Horizon Seminar: Senior Instructors
Horizon Seminar simulates a university-level research class, with classes of 3-6 students taught by a professor or lecturer with decades of teaching experience. Students develop individualized research projects of their own choosing and design.
Edoardo Gallo
Associate Professor, the University of Cambridge
Edoardo Gallo is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Cambridge and an Official Fellow in Economics at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He is also an Associate Member at Nuffield College (Oxford) and a Fellow at the Cambridge Endowment for Research in Finance. His research sits at the intersection of the economics of networks, experimental economics, and behavioral economics. The fundamental question it investigates is how the structure of social networks causally affects individual behavior and economic outcomes in a wide range of contexts. Prior to coming to Cambridge, he was a Junior Research Fellow at Christ Church (Oxford) and completed his A.B. in Physics and Mathematics at Harvard University. He has taught political economy, behavioral economics, networks, economic theory, behavioral finance, and mathematics at the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and Harvard University. Gallo earned his D.Phil. (PhD) in Economics from the University of Oxford.
David Rezvani
Research Assistant Professor, Dartmouth College
David Rezvani has previously taught at Harvard University, MIT, Oxford University, and Boston University. He is also the author of Surpassing the Sovereign State: The Wealth, Self-Rule, and Security Advantages of Partially Independent Territories (Oxford University Press, 2014). Rezvani’s research interests include political integration, Asian politics, and US foreign policy. His work has appeared in the Political Science Quarterly, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Ethnopolitics, and the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. He has held research fellowships at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and has won research grants from Harvard University, Oxford University, Trinity College, the Smith Richardson Foundation, Boston College, and Hong Kong University. As a speaker of English, Mandarin Chinese, and Persian, he has conducted fieldwork in Europe, China, and the Middle East. He earned his D.Phil. from the University of Oxford.
Vladimir Chernov
Professor, Dartmouth College
Vladimir Chernov has worked at the ETH Zurich, Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, Bonn and Zurich University. Currently he is a Full Tenured professor at Dartmouth College, where he has taught since 2001. He is an author of more than 30 research papers in the Mathematics and Mathematical Physics research journals. His works appeared in Geometry and Topology, Topology, Geometric and Functional Analysis, Algebraic and Geometric Topology, Communications in Contemporary Mathematics, Communications in Mathematical Physics, Geometry and Physics and Journal of Mathematical Physics. He has had collaboration grants from the Simons Foundation. He has earned his two PhDs from the Uppsala University Sweden and UC Riverside, USA.
James Truncer
Lecturer, Harvard University Extension School, Former Lecturer at Stanford University
James Truncer has taught environmental engineering and environmental systems collapse courses at Harvard since 2012. Prior to teaching at Harvard, he was a lecturer at Stanford University for 9 years, where he taught similar courses. Truncer has also conducted archaeological research in North America and India and published his findings in academic journals, edited volumes, and monographs. His work has led to an interest in sustainability issues with regard to changing agricultural production, urbanization, resource use, and systems collapse. He earned his Ph.D. in Archaeology from the University of Washington.
Guillermo Goldsztein
Professor, Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Professor Goldsztein is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1992 he received his undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of Buenos Aires and in 1997 a PhD in mathematics from MIT. During the three following years (1997-2000), he was a postdoctoral scholar and lecturer in applied mathematics at CalTech. Since 2000, he has been a faculty member of the School of Mathematics of Georgia Tech, where he is now a full professor. Professor Goldsztein enjoys applying mathematics that can be used in other other fields of science such as computational biology, machine learning, and the intersection between math and physics. Machine learning is among his areas of expertise.
Maria Konte
Research Scientist , Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Maria Konte is a Research Scientist at the School of Computer Science at Georgia Tech and affiliated with its Institute for Information Security & Privacy. Her research is in the intersection of network security, network traffic analytics and machine learning. Her research work focuses on gaining insight from measurements, to design and build tools and methodologies, to improve the security of networks. Her work on network reputation as a measure to defend against cybercriminal infrastructures, appeared at ACM SIGCOMM15, and NANOG62 Research Track. At Georgia Tech, she teaches intermediate and advanced level courses in Computer Networking. She received the Passive and Active Measurement Conference Best Paper Award 2009 for her work on hosting infrastructures of malicious DNS domains. She received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Georgia Tech in 2015. She holds a Master's in Systems Engineering from Boston University, and a Diploma in Eng. from the Industrial Engineering and Management Dept. at Technical University of Crete, Greece. She has worked at Damballa and Verisign Labs prior to entering academia.
