Editorial Board

The JSPG editorial board

JSPG's editorial board is comprised of early career researchers who are rising stars in the field and share JSPG's mission of empowering students and early career researchers to substantively engage in the policy debate through research and writing.

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Editor-in-Chief

Andy Sanchez is a Senior Researcher in Media, Technology, & Society at the Sustainable Media Lab in The Hague. His research considers the ethics and regulation of disruptive technologies, with a particular focus on how to safeguard human rights as our society becomes increasingly digital. In pursuit of these goals, he has published policy memos, Op-Eds, and press releases, and he has advocated to US Congressional offices. He holds a PhD in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering from Cornell University, where he developed a novel method for monitoring infectious diseases, and also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University. He currently teaches Dutch undergraduate students about emerging issues in technology policy, and was formerly the Co-instructor for Cornell’s Science Policy Bootcamp, where he helped students develop and execute advocacy plans on a range of science policy topics. At Cornell, he also co-founded an initiative to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in upstate New York, and co-organized the 2018 ComSciCon-NY science communication conference. Prior to becoming Editor-in-Chief, he edited for JSPG as an Associate Editor or Assistant Editor-in-Chief for 3 years, in addition to editing for Callaloo and Washington Square Review in the past, and has developed an expertise in translating scientific material for general audiences. He is passionate about using science in the pursuit of social justice.

Assistant Editors-in-Chief

Zoe Guttman is a Policy Analyst with California State Senator Henry Stern, where she works on legislation for a range of policy areas. She is also a Research and Strategic Growth Specialist for the California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies (CBHA). Prior to her current positions, Zoe was a California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the office of Senator Anthony Portantino. She has held previous positions as a Consultant with the California Senate Democrats, an Associate Editor for the Journal of Science Policy and Governance, and a Science Fellow with the Little Hoover Commission. Zoe earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UCLA, where she investigated why people make choices that are not always in their best interest. Her neuroeconomic research combined neuroscientific methods with behavioral economic models of risk and uncertainty to understand how choice processes can be corrupted or exploited, such as in addictive disorders. With a passion for public health policy, Zoe was chosen as an Early Career Policy Ambassador by the Society for Neuroscience, a Science Policy Scholar by the National Science Policy Network, and a Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She founded the Science Policy Group at UCLA and started various UCLA courses and award programs to empower other scientists interested in making science more accessible to policymakers and the general public.

Dilara Kiran received both her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master of Science in Microbiology degrees from Colorado State University, and currently practices as a small animal veterinarian in Northern Colorado. Her Masters research focused on how infection with the bacteria that causes tuberculosis alters immune cell metabolism. She serves on the Board of Directors for Future of Research, a non-profit which advocates for and supports early career researchers. Previously, Dilara served as the National Science Policy Network Graduate Education Committee Chair, as the Secretary for her university science policy and science communication group, and as an Associate Editor for JSPG. She has been invited to serve on panels related to the role of microbiologists in public policy by the American Society for Microbiology, was a sponsored attendee for the AAAS Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering Workshop, and previously served as a Government Relations Division Extern with the American Veterinary Medical Association in Washington D.C.. Her policy interests lie in the areas of public health, infectious disease, animal model development, and graduate education. She aspires to use her knowledge of both clinical veterinary practice and microbiology to contribute to evidence-based science policy.

Conner Philson is a field biologist and behavioral ecologist studying the evolution and fitness consequences of social behavior. He is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA and a Graduate Fellow at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. Conner’s research has been featured for popular audiences by the likes of National Geographic, American Scientist, and CNN. His science policy work focuses on mitigating climate change and its impacts, the loss of biodiversity, national security, and scientific infrastructure. Conner serves on the Board of Directors for the non-profit Organization of Biological Field Stations, chairing their Outreach and Communications Committee focusing on strategic engagement with policymakers. He also serves as the graduate student representative to his department, on the Strategic Planning Committee for the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, as was previously an Associate Editor for JSPG.

New Associate Editors (Since 2022)

Karen Arcos is a University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellow in Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). Karen earned her Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience and an emphasis in Chicano/Latino Studies from the University of California, Irvine, along with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Spanish minor from the University of Southern California. Karen has accomplished feats such as earning the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and is totally blind.

