Curious and investigative by nature, Sarah has always been a lover of all things science. Sarah received her B.S. in biology from Ga Tech and her PhD in microbiology and immunobiology from Harvard University. Sarah is one of the founders and the board chairman of the Journal of Emerging Investigators. She is also an assistant professor of biology at Oxford College of Emory University where she shares her thrill and passion for science with her students. Both in her professional and personal life Sarah advocates for effective and clear communication of science with the public.

Bette Phimister, Ph.D., is a Deputy Editor of The New England Journal of Medicine, based in Boston. She evaluates manuscripts describing advances in genetic and genomic research. She writes and gives talks about translational science, and is a former Editor-in-Chief of the journal Nature Genetics. She enjoys learning about cool new scientific discoveries, making jam and spending time with her daughter.

Nadia P. Williams has dedicated her career to supporting education. She started as a middle school English teacher before becoming the district-wide Digital Learning Coordinator for the Cobb County School District, located in the Metropolitan Atlanta area. She brings her expertise in instruction and education through a variety of media to her service at JEI. Nadia has had the honor of serving as a speaker and panelist at conferences such as SXSWedu, the Hawaii International Conference on Education, as well as the Georgia Educational Technology Conference (GaETC) on the various ways student instruction, teacher efficacy, and technology intersect. Nadia also volunteers throughout her community through her work with the Junior League. She currently works in the private sector, supporting the growth of teacher impact and efficacy.

Gavin Smith is an educator, and Assistant Principal in Boston Public Schools. He is the former runner up for Teacher of the Year in Massachusetts where he taught Biology for 7 years. Gavin is of Jamaican origin spending the majority of his childhood between Jamaica, West Indies and Long Island, New York. He has worked at a variety of schools in Boston including alternative high schools, charter high schools, and exam schools. Gavin is a firm believer in education being a means of social change, and an advocate for children as a member of the mentoring group Minds Matter Boston. He is the co-founder of YMOC (Young Men of Color), a group designed to create safe space for intergenerational conversation and community building amongst men of color in the Boston area. One of his biggest goals is to diversify the workforce particularly within the STEM field. Gavin holds degrees from Northeastern University, Simmons University, and Boston College. He is an avid runner, Knicks fan and lover of all things black.

Lauren Sutton, MBA, is passionate about enabling the next generation of researchers. Currently she is a Senior Director of Product Management at Flatiron Health. In this role, she is responsible for both crafting the product vision and strategy to accelerate the execution of clinical research and working with technical teams to build solutions that bring new therapies to patients faster. Prior to working at Flatiron, Lauren worked as a Clinical Research Associate at Quintiles Transnational where she focused on enabling study operations.

Roberta Rincon, PhD, is the Associate Director of Research for the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). In this role, she oversees SWE’s research activities on gender equity in STEM, from grade school through college and career. Roberta advocates for an inclusive and welcoming culture in STEM through the application of research-based initiatives and collaborations focused on promoting systemic changes in STEM education and the workforce.
Prior to joining SWE, Roberta worked as a civil engineer before moving into higher education administration, where she analyzed policies and managed programs involving facilities management, research investments, teaching excellence, and student success. She has B.S. in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, an M.S. in Information Management and MBA from Arizona State University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy & Planning from The University of Texas at Austin.

Mayank Chugh, PhD, (he/him) is a transitioning postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School, Boston. He is an early-career advisor at eLife Sciences Publications. He is also the former chair of the Harvard Medical Postdoc Association. Chugh is fascinated about how organisms are designed and constructed from a single cell and approaches this in the context of inner ear formation in zebrafish. During his biology postdoc, he pivoted his research direction to empirically investigate how social inequity dimensions (race, gender, citizenship, and socioeconomic status) shape STEM higher education workforce and innovation. His published research and policy recommendations on cost-of-living adjusted postdoc compensation gathered national attention. He is currently leading research on citizenship privilege and visas to facilitate global knowledge equity. Chugh aims to create unchartered bridges between social sciences and STEM disciplines to inform equitable policies and practices in academic institutions and beyond that dissolve global knowledge divides.

Melanie has worked at the nexus of science, education, and non-profit management for over twenty years and is passionate about combining meaningful scientific research with hands-on K-12 classroom learning. After completing her BA in Biology from University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Biology and Aquatic Chemical Ecology from Georgia Tech, Melanie served as the Education Program Manager for a place-based environmental education non-profit. She then returned to the classroom as a certified teacher for Fernbank Science Center, providing hands-on science experiences and educational technology leadership through teacher trainings, outreach programs, and classroom instruction for a large Metro Atlanta school district. A firm believer that science is for everyone, Melanie works to increase equity for marginalized students in science through inclusion, representation, and access.

I currently serve as a Staff Scientist at Princeton University. In my research, I leverage the Caenorhabditis elegans (worm) model system to investigate the intricacies of neuronal communication, signal propagation, and decision-making processes. My work spans both cellular and behavioral scales, offering insights into fundamental biological phenomena in brain. In addition to my research endeavors, I actively engage in scientific outreach and advocacy efforts, particularly in promoting open science and research reproducibility. Recently, I co-hosted a workshop titled "Reproducibility for Everyone" at The Allied Genetics Conference (TAGC24), March 2nd, 2024. As recognition of my commitment, I was awarded a starter culture microgrant by GSA to train 20 BIPOC, women, LGBTQ2S+, and scientists with disabilities to facilitate similar workshops in Fall 2024.

Ruchika Bajaj is scientifically trained as a membrane protein biologist. Her research is focused on understanding structure-functional relationships in membrane proteins and their interactions in the context of physiological processes and diseases. She loves to connect with different areas of research with critical understanding.