Bridget Callaghan
Assistant Professor, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Horizon Labs
Horizon Labs focuses on more specialized topics and is one-on-one and thus more open-ended. Horizon Labs allows students to get individualized mentorship from instructors who are on the front lines of PhD-level research, often who are in the process of completing their own PhD or postdoctoral research. These instructors are more intimately acquainted with the latest studies, the most relevant data sets, and the most interesting perspectives being introduced in their respective fields. This list includes many of our mentors, but it is not a complete list as we honor requests by mentors to not be listed publicly for personal privacy purposes. If you would like to see the full list of mentors for a particular subject, please reach out to fill out this form with the request for additional information.
Dr. Sam Haddad
MS, PhD, University of Cambridge; Recently Completed Post-Doc at Cambridge
Sam earned both his Masters in Advanced Chemical Engineering and PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Cambridge. He then completed a year of post-doctoral research at the same institution. He is currently studying Medicine. Prior to beginning his graduate work, Sam graduated with high distinction from the American University of Beirut. Broadly, his research investigates the design and clinical application of nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems for cancer therapy. Sam is particularly interested in targeting these nanoparticles to deliver their drug payload to specific organelles within tumour cells (e.g. mitochondria), as well as developing treatment solutions for hard-to-reach and hard-to-treat cancers such as those of the brain, lungs, and pancreas.
Patrick Emedom-Nnamdi
PhD Researcher at Harvard University
Patrick Emedom-Nnamdi is a PhD candidate in the Department of Biostatistics at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he focuses on smartphone based digital phenotyping and mobile health. Specifically, he develops statistical and quantitative methods for studying social, behavioral, and cognitive phenotypes. His current research aims at creating prediction models for determining time to recovery in surgical patients.
Dr. Eshaan R. B.
PhD from the University of Chicago
Eshaan R. B. has a PhD in neurobiology from the University of Chicago, where he studied the cellular and genetic regulation of transcription factors in neurons. Using a wide variety of experimental techniques, including live-cell neuronal imaging coupled with glutamate uncaging, next-generation sequencing, induced pluripotent stem cell culture, and CRSPR-mediated gene editing, he sought to characterize the gene regulatory function and activity-dependent translocation of novel transcription factors in the brain, as well as how these characteristics could contribute to the etiology of complex mental illnesses such autism spectrum disorder, major depressive disorder, or bipolar disorder. In undergrad, he earned Bachelor of Science degrees in both chemistry and neuroscience at the University of Minnesota, where he also conducted extensive research on the mechanisms of chronic pain as well as characterizing a novel Alzheimer’s disease mouse model.
Dr. César Cabezas
Preceptor at Columbia University
César Cabezas Gamarra is Preceptor at Columbia University's Center for the Core Curriculum and teaches the renowned 'Contemporary Civilization' course at Columbia. He holds a PhD from the Philosophy Department at Columbia University. The core of Cabezas Gamarra's research lies at the intersection of philosophy of race, social and political philosophy, and philosophy of social science. In addition, he is interested in ethics, social epistemology and feminist philosophy. He is currently finishing his dissertation on structural racism and durable racial inequality.
Dr. Nikzad F.
PhD Cambridge University/PhD in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
Nikzad Falahati earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge (2020). His research explored filtration processes by investigating the formation of filter cakes and evaluating the effects of particle properties on cake structures. The work required a range of scientific techniques including lab filtration experiments, X-ray imaging to visualize cake structures, and computational simulations of particle systems. Throughout his Ph.D., Nikzad mentored penultimate year undergraduate students on particle processing and marked undergraduate lab reports. Before his Ph.D., Nikzad obtained an MEng in Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London (2016). In his final year research project, he investigated the effects of preparation parameters on the properties of membranes used for wastewater treatment. Alongside his research, Nikzad organized social events for his postgraduate community as part of the college committee, and he is a keen hiker.
Dr. Tom M.
Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge
Tom M. is a research fellow at the University of Cambridge in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. The project was in collaboration with Infineum UK Ltd. to explore the mechanism of friction reduction and anti-wear caused by small molecular additives in engine oil formulations. Tom earned his PhD in Physical Chemistry in 2018 at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. His PhD research investigated the chemical processing of atomically thin carbon nanomaterials in water for the purposes of water purification and oil recovery. In addition, he explored the self-assembly of surfactant molecules that form complex fluids using a technique called neutron scattering. In his spare time, Tom enjoys travelling, playing piano and basketball.