Christopher Baryiames is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Virginia. He received his doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin, where he served on the Dean's Office Graduate Council and in the Graduate Student Assembly. Currently, Christopher is studying the forces that govern self-assembly in cells. His policy interests include science diplomacy, STEM education, and energy policy. In his free time, Christopher enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and photography.

Abbey Boyd (she/her) is an ORISE Research and Leadership Postdoctoral Fellow at USDA-ARS in Beltsville, MD. She works with a committee of senior scientists to facilitate collaborations and cross-cutting research projects that advance agriculture research to address complex issues. She graduated in July 2022 from Iowa State University with a PhD in Food Science, and he researched focused on improving in vitro digestion protocols for phytosterol analysis. She is interested in food and agriculture as solutions to some of our biggest challenges, from human nutrition to climate adaptation and enjoys working at the nexus of research and government.

Leslie Brooks is a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow supporting the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance at USAID. She is interested in science communication and diplomacy that takes into account the lived experience of those being affected by policy decisions. As part of her Fellowship, she is also involved in activities working to engage youth and the public in science policy issues, mentoring young professionals, and community building work. Prior to becoming a Fellow, she was a full-time clinical veterinarian and dedicated much of her time volunteering in her community using a One Health approach to advance both animal and human health. She has also been a freelance writer and podcaster for a variety of animal health online platforms, and served on multiple non-profit boards. She earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and Master in Public Health from the University of Tennessee.

Mary Jialu Chen is a doctoral candidate in the department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich, where she studies cell-surface interactions and manufacturing process design for a novel, affordable polymeric heart valve. Mary is especially interested in supporting translational research, technology transfer, and evidence-based decision making. She currently serves as Vice-President of Telejob, an entrepreneurial-driven non-profit organization for scientific staff at ETH Zurich and promotes issues on the science-policy interface with Science & Policy Exchange. Throughout her academic career, Mary has also served as a director of the Waterloo Nanotechnology Conference and advocated for graduate students as a board member of her departmental association. Mary obtained both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Nanotechnology Engineering from the University of Waterloo, while holding the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology Nanofellowship, an Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and the University of Waterloo President’s Graduate Scholarship.

Christina Del Greco is a PhD candidate in Genetics and Genomics at the University of Michigan Medical School. Her current research is on rare disease caused by defects in the mitochondria's ability to make essential proteins. Christina has a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame, where she also completed a senior thesis on issues surrounding genetic data privacy through her minor in Science, Technology, and Values. At Michigan, Christina is a member of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy graduate certificate program, and she is involved with on-campus science policy and science communication organizations. Outside of Michigan, Christina is also involved with the American Society of Human Genetics where she writes for the trainee newsletter, "The Nascent Transcript," and is also completing the Advocacy Certificate for Human Genetics and Genomics Trainees. Her main policy interests are in genetic privacy issues, regulation of biomedical innovations, and health policy.

Sarah Dewey is a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow supporting the Office of Science in the U.S. Department of Energy. She is particularly interested in issues of international science cooperation and Earth's climate, and in policies promoting basic science research and marine environmental management. Before starting her placement at the Department of Energy, Sarah held a postdoctoral fellowship in the Arctic Initiative of Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. There she worked on issues of regional ocean management and led a short graduate course on geospatial data, mapping, and science communication. Sarah earned her MS and PhD in Oceanography from the University of Washington, where she studied the Arctic Ocean’s Beaufort Gyre air-ice-ocean physical system. As part of her graduate program she was an active participant in fieldwork, where collaborating with multiple Arctic stakeholders inspired her to pursue a career in science policy.

Maya Evanitsky is a PhD candidate in the University Program in Genetics and Genomics at Duke University. Her research in the Di Talia lab uses live imaging and computational modeling to investigate the molecular mechanisms that regulate skin appendage development and patterning in zebrafish. Prior to Duke, she spent time at the NIH as a post-baccalaureate fellow and received a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Penn State University. During her time at Duke, she has taken part in efforts dedicated to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM. She served as the president of DukeOUT, a student group that brings together the LGBT+ community among the various graduate and professional schools at Duke. As the Director of Academic Programming for the Duke Graduate and Professional Student Government, she advocated for students and worked with university staff to improve diversity initiatives. She is also a member of NSPN and serves on the Public Engagement and Communication and Science Advocacy committees.

