Horizon Seminar: Senior Instructors

 

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.

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.

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.

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. 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 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 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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 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 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 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 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 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.

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 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 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 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 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.

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.