About

Maya Perez is an Assistant Professor of Practice and the Area Head for Screenwriting at the Department of Radio-Television-Film at The University of Texas at Austin. She is a television producer and screenwriter with extensive experience in developing and producing television series. Her current projects include developing a pilot with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. TV, as well as an independent sci-fi TV series with Kat Candler, Aaron Marshall, and producers Toby Halbrooks and Jacob Jaffke. She has also been a co-producer on a romantic drama series starring Joshua Jackson and Lauren Ridloff, produced by Ava DuVernay for Starz, and served as an executive story editor on Showtime’s American Rust S2. Additionally, she was an executive producer on the Emmy Award-winning series On Story, produced by the Austin Film Festival for eleven seasons. Her work extends to feature screenplays that have been optioned for production and recognized by fellowships from SFFILM/Westridge, Sundance Institute, and NY Stage & Film. Maya Perez's short stories and essays have been published in outlets such as Texas Monthly, American Short Fiction, Electric Literature, and Joyland. She holds a BA from Vassar College and an MFA from the Michener Center for Writers at The University of Texas at Austin. Her academic role includes serving as the Screenwriting Area Head and an Assistant Professor of Practice. Her contributions to the field also include publications such as books on television storytelling and essays on personal and cultural topics.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Political Science
• Law
• Psychology
• Genetics
• Criminology
• Gender studies
• Cancer research
• Bioinformatics
• Pedagogy
• Economic growth
• Economics
• Biology

Selected publications

• Discovery of KIN-3248, An Irreversible, Next Generation FGFR Inhibitor for the Treatment of Advanced Tumors Harboring FGFR2 and/or FGFR3 Gene Alterations

  Journal of Medicinal Chemistry · 2024 · 16 citations

  • Cancer research
  • Biology
  • Genetics

  is currently in phase I clinical development for the treatment of advanced tumors harboring FGFR2 and/or FGFR3 gene alterations.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Spiritual Activism as a Means for Social Transformation: Womanist and Chicana Feminist Possibilities

  Equity & Excellence in Education · 2020 · 7 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Sociology
  • Sociology
  • Gender studies

  In the wake of Trump’s presidency, children of color have been increasingly subjected to overt racism in and outside of educational settings. After seeing “In light of the Trump effect” or the anxiety and fear that has ensued for children of color since Trump’s pre-election campaign, we suggest that concerted actions are needed from often untapped sources that cross human-centric boundaries such as spiritual activism. We contend that we must rethink human-more-than-human binaries, while simultaneously working towards equity and social justice. Womanist and Chicana feminist spirituality de-centers the human, while providing a means to transform oppressive conditions. In this theoretical wondering, we posit that spiritual activism is vital to the well-being of young children of color and the broader world.

  DOI

• Standardizing Latinx early childhood educators: (Un)intended consequences of policy reform to professionalize the workforce

  Policy Futures in Education · 2020 · 10 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Political Science
  • Sociology
  • Political Science

  The field of early childhood and its teacher education programs, globally, have experienced intensified policy reforms to “professionalize” the workforce. This has had (un)intended consequences of standardizing how Latinx preservice educators in the United States have learned about engaging in early years education and care. To discuss the impact of these (un)intended consequences, we first describe the historical context around standardized testing and the policies that support their use for teacher licensure in the United States and New Mexico, where our teacher education program resides. We then problematize these policies and provide examples of approaches used to counter the (un)intended consequences of such reforms. Finally, we make recommendations for future policy reforms that rethink teacher education and licensure programs, so that they value and centralize the often-marginalized knowledge of Latinx early childhood educators and teacher educators.

  DOI

Frequent coauthors

• Cinthya M. Saavedra

  The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

  22 shared

• Paty Abril‐Gonzalez

  The University of Texas at Austin

  12 shared

• Ana Carolina Díaz Beltrán

  The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

  9 shared

• Gaile S. Cannella

  Austin Independent School District

  8 shared

• Penny A. Pasque

  The Ohio State University

  4 shared

• Naema Nayyar

  Massachusetts General Hospital

  3 shared

• Braxton Marion

  MGH Institute of Health Professions

  3 shared

• Margarita G. Ruíz Guerrero

  3 shared

Awards & honors

• SFFILM/Westridge Fellowship
• Sundance Institute Fellowship
• NY Stage & Film Fellowship
• Austin Film Festival’s On Story Emmy Award

Similar researchers at University of Texas at Austin

• Carlos Caldash-218
• Thomas J. Hughesh-154
• George Georgiouh-107
• Keith Johnstonh-106
• Jeffrey Andrewsh-104