Jen Grauer is a Ph.D. student in Natural Resources at Cornell University, where she studies ecological community dynamics. Her research focuses on moose in the Adirondack Park of New York State and the population-level effects of their internal and external parasites. Before coming to Cornell, Jen worked as a biologist for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission studying birds and managing grants for threatened and endangered species. She completed her M.S. in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her B.S. in Zoology at the University of Vermont. Her understanding of the importance of science policy was first fostered through an internship with The Wildlife Society, where she helped write news briefs, craft policy statements, and facilitate meetings between scientists and government representatives. Since then, she has actively engaged in science outreach and communication to help foster engagement with and appreciation for the natural world.

James Karabin is a PhD student in sociology at University of California, Santa Cruz. His interests surround the politics of health knowledge, expertise, and data, transformative justice, and how these intersect with health and biomedical science policies. In doing so, he hopes to raise questions as to who gets to do science policy and the motivations of science policy, with the aim of working towards centering justice and equity in issues of science and science policy. Prior to starting his PhD, he was a Science Policy Fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute, where he conducted policy analysis on range of topics for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and federal R&D agencies. He earned a B.S. in sociology and B.S. in medical microbiology from Arizona State University.

Diane Karloff is a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry at Emory University. She grew up in Princeton, NJ and obtained her bachelor’s in chemistry at Duke University before moving to Atlanta, where she leverages RNA:small molecule interactions to build new chemical biology tools. Her work in the Heemstra lab focuses on constructing less cumbersome systems to image RNA localization in live cells as well as developing methods to identify and effectually target therapeutically relevant RNAs using small molecule drugs. Diane is also passionate about making STEM an inclusive training environment for students of all origins and backgrounds. She served for three years as an executive board member of Emory’s NOBCChE chapter and also as a liaison to her department, advocating for unmet student needs through student:faculty partnerships. Diane is interested in utilizing her scientific training within the context of US policy to promote evidence-based decision-making.

Jeffrey Kost is an incoming AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at at the US Department of the Treasury in the Office of Investment Security, the office which fulfills the department's responsibilities as chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). He has a strong interest in policy issues which overlap science and international relations, including climate and energy diplomacy, international development, emerging technologies, trade policy, and international security. Jeffrey also serves as an NSPN Science Diplomacy Fellow, studying European scientific diaspora networks in the United States and providing policy feedback for EURAXESS North America and the European Commission. Prior to working in the policy sphere, he was a scientist with a research background in theoretical particle physics and cosmology, gaining five years of postdoctoral experience in Europe and East Asia. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Arizona and B.S. in Mathematics and Physics from Michigan State University.

Piyush Kumar is a postdoctoral fellow at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health where he works to elucidate biomarkers for early and prenatal environmental exposures. He specializes in biomedical applications of spectroscopic techniques for disease diagnosis, environmental exposure detection, and understanding implications of such exposures on human health. He obtained his PhD in noninvasive diagnosis of oral cancers from Tata Memorial Centre at Mumbai (India) and his Masters in Genetics from University of Delhi.

Joseph T. Long is a doctoral candidate in Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University studying how healthy and diseased human cells respond to their physical environment using a combination of genomic approaches, cell manipulation tools, and molecular engineering. Supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship, his research aims to gain insights into the molecular mechanisms behind neuromuscular disorders. With roots in science outreach and education, Joseph is a community organizer at Cornell working in organizations such as Advancing Science and Policy, ComSciCon-NY, and others to promote science communication and policy expertise among early career researchers. His policy interests focus on ethical and inclusive technology innovation. He has advocated at the federal level for investment in the bioeconomy and given lectures on the ethics, regulation, and societal impact of CRISPR-based genetic engineering. He also previously worked with the Washington State Academy of Sciences on projects related to workforce development and emerging technologies in the science policy landscape. He earned a B.S. in Bioengineering from Oregon State University and M.S. from Cornell University.