Dr. Parsa A.
Research Associate, Statistical Genetics, The University of Cambridge
Dr. Parsa A. is Research Associate at the University of Cambridge working in Statistical Genetics. He received his PhD from Downing College at the University of Cambridge in Statistical Genetics. Parsa has both academic and commercial experience in the application of statistical analysis to generate commercial and scientific value. In the past Parsa has worked for UCB Biopharma to develop Machine Learning algorithms predicting the side effects of drug compounds, and has worked as a consultant role with organisations based in Beijing, New York and Los Angeles providing training and advice in the implementation of statistical models. Parsa co-founded an online technology platform allowing the open source online generation of content by users which was sold in 2013. Parsa contributes to Downing Enterprise with his strong links to the entrepreneurial community in Cambridge including as a former president of the Cambridge Data Society, connection to the Judge Business School via the Accelerate programme, and previous role as Information Officer of the Cambridge Technology and Enterprise Society.
Alasdair Craig
PhD Researcher at the University of Oxford; Commissioning Editor, Hurst Publishers
Alasdair Craig graduated with a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Oxford in 2022. His research was at the intersection of epistemology, the philosophy of mind and cognitive science. While at Oxford he taught undergraduate courses in the philosophy of mind, epistemology, the philosophy of cognitive science, logic and metaphysics, as well as courses in essay-writing and study skills. Since 2023, Dr Craig has been working in academic publishing while continuing to teach courses in philosophy to undergraduates.
Marta Madureira
PhD Researcher at the University of Oxford – Visiting PhD from University of Porto
Marta is a PhD student in Richard Wade-Martins’ lab at the University of Oxford’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics. Her research focuses on investigating the molecular neurobiology of Parkinson’s Disease. More specifically this includes investigating autophagy, the break down and recycling of proteins and other cellular components, and how this process is impaired in neurons. The aim of her project is to better understand this neurodegenerative disease and to ultimately develop new drug targets. Before starting her PhD, she was a research technician in the Hens Lab at the University of Oxford, looking at expression of synthetic promoters in Drosophila Melanogaster. Prior to this position, she was also involved in processing and genotyping samples as an intern at a Molecular Genetics lab at the University of Lisbon, Portugal.
David Brossault
PhD Researcher at the University of Cambridge
David Brossault is a PhD researcher at the department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. His research, based on material science, explores the design and optimisation of silica based composite materials for use in both environmental (e.g. water treatment) and biological (e.g. imaging and drug delivery) applications. In his department, David is also involved in teaching activities giving poster design sessions, marking undergraduate student lab reports as well as mentoring master student lab projects. Before his PhD, David obtained his BSc in Chemistry (2013) and a dual MSc in General and Formulation Chemistry (2017). He has developed sound research skills, adaptability and scientific interest through 2 years working in various industrial R&D departments, including Sanofi (United-Kingdom), Capsugel (France), BASF (Germany) and UCB Pharma (Belgium). Alongside his academic life, David is involved in his college life, working as outreach academic speaker, postgraduate committee member as well as college squash captain.
Merrick S.
PhD Candidate at Harvard University
Merrick is a Chemical Biology PhD student at Harvard, currently studying the regulatory processes involved in the development of human eggs and sperm with the eventual goal of producing them in vitro from pluripotent stem cells. He is also more broadly interested in the field of synthetic biology, including gene editing and RNA biochemistry. Merrick grew up in Minneapolis, MN and attended the University of Minnesota. While an undergraduate, he conducted research on the hexadehydro-Diels-Alder reaction with Prof. Thomas Hoye, and was a summer student in the lab of Prof. Emily Balskus at Harvard where he studied bacterial choline metabolism. After graduating with dual BScs in chemistry and biochemistry, he studied human germ cell development with Prof. Azim Surani as a Churchill scholar at Cambridge, England, where he obtained his MPhil. Merrick then returned to Harvard, where he is currently an NSF graduate fellow in the lab of Prof. George Church.
Perman J.
