Dr. Isaac Burt

Dr. Isaac Burt is an Associate Professor in the department of Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology at the University at Buffalo-SUNY, in Buffalo, NY. Dr. Burt’s scholarship aims to combine science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and multicultural counseling (STEMMC) to foster an approach to science that takes into account culture and societal impacts so that it can be inclusive of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Dr. Burt also worked as an Associate Director for the Office to Advance Women, Equity, and Diversity at Florida International University (FIU). In this role, he has helped lead the development and implementation of programs to seek out, hire, and retain qualified BIPOC faculty candidates, as well as a supportive culture of diversity. He has also facilitated the creation of a more inclusive and integrative work environment by hosting intensive seminars utilizing various counseling principles with STEM faculty over three years. This intervention increased awareness of racial biases by participants, coupled with minoritized faculty perceiving a safer environment due to the collective acknowledging discrimination exists. As part of his scholarship, Dr. Burt also investigates and aims to find to rectify the lack of recruitment, grooming, and selection of BIPOC into leadership positions. Part of what he argues is that there exist invisible barriers (i.e., glass ceiling), that persists in academia and is an impediment to BIPOC having the opportunity of receiving mentorship/steered into leadership positions.