Bailey McCarthy Riley is a Knauss Fellow in the House of Representative’s Science Space and Technology subcommittee on Environment. Within the subcommittee, she works on a broad variety of issues from improved weather satellites to environmental resiliency. Bailey is a doctoral candidate at Wayne State University in analytical chemistry, where her research focuses on the design and development of microfluidic digital bioassays for improved disease diagnostics. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Saginaw Valley State University in chemistry and studio art, where she previously did research on 3-D printable analytical instruments for assessing the Saginaw Bay watershed. Bailey previously worked with the National Science Policy Network as a SciPol Scholars bootcamp instructor and later as an editor. She is passionate about connecting high level research to broader audiences to allow them to make informed decisions about their communities.

Olawale F. Olaniyan is presently a member of the academic staff in the University of The Gambia, The Gambia. He earned MSc in public administration and policy and also a PhD in an applied science field. His over 10-year postgraduate work experiences and expertise mostly focus on successful design, management and evaluation of multidisciplinary initiatives with focus on optimal utilization of natural resources to increase productivity, conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity. In the past years, he has been privileged to work independently and also as a core member of national and international teams of experts in at least five countries located in Africa, Europe, and Middle East regions. He has been previously involved in institutional transformation, analysis and contribution to development of relevant policies as well as in promoting constructive dialogue concerning pro-poor development, climate change adaptation and resilience building. Furthermore, he understands from many perspectives (gender, environmental, cultural, social and financial) the challenges of vulnerable and marginalized people.

Ope Oyewole is a Ph.D. candidate in Immunology, Pathology, and Infectious Diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She graduated with an M.S. in Biochemistry from The University of Tulsa and a B.S. in Biomedical Chemistry from Oral Roberts University. Currently, Ope studies host-pathogen interactions during Chikungunya virus infection to identify host-based targets for therapy. She serves as co-Graduate student Representative for her department and as President of Graduates and Professionals Representing Achievement, Diversity, and Service (G.R.A.D.S.), a student-led, minority-focused group on campus. She has advocated for graduate students’ needs and participated in campus-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Jennifer Panlilio is a postdoctoral fellow who uses zebrafish to identify the neural circuits that control changes in alertness. She obtained her PhD from the joint program between Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, studying the effects of developmental exposure to a harmful algal bloom neurotoxin. She also obtained a masters in Anthropology from Stanford University focusing on the social factors that were important for the successful management of marine reserves. Her interests lie in integrating the sciences with the social sciences and believes that human health is intimately connected to resilient, sustainable environments.

Spencer Toru Patrick is a PhD student in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech. His research focusses on quantifying the kinematics of erosion on both the million-year and seasonal scales. Currently, he explores individual particle pathway characterization of synthetic, RFID equipped, 3-D printed grains and rapid soil organic matter quantification through laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Spencer holds a bachelor’s degree in Earth Sciences from Occidental College, where he used apatite fission track thermochronometry to document the exhumation of Nepal’s Himalayan terrains. In his master’s degree program at the University of Hong Kong, he produced kinematic reconstructions of the Indian Himalaya through zircon U-Th/He thermochronometry and zircon U-Pb geochronology.

Sugosh Prabhu is an editorial board member of the Marie Curie Alumni Association - an international non-profit organization established and supported by the European Commission. He did his doctoral work at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), India where he investigated solute solvent interactions in complex fluids using time resolved spectroscopic techniques. He then joined as a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven. He was awarded the Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship (of the European Commission) to investigate the role of ionic liquids in stabilizing nucleic acids. Apart from research he is interested in policy, science communication and science diplomacy.

Zack Quirk is a National Science Foundation Fellow and PhD Candidate in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Michigan. He earned a BS in Ecology/Evolutionary Biology and a BA in Geological Sciences from the University of Rochester. Zack’s research focuses on leaf trait evolution and plasticity in living and fossil monocot flowering plants. At Michigan, Zack is a member of the Gerald Ford School of Public Policy’s Science, Technology, and Public Policy graduate certificate program. Apart from his doctoral studies, Zack serves as a team co-lead for the environmental justice policy group of the Virginia Scientist-Community Interface (V-SCI). His policy interests include climate change impact policy, energy transition policy, and environmental justice. Zack enjoys beer and mead homebrew, as well as playing sports with friends.