PhD Researcher at the University of Cambridge
Perman is a PhD researcher at the department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. His research is focused on utilising Machine Learning algorithms and automated experimental tools to enhance process development in chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Before his PhD studies, Perman completed his undergraduate work at KAIST (Korea) where he studied Chemistry, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Economics (minor). His research at KAIST focused on (1) developing chemical probes (molecules) for early stage detection of Alzheimer’s disease and (2) designing and developing covalent organic polymers (COPs) for CO2 capture and storage. Perman has also worked as a researcher at EPFL (Switzerland) and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His work at EPFL focused on designing and synthesizing fluorescent molecules for live cell imaging, specifically targeting proteins associated with cancer. At MIT, Perman has worked on developing new methods for analysis and quantification of upgrading crude oil. He has experience in teaching, organising events, leading projects, and working with diverse set of teams on different projects across the globe.
Dr. Brian E.
PhD in Philosophy and Psychology from Yale University
Brian is a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Psychology from Yale University. He also did a master’s degree in psychology from the University Oxford, and a second master’s degree in the history and philosophy of science from the University of Cambridge. Also serving as Associate Director of the Yale-Hastings Program in Ethics and Health Policy and Research Fellow in the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford, he does work primarily in moral psychology, experimental philosophy, and bioethics among other areas. With Professor Julian Savluescu, he is the author of Love Drugs: The Chemical Future of Relationships (Stanford University Press, 2020). Brian is also a professional actor and singer. His academic webpage is here; his theater reel is here.
Jared Weaver
PhD Candidate and Research Associate at Stanford University
Jared Weaver is a PhD candidate in Biophysical Chemistry at Stanford. He studies energy capture in photosynthetic proteins through use of genetically encoded non-natural amino acids which are not normally present in biology. In his studies, he employs ultrafast methods among other biophysical tools. Jared is also actively involved in developing new tools to better understand biology in general. His research seeks to gain inspiration for current challenges and questions in chemistry through use and an understanding of biological systems. He holds a BS from Southern Utah University and is in the final year(s) of his program at Stanford.
Nadia Nasreddin
PhD Researcher at the University of Oxford
Nadia is a PhD candidate at the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease, looking into the link between inflammation and tumorigenesis. She specifically focuses on the molecular characterization of colitis-associated colorectal cancer, with the aim of elucidating the carcinogenic pathway of this type of colorectal cancer and the ultimate goal of improving patient management and treatment. She undertook her undergraduate studies in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Westminster, London, and she completed a master’s degree in Human Molecular Genetics at Imperial College London, London. She then took up a position as Research Assistant in Colorectal Cancer at the University of Oxford, prior to starting her PhD.
Alex T.
PhD Candidate at Stanford University
Alex is a doctoral candidate in computer science at Stanford University. His primary research interest is in the development of interpretable computational models on biological data, which then subsequently informs scientific discovery. In his work, he improves and exploits the human-interpretability of deep learning models on biological problems. Prior to his studies at Stanford, he earned in B.A.s in biology and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. His favorite animals are cats and caterpillars (no relation).
Derek S.
PhD Candidate at University of Cambridge
Derek S is an expert in blockchain, cryptocurrency, and formal verification and a PhD candidate doing research in type theory at the University of Cambridge. He graduated with my MSc in Mathematics and Foundations of Computer Science from the University of Oxford and holds a BSc in Mathematics from Brigham Young University. He is also a Formal Verification Engineer working with Clearmatics. Past positions have included a consultant with Digital Asset in New York, adjunct math faculty at Utah Valley University, and a research mathematician at Pyrofex Corporation. His work has included formal verification of Ethereum smart contracts and blockchain consensus algorithms; designing and implementing safe and live cryptocurrencies; designing the formal semantics of programming languages in the K-Framework; formal verification in the same; research and formal verification for a Pyrofex-developed proof-of-stake consensus algorithm Casanova; formally verifying network specs and Haskell algorithms in, respectively, TLA+ and Agda; and conducting and publishing original research in distributed systems, type theory, and blockchains (see Publications for links).
Ana Queiroz
Research Fellow at Harvard University
Haley Wohlever
PhD Candidate at the University of California, Berkeley
Haley Wohlever is a PhD student in the mechanical engineering department at the University of California, Berkeley. She is currently studying applications of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to a variety of problems including oceanic vortex stability, ice stupas, and green desalination. She is interested in context-driven design, interdisciplinary research, and the intersection of food, energy, and water systems.
Angelina W.
