and behavioral wellbeing.