Morgan Rothschadl is a Ph.D. student in the Basic Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Dakota. She graduated from Augustana University in 2020 with her B.A. in Biochemistry (ACS). Her current research focuses on better understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying trophic factor signaling and how these mechanisms lead to phenotypic changes in cognition. While broadly interested in science policy, Morgan has specific interests in science communication and teaching, ethics, and health and well-being.

Tara Shankar is a graduate student in computer science at Princeton University. She is interested in machine learning and its applications to natural language processing, including the ways autonomous agents evolve language-like representations and the evaluation of bias in deep language models. She is broadly interested in science and technology policy, but has specific interest in algorithmic fairness and STEM education policy.

Jennie C. Steyaert is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Physical Geography department at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Her research centers on modeling water management in Europe and the Lower Mekong Delta in order to build resilient management strategies with respect to extreme events. She completed her M.S. in Hydrology at the University of Arizona and her B.S. in Biochemistry at Colorado State University. In addition to her schooling, she spent a year in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) teaching high school science, English and Health and providing logistical support on the FSM’s National Women’s Conference. This sparked her interest in science policy and the multitude of impacts it can have on the local, national, and global scales. In her last year of her Masters, she participated in a Diplomacy Lab run through the US Department of State developing policy recommendations to mitigate climate change impacts along the Mekong River in southeast Asia. Most recently, she has co-authored articles on using experiential learning in science policy and global health diplomacy and serves on the Scientific Committee for the UNESCO Groundwater Youth Network.

Lauren Wagner is a PhD candidate studying Neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she uses magnetic resonance imaging and behavior to understand the neural bases of language development in infancy. Lauren is passionate about discovering the secrets of the brain's critical and sensitive periods for language-learning. Outside of the lab, Lauren serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning neuroscience education website, Knowing Neurons, and is an active member of the National Science Policy Network, where she enjoys learning about issues in science policy, science diplomacy, and linguistic equity in science. In her free time, she enjoys learning languages, gardening, and testing out new recipes on friends. Lauren received her bachelor’s degrees in Neuroscience and Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Isabel Warner is a final-year PhD candidate in Microbiology at the University of Queensland. Her research focuses on using comparative bacterial genomics to identify new targets for novel antibiotics. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from the University of California, Davis and worked as a diagnostic virologist at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory prior to commencing her PhD. She is the Chair of Grants and Finance with the National Science Policy Network (NSPN) and a former Science Diplomacy Fellow at NSPN, where she studied networks of scientists living abroad and their impact on science diplomacy. In her free time she fosters animals and reads everything she can get her hands on.

Shelby Weaver is a Ph.D. student in Psychology at University of Wisconsin – Madison. She graduated from UW – Madison in 2017 with a B.S. in Neurobiology and Psychology and a minor in Criminal Justice. She is interested in the effects of traumatic experiences on behaviors and mental health symptoms that increase risk for involvement in the criminal justice system, and her current research focuses on increasing access to evidence-based programs for incarcerated individuals in Wisconsin. She is a member of Catalysts for Science Policy, a student organization at UW – Madison, and the National Science Policy Network. Her policy work has focused on criminal justice issues in the State of Wisconsin, but she hopes her career after graduate school will focus more broadly on increasing evidence-based practices within carceral systems.

Matthew Zajac works in the Office of Research at the University of Chicago, where he supports faculty in developing large-scale and multi-institution federal research proposals. He received his doctorate in Chemistry from the University of Chicago, where he used fluorescent chemical sensors to identify and characterize intracellular calcium channels. He also served as a Director of Graduate Student Initiative during his time there. Matt has also been a freelance medical writer for several years, and published award-winning essays on scientific topics. Among many other things, Matt is interested in policies that increase the level and efficiency of funding for inclusive and interdisciplinary research, as well as those that minimize barriers to open science. He hopes to continue to merge these scientific and societal interests in his career in science policy and science communication.