PhD Candidate at Princeton University
William
PhD Candidate at the University of Cambridge
William is a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge working on the design of biosensors utilising a high precision inkjet printer. Working jointly between the Department of Chemical Engineering and Physics he is concerned with the patterning of biomolecules onto optical wafers to create novel sensing strategies. Originally a Physics/Computer science and Marine Engineering graduate, he has worked as an engineer within the Merchant Navy and as a research and development scientist for a Clean Energy Fuel Cell company. In his spare time he enjoys playing classical guitar and walking.
Jiyoung
PhD Candidate at the University of California, Berkeley
Jiyoung is a Clinical Science PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on utilizing idiographic approaches to identify within- and between-person variability in the formation and maintenance of psychopathology, specifically in the context of internal and external stressors. He is also interested in studying how to best disseminate evidence-based treatments to community health clinics outside of research settings. Through his research, Jiyoung hopes to create accessible, personalized interventions for mood and anxiety disorders. Prior to his PhD research, Jiyoung received his BA in Psychology and BAS in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests in clinical psychology developed at Penn, where he examined how various aspects of CBT for panic disorder predicted treatment outcome. After graduating from Penn, Jiyoung worked as a clinical research coordinator at Stanford Medical School, managing a dissemination and implementation research project.
Micheal D.
PhD Candidate at Stanford University
Micheal is an ancient history PhD candidate at Stanford University. He received his BA in history from the University of California Riverside in 2016 and his MA in history from California State University, Los Angeles in 2018. He is primarily interested in comparative studies of slave systems in the ancient Mediterranean. In particular, he is interested in exploring comparisons to gain a better understanding of how these systems were managed and the various roles of slaves throughout history. His interests also extend to the formation of ethnic identities, expressions of love, gender relations, military and political propaganda, and degrees of autonomy.
Ellen R.
PhD Candidate at University of Cambridge
Ellen is currently a PhD student in psychology at the University of Cambridge. She received her BA in cognitive neuroscience at Occidental College in Los Angeles. At Occidental, her work concerned cross-cultural effects on empathy. Her current doctoral research is in social and developmental psychology, specifically in gender development. Her project investigates how gender is constructed through the interaction of individual psychological and collective sociological processes. As a member of Cambridge’s Gender Development Research Centre, she is interested in the implications that her project can have for understanding some of the social influences on gender development and identity. She has implemented both quantitative and qualitative methods in her doctoral work as well as in multiple unrelated research projects during her time at Cambridge. These projects have included developing a novel scale on conservation research styles, analyzing gendered toy preference among indigenous children in Peru, and evaluating the impact of a local charity.
Dr. Joanna Szypula
Behavioral Scientist (MPhil and PhD from the University of Cambridge)
Dr. Joanna Szypula defended her PhD in Psychology in 2022 and is now working as a behavioral scientist for a lifestyle and nutrition company. Her PhD investigated how recalling recent meals influenced snacking, and how this effect could be utilized in weight loss intervention. She has also previously worked with Professor David Shanks on a project investigating how the selection of a misleading photograph can affect subsequent identification accuracy. Joanna specializes in human memory, cognition, social psychology, and behavior change. At Horizon, Joanna delivers sessions on human memory and its reliability. Joanna's sessions include reviewing key literature findings, hands-on workshops designed to help students appreciate the multifaceted nature of scientific research, and an overview of statistics. She guides students through the sessions step-by-step, teaching them to conduct valid experiments and to interpret data by using real-life examples and demonstrations.
Hochan "Sonny"
PhD Candidate at Princeton University
Hochan "Sonny" is a PhD candidate in Political Theory at Princeton University, where he is undertaking the Program in Political Philosophy. He holds a BPhil in Philosophy from the University of Oxford as well as a BA in Philosophy and in Political Science from Brown University.
Niki G.
PhD Candidate at Columbia University
Niki is a PhD candidate in Emily Mace’s lab at Columbia University in New York City. Niki received her Bachelor’s in Biology at the University of Delaware and holds a Masters in Biomaterial Science from New York University as well as a Masters in Nutritional and Metabolic Biology from Columbia University. She previously gained industry experience in several STEM fields including polymer science, biochemistry, and biomaterials science. Her current research is focused on human immunodeficiencies that affect natural killer cells to gain a better understanding of the biology of the immune system. In her work, she utilizes a wide variety of experimental approaches, including analyzing gene expression, microscopy, and flow cytometry. As she works towards her PhD degree, Niki’s ultimate goal is to identify and pursue potential immunotherapies for natural killer cell deficiencies.
