Daniel Burje Chonde

Dan graduated from MIT with his SB in physics, subsequently pursuing a PhD in Biophysics through The Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences with a joint degree from MIT in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics. Following his PhD he attended Harvard Medical School. He did his intern year at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital and is a current resident in the Massachusetts General Hospital Radiology Department. He is the executive director of The Peoples' heART, a joint community-healthcare initiative aimed at addressing health disparities though art and design. His research interests focus on using art as a tool to build empathy and better understanding the patient experience.

Sheena Vasquez

Sheena earned her AS in Chemistry from Georgia Perimeter Community College and her BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Georgia. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Biology at MIT. Sheena’s current projects revolve around structurally characterizing proteins involved in the cytosolic iron-sulfur cluster assembly pathway – critical to understanding central biosynthesis processes of life – using X-ray crystallography, cryogenic-electron microscopy, and additional advanced biophysical techniques. In addition to teaching, she is a mentor for outreach programs at MIT and in the Boston/Cambridge area. Outside the lab, Sheena enjoys taking nature and landscape photos, playing the guitar, and attending local live music events (pre-pandemic). Sheena’s goal is to become a professor dedicated to diversity and inclusion in STEM.

Michael Wells

Michael is a developmental neurobiologist who earned his BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame in 2008 and his PhD in Neurobiology from Duke University in 2015. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University and the Broad Institute where he uses human stem cells to study neurodevelopmental disorders of viral and genetic origin, including autism, intellectual disability, and Zika congenital syndrome. Outside of the laboratory, Dr. Wells serves as the creator and co-director of the COVID-19 National Scientist Volunteer Database and chairs the Society for Neuroscience’s Trainee Advisory Committee. 

Huili Chen

Huili is an anti-disciplinary technologist/scientist/designer, currently pursuing a PhD at MIT Media Lab. She works at the intersection of social robotics, human-centered machine learning, and interactive storytelling. She conducts research that advances the state-of-the-art in socially intelligent robots that interact with humans, as well as research that investigates the social, cognitive and emotional impact of robots on humans in various interaction contexts. She holds a MS from Media Lab, and a BS in Computer Science and a BA in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame. She grew up in Guizhou, China

Olumakinde (Makinde) Ogunnaike

 Makinde graduated from Harvard with a BA in Physics and Math, then completed an MSc from Oxford in Philosophy of Physics. He is currently a PhD candidate in Physics at MIT. His research focusses on the theory behind quantum systems that have high degrees of quantum entanglement and the new states of matter this entanglement makes possible. Outside of Physics, he works as a tutor, or graduate resident assistant, in one of the Harvard Houses, helped found and runs the Harvard-MIT chapter of the National Society of Black Physicists, and mentors undergraduates at the two schools. He aims to become a professor of Physics and teach courses highlighting the connections between Physics, Philosophy, and even Religion, where students can embrace their unique and diverse perspectives.

Nandita Menon

Nandita has been ​motivated by sustainable technology deployed to support global health efforts. Nandita grew up in India, where she received her Bachelor of Engineering in biotechnology and a Masters in Bioengineering from Tufts university. In her current role as a research associate at the Koch institute she works on developing a single injection vaccine delivery system using degradable polymer microparticles. Nandita is passionate about efforts to make science accessible to the masses and intends to pursue opportunities to write about science. Outside of research, she is frequently charmed by creative literature and the mountains. 

Kareem Carr

Kareem is an Afro-caribbean scientist from the island federation of St. Kitts-Nevis. He is currently studying at Harvard as a PhD candidate in Biostatistics. Kareem’s research involves mathematically modeling circadian rhythm gene expression in mammals.

Kathleen Esfahany

Kathleen is a computational neuroscience and artificial intelligence researcher currently studying at MIT. She has previously conducted research at Stony Brook University, where she studied information processing in the visual cortex, and the MIT Media Lab, where she studied how dreaming affects creativity. Outside of the lab, Kathleen advocates for increased representation of women and other underrepresented groups in computer science and currently serves as the President of the MIT Women in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. She is a first-generation Vietnamese-Iranian-American.

Christian Loyo

Christian graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Anthropology. Currently, he is pursuing his PhD in Biology at MIT. His research is focused on studying how viruses that infect bacteria, called bacteriophages, alter the survival of the bacterial cells they infect. This work can provide key insight into how we can use bacteriophages to genetically engineer bacteria and change their ability to survive in different environments. Outside of his research, Christian is passionate about increasing scientific literacy in the public, particularly among historically excluded groups in science. He is a member of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and mentors for Científico Latino’s Graduate Student Mentorship Initiative.

Swati Gupta

Swati is a neuroscientist who earned her BS in Lifesciences-Biochemistry from St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai, India. She pursued her PhD from University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she researched epigenetic mechanisms regulating memory formation. She undertook her postdoctoral research at University College London, investigating communication between glia and neurons. Swati is now a postdoctoral fellow at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai where she is investigating the molecular pathways that underlie non motor symptoms occurring early-on in Parkinson’s disease. In addition to her research, she is the postdoctoral chair for Women in Science and member of the Leadership Council for Trainees Underrepresented in Science. Outside the lab, she enjoys going on nature trails with her family, baking, and writing poetry. Swati’s long-term goal is to become a principal investigator dedicated to studying neurological disorders and implementing diversity and inclusion in STEM.

Jason Samaroo

Jason is a Guyanese-American research scientist, and poet. Growing up in North Carolina, Jason attended UNC Charlotte as an undergraduate, where he was trained as a biologist in cellular and molecular techniques. Recently Jason has shifted research interests now focusing on the interdisciplinary field of biophysics as he pursues obtaining a PhD at Boston University. Finding the curious nature of science to be fascinating he discovers inspiration in the creative attempts, both philosophical and artistic, to interpret the nature of life itself.

Shannon Johnson

Shannon received her BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Brown University and her MA in Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the Harvard University Extension School. She is completing a PhD at MIT in the Media Arts and Sciences program of the Media Lab. In the Synthetic Neurobiology group, she invents molecular tools for better understanding cellular pathways with the hope that this will enable faster development of therapeutics for a wide range of diseases and injuries. In addition to her love of biology, Shannon develops education tools to enhance learning in the classroom during her spare time.

José Zepeda

José’s childhood and adolescent years were split between living in Cambridge, MA and San Luis Río Colorado in Sonora, México. José returned to Boston for college, where he completed a BS in biochemistry at UMass Boston. During his undergraduate studies José had the opportunity to investigate synaptic plasticity at MIT. He has since started a PhD in neuropharmacology at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. José is interested in synaptic plasticity, the ability of the brain to rewire itself after an experience, specifically within reward-associated areas in the brain in both health and disease.