Continuing Associate Editors

Ethan FitzGerald is a Ph.D. candidate in Brown University's Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry Graduate Program (MCB). His thesis research focuses on identifying novel molecular mechanisms regulating host susceptibility to influenza and bacterial coinfections. Particularly, he aims to develop novel therapeutic strategies that modulate the host’s immune and tissue damage responses to improve the host’s resilience to infection. He carries out this research program using 3-dimensional human airway tissue culture models and bioinformatics based approaches. Outside the laboratory, Ethan has contributed to public service roles within his graduate community, serving as MCB Graduate Program Student Representative and as a member of the MCB Graduate Program Admissions Committee. As an undergraduate student at Wheaton College, he developed a passion for science policy and governance, majoring in Biochemistry and Political Science with a focus on international security politics. He is very interested in applying scientific insight within the context of international security politics, particularly regarding disease eradication, pandemic preparedness, and other diverse biosecurity topics. In his personal time, he enjoys hiking, fishing, and caring for the many pets and plants he shares with his fiancé.

Peter Serles is a Ph.D. Candidate and Vanier Scholar in the Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Toronto researching the mechanics of nanoscale 3D-printed components for nano-robotics and machine applications. Throughout graduate school, Peter’s involvement with the science policy community grew to include serving as an organizing chair for the Canadian Science Policy Conference, the managing editor of the Canadian Science Policy Magazine and Featured Editorial Series, and working with the Decanal office of U of T’s School of Graduate Studies to develop university-wide policies. Peter’s policy interests include the support and funding for technologies undergoing the fundamental-to-commercial evolution, the implementation of multidisciplinary approaches to natural science problems, and the incorporation of underrepresented groups in national funding models. Peter received his M.A.Sc. from the University of Toronto as a Queen Elizabeth II Science & Technology Graduate Scholar and received his B.E.Sc. with Distinction from the University of Western Ontario where he was awarded the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineers Gold Medal.

Samuel Mahanes is a PhD student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Irvine. He graduated from the University of Miami with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in International Studies. After graduating, he studied the ecological impact of nanoparticles in wetlands at Duke University and the effects of climate change on pine forests at the Joseph Jones Ecological Research Center. His current research focuses on how climate change and invasive species affect coastal marine ecosystems. Recent projects include a study on how seaweeds provide habitat for other species in Alaska and a review on invasive species in high-latitude marine ecosystems. He attributes his interest in policy to a lifetime of commutes spent listening to NPR.

Jekoniya Chitereka is a PhD Candidate in Politics and International Studies at the University of Leeds. His research focuses on the intersection of global development and international relations using astronomy, specifically the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) as a case study in Africa. Prior to joining the University of Leeds, Jekoniya graduated with a BSc Honours Degree in Psychology and an MSc in Population Studies both obtained from the University of Zimbabwe. At the University of Leeds, he doubles as a teaching assistant to first year students in the School of Politics and International Studies. Previously, Jekoniya worked in the health sector in Zimbabwe as a research, monitoring and evaluation expert where he was instrumental in setting up national M&E systems for the integration of HIV and reproductive health. He later worked on the national science, technology, and innovation system of Zimbabwe as a research coordination manager with the Research Council of Zimbabwe playing the intermediary role, representing, and negotiating the interests of academia, government, business, and other actors in the innovation system. It is this role that ignited him to pursue further studies and explore power dynamics involved in science. Jekoniya is particularly interested on the governance of science, diplomacy and how power is constructed around the science discourse.

Cherrelle Dacon is a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. She completed her PhD in Infection, Immunology and Translational Medicine at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Her current research utilises high-throughput methods to isolate and characterise human monoclonal antibodies with the ultimate goal of developing effective therapies for COVID and malaria. While at Oxford, she co-organised the Rhodes Trust’s Healthcare Forum - an annual convening of students, academics, policymakers and international stakeholders in global health. She currently engages with the science policy community as a contributor to the Science Policy for All discussion group. Cherrelle is interested in intersectional approaches to advancing health equity, policies that shape global health security, and advocating for greater inclusion of science and technology issues in foreign policy agendas. Outside of academia, she is an avid hiker and enjoys learning about other cultures through food.