Scott E.
PhD Candidate at the University of Cambridge
Scott E. is a PhD candidate in chemical engineering at the University of Cambridge. His PhD research focuses on applying magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods to quantify flow and molecular transport in porous systems such as rocks and materials used for heterogeneous catalysis. Prior to beginning his PhD work, Scott completed research internships in both the oil and chemical products industry, where his work included modeling fluid mixing in chemical reactors, and the development of novel non-stick coatings.
Everardo Hegewisch Solloa
PhD Candidate at Columbia University
Evey is a third year cellular, molecular and biomedical sciences PhD Candidate studying human Natural Killer (NK) cell immunobiology and development in the Mace Lab, located at Columbia University Irving Medical Center: College of Physicians and Surgeons. Recently, he received a Master of Arts in cellular, molecular and biomedical sciences as well as multiple NIH diversity grants for my studies on defining the molecular requirements of human NK cell development. Before his studies at Columbia University, he started my scientific career by pursuing a BS in Microbiology and a Master of Science in Biological Sciences from UC San Diego. His thesis work at UC San Diego focused on delineating principals of directed evolution of viruses by using lambda phage as a model. Overall, his goal is to pursue a career as a principal investigator at a research institution where he can focus on studying Host-Pathogen interactions and evolution.
Dr. Rida Assaf
PhD, University of Chicago
Rida holds PhD in Computer Science from the University of Chicago. His main research interests are High Performance Computing and Machine Learning, and their applications in the Bioinformatics domain. He is involved in multiple research projects that include feature extraction, classification, clustering, and other algorithmic techniques applied on cancer and anti-bacterial resistance datasets, among others. He has published papers and chapters mostly related to this field, and to scientific computing in general, applied to high energy physics. He has extensive experience teaching at different universities in different countries. These include the American University of Beirut, Western Michigan University, and the University of Chicago. His experience in the industry has mostly been as internships performed at Google, in its New York and Zurich offices. He has won the Graduate Scholar and Creative Research Award at Western Michigan University, and gained membership to top honor societies in the states.
Andrew "Andy" S.
PhD Candidate at University of Chicago
Andrew is a PhD psychology student in the Integrative Neuroscience program at University of Chicago. He is broadly interested in neural processes of valuation and decision making. He works in a neuroethology lab studying electrophysiological mechanisms of auditory perception and choice behavior in a songbird model. Andrew is especially interested in how female songbirds perceive the temporal features of male song, how this affects song preferences, and whether this relates to music and language processing in humans. Prior to beginning this research, he earned a bachelor's degree in Music with a minor in Philosophy. He then completed post-baccalaureate work in cognitive science. As a research assistant at Oregon Health and Science University, he used diffusion tensor imaging and measures of cognition and temperament to study the association between white matter microstructure and impulsivity in children. Andrew has also worked as a music instructor, English teacher, and biochemistry tutor, and has given many presentations via his public Meetup group, Brain & Cognitive Science Seminar.
Natalya S.
PhD Candidate at the University of Chicago
Natalya is a PhD candidate in the Department of Computational Neuroscience at the University of Chicago. Her research is focused on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying tactile perception. Specifically, she is studying the role of the thalamus in tactile coding. Her interests also include deciphering the neural correlates of perception and restoration of touch and motor control to individuals with nerve damage. Prior to starting her PhD work, Natalya studied the role of attention in vision, and has published several papers on the attentional mechanisms underlying microsaccades and foveal perception.
Karly D.
PhD Candidate at the University of Cambridge
Karly is a Gates Cambridge Scholar and a PhD researcher in Psychology at the University of Cambridge. Additionally, Karly teaches on undergraduate courses in the Department of Psychology and Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge. She received her BA (Hons.) in Psychology from the University of British Columbia and an MPhil in Social and Developmental Psychology from the University of Cambridge. Broadly, she is interested in psychological, behavioural, and systems change. Her current research aims to improve gender equity, diversity, and inclusion. She designs and evaluates theory-driven interventions and investigates the cognitive, emotional, and social mechanisms involved in maintaining and – most importantly – reducing the effects of gender biases. Outside of academia, Karly is a hip-hop dancer and choreographer.
