Dr. Robert W. Fernandez is the co-founder and Executive Director of Cientifico Latino, Inc. He was born in Lima, Peru and grew up in New Jersey to parents who worked in factories and in the fast food industry. As a high school senior, he discovered he was an undocumented immigrant, limiting his college options. Coming from a low-income background, he attended community college at UCNJ and went on to receive his Bachelor’s of Science degree at York College, CUNY.
He was the first in his immediate family to become a PhD recipient, as he earned his PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University. During his time at Yale, he advised several college students from low-income backgrounds about how to prepare for a STEM PhD and the idea for Científico Latino began as a grassroot organization of graduate students working together to make higher education in STEM accessible to college students. In 2024, he wrapped up his time as a postdoctoral scientist from Columbia University and became a full-time Executive Director at Científico Latino.
In recognition of his work, Dr. Fernandez received awards such as the PD Soros Fellowship, selected as one of the 100 inspiring Hispanic/Latinx scientists in America, Junior Simons Fellow, NYC Latino Maestro of Ultimate Drive, Public Voices Fellow of the Op-Ed Project, 2024 Obama USA Leader, Wilmers Integrity Prize Recipient and Camelback Ventures Fellow.
Robert W. Fernandez, PhD
Keynote at Rockefeller University
Científico Latino Programming Video
About Científico Latino
Científico Latino is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that works to improve the pipeline of underserved communities in higher education in the sciences. Our vision is to place 5,000 scientists into PhD programs by 2036, opening pathways to economic mobility and strengthening representation in the scientific workforce.
One of Cientifico Latino, Inc.’s programs is the national Graduate School Mentorship Initiative, that helps 100 students every year with navigating their graduate school applications in the sciences by providing access to mentorship, access to educational resources, and financial support to offset graduate school application costs. From 2019-2025, they have helped 634 students matriculate to Master’s and PhD programs in the sciences and have published an article on their work in Cell.
Getting into a PhD program is one of the biggest hurdles for students from underserved communities, it is the gateway to the education and opportunities that lead to upward mobility and high-paying scientific careers. Our GSMI program provides each student with: 1) one-on-one mentorship, 2) educational webinars on tackling graduate school applications 3) access to a professional STEM network, 4) mock admissions interviews and 5) fee waivers through university partners. We have helped 580 students across the U.S. get accepted to graduate school (Master’s and PhD programs), such as Harvard University, Yale University, and MIT.
We also support first-year graduate students, alumni of our GSMI program, navigate their first-year of graduate school through professional development, scientific training, career exploration, and a scholarship fund to cover educational expenses to ensure that our students do not drop out of graduate school. We are not just preparing future PhDs for the scientific workforce, we are working on creating the foundation for future scientific leaders and advancing their economic mobility.