Varun Gupta is a second year graduate student in the Computer Science department at the University of Pennsylvania. My research interests are in artificial intelligence and game theory, specifically in data privacy and algorithmic fairness, and in technology policy. Within science policy, Gupta is interested in improving regulatory policy for computational systems that use large amounts of data to make high-stakes decisions in industry or government and in bridging the gap between technical and legal understandings of bias, privacy, and robustness in computational systems.

Khang T. Huynh is a Ph.D. Candidate in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Rochester. He is currently developing and using techniques for two-photon adaptive optics fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy to elucidate functional mechanisms in the living retina at a cellular scale. An avid mentor, he helps others develop their policy skills and knowledge as Vice President of the UR Science Policy Initiative and a former science communication fellow with the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. Through these channels, he advocates for environmental, healthcare, and working class issues. One of his major goals is to engender a greater emphasis on international solutions to these issues and general political discourse. He received a B.S from The University of Texas at Austin and a M.S. from the University of Rochester.

Christopher Jackson is a PhD candidate in Chemistry and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at UC Berkeley, where his research focuses on understanding the interactions of nanomaterial tools with biological molecules for plant gene delivery and biological sensing. At Berkeley, he has previously held multiple leadership roles and served as president of the Science Policy Group at Berkeley and the Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative. He currently serves as an editor for the Berkeley Science Review, as a member of the UC Berkeley Asian American and Pacific Islander Standing Committee, and as the workshops director for Engineers & Scientists Acting Locally. Prior to graduate school, he previously served as a student representative of the American Chemical Society (ACS) at the U.N. COP21 climate talks and contributed to the Climate Change Literacy and Education ACS book series. Chris frequently writes and advocates for public policy related to science, energy, climate, immigration, and equity. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from St. Edward’s University.

Josh Mueller is currently the Health & Mental Health Policy Fellow for the Missouri Science and Technology (MOST) Policy Initiative. In this role, he provides background research related to a variety of health policy-related legislation for members of the Missouri General Assembly. Prior to this, he completed his Ph.D. in Dynamical Neuroscience from the University of California, Santa Barbara in the summer of 2020. His dissertation work, completed in the Complex Systems Group, describes the rules underlying fruit fly grooming behavior, and characterizes human female brain network organization throughout a menstrual cycle. Josh earned a B.A. in Biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied proteins responsible for the regulation of replication in Epstein-Barr virus and Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Josh now resides in Columbia, Missouri, where he enjoys fermenting (and sometimes eating) food, ordering (and sometimes reading) books, and exploring (and sometimes photographing) nature.

William Ota is a PhD candidate in the Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology Department at UC Riverside. He studies the effects of urbanization on freshwater communities using the Santa Ana River in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties as a model. His work is currently funded by a Recovery Challenge Grant through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. William is interested in conservation, urbanization, restoration practices, water policy, water infrastructure, and human management of natural systems. He has previous experience as the Chair of UC Riverside Science to Policy and as a writing consultant in the UC Riverside Graduate Writing Center. William is serving as the National Science Policy Network Scholarship Program Coordinator. William earned a B.A in Biology from Pepperdine University where he studied native and invasive species interactions, worked as the Pepperdine Natural Science Division Associate Laboratory Manager, and as a U.S.G.S. Biological Science Technician before attending UC Riverside

Hannah Rae Thomas is a fourth-year plant biology Ph.D. Candidate and USDA Predoctoral Research Fellow at Cornell University. Her research focuses on signaling and communication between the incompatibly grafted vegetable pair, tomato and pepper. In addition to her technical training in plant science, she is involved in science policy and extensive outreach. Her policy passions include climate change, food security, and genetically modified crops. As a graduate student, she has advocated for research-related legislation and is actively involved in the Cornell organization, Advancing Science and Policy. Hannah dedicates a large portion of her time to science outreach and communication. She has previously designed and implemented K-12 curriculum, led classes with international scientists, and organized science communication workshops in partnership with the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. Her most recent outreach work has included leading over 100 plant science workshops to adult groups from corporations such as Google, LinkedIn, and Starbucks. Hannah plans to pursue a career in science policy or regulatory affairs.