Ana Maria Pereira de Souza
PhD Candidate at the University of Cambridge
Ana Maria is a Psychologist and a PhD student at the Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute of the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on the intersection between clinical and biological underpinnings of psychiatric disorders, with a major focus on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. More specifically, she uses electroencephalographic recordings to address the neurocircuitry of obsessions and compulsions in the brain, combining those measures with behavioral tasks, neuropsychological questionnaires, and clinical interviews. Prior to coming to Cambridge, Ana Maria completed a Psychology Degree and a Masters, whilst seeing patients on her private practice. Ana Maria has experience teaching undergraduate students in Cambridge and abroad, and she aspires to lead a career in Academia.
Christa C.
PhD Candidate at the University of California, Los Angeles
Christa is a 4th year PhD student in Bioinformatics. She primarily works on big data problems in human genetics. Recently, she has worked on identifying biomarkers for ALS using cell-free DNA methylation data. She also is interested in the application of genetics for personalized medicine, especially for diverse populations. Her most current project involves estimating fine-scale genetic populations in the UCLA biobank in order to identify health disparities that may exist in the Los Angeles community.
Daniel K.
PhD Candidate at Cornell University
Daniel is a PhD candidate in the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Cornell University. His research broadly covers the areas of machine learning, algorithmic fairness, and optimization, with a focus on policy evaluation. Prior to his research at Cornell, Daniel completed a BS in Applied Mathematics from Yale University.
Snow Naing
PhD Candidate at the University of California, San Francisco
Snow Naing is a fourth year PhD candidate in Bioinformatics at UCSF. Her research focuses on protein-protein interactions in autism spectrum disorder. Before pursuing her PhD, she earned her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Physics at Simmons University in Boston, Massachusetts.
Chinenyenwa Mpamaugo
MD MPH, Resident Physician at the University of Washington
Dr. Mpamaugo is a pediatric resident at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital. She received her MD and MPH at the University of Pittsburgh prior to starting residency. Her medical school research focused on clinical outcomes for surgical interventions specifically minimally invasive esophagectomy, while her Masters research focused on social determinants of health as it pertains to assess to quality healthcare and equity across various racial/ethnic groups as well as genders. She continues to have a passion for healthy policy as it pertains to equitable access to healthcare. Prior to medical school she held research positions at the National Institutes of Health and Columbia University studying the visual cortical system in nonhuman primates and the effect of stereotype treat on performance on standardized exams. She has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Neuroscience from Columbia University in the City of New York.
Kenny Kuhn
PhD Candidate at the University of California, San Diego
Kenny Kuhn is a PhD candidate in Dr. Martin Hetzer’s lab in the Department of Neuroscience at the Salk Institute of Biological Sciences. His work aims to understand how changes to the organization of the genome with age can result in dysregulated gene expression and accelerate the development of Alzheimer’s disease. This work takes advantage recent advances in stem cell biology that permit the production of human cortical neurons directly from skin cells, allowing access to otherwise rare samples. He performed his undergraduate work at the University of Virginia while studying neurotrophin signaling and has held a position as a research assistant at the University of Würzburg in Germany.
Paula Martorell
PhD Researcher at the University Hospital Bonn
Paula Martorell is a PhD candidate working in the Department of Neurodegenerative Disorders at the University Hospital Bonn and the laboratory Neuroinflammation at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) lead by Prof. Dr. Michael Heneka. Her research focuses in investigating the activation of innate immune pathways during neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). More particularly, her project aims to uncover the role of the cGAS-STING immune pathway during AD, and the cross-talk between microglia, astrocytes, and neurons in this pathological context. She performed her bachelor studies in Biotechnology at the National University of Tucumán, Argentina. She then obtained a scholarship to conduct a Master in Neurosciences at the Sorbonne University in Paris. She was introduced to the field of Neuroimmunology during her Master’s thesis at the laboratory of Experimental Therapeutics of Neurodegeneration, at the Brain & Spine Institute (ICM) located at the Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital.
Christina Antoniou
PhD Candidate at the University of Cambridge
Christina is a Gates Cambridge Scholar and a PhD candidate in Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge. She received her BSc in Biomedical Sciences with Honours in Neuroscience from the University of Edinburgh and then did her MPhil in Medical Science at the University of Cambridge. Her MPhil project investigated the role of a prodegenerative protein in models of neuroinflammation. Her current research focuses on understanding molecular mechanisms responsible for axon degeneration with the aim of developing ways to target them in order to halt the progression of neurodegenerative conditions.
Jackie Katzman
PhD Candidate at the John Jay College and the Graduate Center, CUNY
Jackie Katzman is a current doctoral student and incoming assistant professor (starting Fall ‘23)
at the City University of New York, Graduate Center and John Jay College. Jackie focuses on the
causes of racial disparities in the legal system, with a specific focus on racial disparities in
mistaken identifications. Jackie has had her work funded by the National Science Foundation,
the American Psychology-Law Society, the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, and
CUNY. Her work has been published in journals like Law & Human Behavior, Behavioral Sciences
& the Law, and UCLA Criminal Justice Law Review. Jackie received her BA from Cornell
University with majors in both Psychology and Government.
Rui He
PhD Candidate at the University of Chicago
Rui He is a PhD student in the program of Integrative Neuroscience under the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago. Rui develops behavioral studies to examine the effects of context associations and olfactory routes (i.e. orthonasal and retronasal) on olfactory learning. She is interested in using electrophysiological recordings in the olfactory system to explore the underlying neural representations of olfactory hedonics.
Benjamin H.
PhD Candidate at the University of Chicago
Ben H. is a PhD candidate in the Committee on Computational Neuroscience at the University of Chicago. He focuses on how the early visual system adapts to flexibly encode and process information in natural scenes. He facilitates this work using maximum entropy modeling to investigate population level changes in the retina in response to natural scenes.
Mason
PhD Candidate at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech)
Mason is a PhD candidate in computation and neural systems at Caltech. His current work involves making machine vision systems more efficient by leveraging insights from biological vision systems, and asking questions like, "How can a frugal vision system decide if a computation is worth the time and energy required to perform it?". In the past, he worked on answering questions like, "How is object shape represented in the primate visual system?" and "What can we learn about how a fruit fly sees from its connectome (the map of all the cell-to-cell connections in its brain)?". He also helped develop courses in machine vision, neuroscience, and computational imaging. Before coming to Caltech, he studied cognitive neuroscience and computer science at Brown University, and worked in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology at Drexel University.
Hannah
PhD Candidate at the City College of New York
Hannah is a Clinical Psychology PhD candidate at the City College of New York. She evaluates and treats children and adult patients with a wide range of symptoms and psychopathology. As part of the research team in the INTERSECT Lab at CCNY, Hannah conducts research on social-emotional development in childhood, the impact of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy interventions, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health outcomes among college age adults. A graduate of Columbia University, she previously worked at the Barnard Cognitive Development Center exploring the development of spatial numerical cognition across the lifespan. In addition, she was the Research Coordinator and an early childhood teacher at the Barnard Toddler Center. In her free time, She loves to run in Central Park, tap dance, test out new recipes, and listen to podcasts.
Lasya Sreepada
PhD Candidate at the University of Pennsylvania
Lasya Sreepada is a Bioengineering PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania under Dr. Christos Davatzikos, in the Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Imaging Lab. She is interested in exploring human neuroscience through interdisciplinary research and clinical practice. Her research leverages artificial intelligence to analyze patterns in medical imaging, clinical & genomic data to elucidate underlying mechanisms across a range of neurodegenerative diseases. For her doctoral work, Lasya applies machine learning and statistical modeling to large multivariate datasets to build informative imaging signatures of Alzheimer’s disease. This could aid early diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted treatment efforts. As an undergraduate, Lasya worked with Dr. Alexander Lin at the Center for Clinical Spectroscopy, Harvard Medical School, to identify biomarkers of neurological diseases such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy in professional athletes. Lasya received her B.S. in Neuroscience, computational track, from Yale University in 2019.
Emily
PhD Candidate at the University of Cambridge
Emily is a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge and a Gates-Cambridge Scholar. Her research interests include learning, mental health in adolescence, and early life stress. She is currently investigating the ways in which social isolation influences adolescent learning, mental health, and reward processing, and whether social media may help remediate the effects of isolation. In addition, she applies neuroimaging techniques to understand how brain structure and function develop in adolescence and how these factors relate to behavior.
Dr. Andreas
PhD from the University of Oxford
Andreas is a Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge. He completed his PhD at the Alan Turing Institute and the University of Cambridge's Department of Computer Science and Technology. His work has revolved around the challenges involved when dealing with data at a massive scale which are primarily sourced from mobile devices. His general research interests include the broad field of Data Analytics which is an interesting intersection of computer science, systems programming and mathematics.
Carolina C.R.