I aspire to become a physician scientist who advances medicine through medical research and clinical care. Currently, I am completing a Biochemistry B.S. at Saint Vincent College (Class of 2021). My JEI experience in high school was foundational for me to pursue an Allegheny Health Network medical research internship in college which led me to realize I want to be a physician scientist. I am excited to contribute to the Student Advisory Board and help innovate the JEI experience for other rising scientists since JEI has been deeply impactful in my own professional journey.

A lifelong learner, I am a student who loves venturing into new realms of studies and taking part in myriad opportunities. From the sciences to the arts, I take interest in learning new ideas, be it a foreign language, programming, photography, calculus, or even the ukulele. I wish to participate in undergraduate research opportunities and immerse myself into various such experiences to enrich my knowledge and curiosity. My research experience with sustainable ocean-cleanup models has been the gateway to my love for exploring, and that's what I am going to keep doing - explore.

I am a 16-year-old Junior at Medford High School. So far, I have published two papers both of which were on bacteria but I aspire to publish many more to help enrich the scientific field. I am grateful for being a part of JEI and being lucky enough to have learned how to publish a manuscript. With my position in the student advisory board, I hope to help improve and give feedback to JEI, so many more students can gain the opportunity to not only experience the process of publishing once but also return back to it to ultimately advance science as a whole.

George Hasnah is a high school student at Bishop Montgomery High School located in Los Angeles, California. He is heavily involved in research and hopes to pursue a career in microbiology in the future. Recently, he has worked with various university labs and museums to perform novel research regarding climate change and its adverse effects on ecosystems. In his free time, George enjoys discussing politics and is a dedicated activist for clime change. He also plays club volleyball and frequently surfs along the strand of Manhattan Beach.

Allie became involved with JEI as a high school junior when researching the health effects of herbicide residues in American household food products. She is taking a gap year before studying Human Biology and History at Stanford University next fall to work as a clinical research assistant at their Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research. With interests at the intersection of scientific understanding and social policy, Allie has also been active in The Atlantic’s COVID Tracking Project, peer education for HIV/AIDS awareness, and California’s 33rd Congressional District’s Youth Advisory Council.

Shivani is a second-year student at Emory University studying business and political science. Shivani is a passionate advocate for criminal justice reform, as well as a plethora of other social and political issues. She presides over 4 Justice, Emory’s justice reform organization, serves as an executive board member for Donate Life @ Emory, writes for the newspaper, The Emory Wheel, and conducts research for publication in political science. In her free time, she enjoys painting, learning new languages, spending time with her wonderful friends and family, and attempting to rap like Eminem. Fun fact: Shivani is a second degree black belt in Taekwondo.

Anav is a Junior at Cupertino High School. He is a USACO gold competitor, plays video games and chess, and likes to code apps focusing on teaching and learning via games. He is active in his scout troop as a Senior Patrol Leader and is almost an Eagle Scout. He is a certified advanced scuba diver, has earned a black belt in Taekwondo, and completed six half marathons and one full marathon to raise money for his family’s non-profit Grameen Pragati. Anav wants to mentor young scientists with what he learned and was guided by in science competitions.

My name is Akshya Mahadevan. I am a freshman at Richard Montgomery High School in Maryland, USA. I published a paper on the effects of EM radiation on plants in August of this year. I am very interested in biology and psychology. I plan to pursue a career in scientific research in at least one of those fields. Some of my hobbies include karate, dance, and listening to good music.

I am a senior at Quarry Lane High School in Dublin, California. Over the year, I have conducted organic and medicinal chemistry research through the Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program. Specifically, I have been part of collaborations surrounding the synthesis of novel HIV and Fat Mass and Obesity gene inhibitors, as well as computational studies surrounding Sars-CoV-2. Some of my hobbies include playing and watching basketball and football.

My name is Prarthana Prashanth and I am a high school senior from Aurora, Illinois attending the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. I became involved in JEI in 2018 and have published two articles, one individually and one with a team. My past research includes studying the effects of antioxidants on fruit flies exposed to toxins and attempting to create an antibacterial paper towel using organic material. I am really interested in the biological sciences and hope to become a doctor someday. Outside of science, I enjoy Bharatanatyam (Indian Classical Dance), playing the piano, and singing!

My name is Elton Vargas. I'm a 20-year-old sophomore college student that is studying Economics and Finance. I'm interested in behavioral economics and altruism research. Born in Mexico, I'm passionate about investigating the economic behaviors of Latin people."

My name is Jeslyn Wu, and I’m currently a junior in the Bay Area. I’m mainly interested in chemistry, and subfields including orgo, medchem, and biochem. In my spare time, I’m often listening to music, reading and journaling, or watching baking competitions.

I am a second-year student studying biomedical engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. While a student at the Center for Medical Sciences at Godwin High School, I published a paper in JEI. In my free time, I enjoy working on design projects, reading nonfiction and historical fiction, and hiking.

My name is Angela Zhu and I'm a junior from Jericho Senior High School. Ever since 7th grade I have been pursuing science research, and I have continued to do so throughout high school. Some of my hobbies include writing poetry, playing badminton, and drawing digital art.

German, American, Mexican aspiring Chemical Engineer with a passion for interdisciplinary approaches, implementing a humanitarian aspect to Engineering, sustainability and alternative forms of energy. Multi-lingual having lived all over the world and alternating between public and private institutions for my educational journey.

Sarah Tang (she/her) is a freshman at Columbia University studying computer science and operations research. She is passionate about astronomy and intelligent systems, and in her free time, she enjoys hiking and hanging out with her pet bunny.

Mohamed is a 2nd-year student in the Health Sciences program at Dalhousie University, where he studies diagnostic medical sonography. Originally from Dubai, he moved to Canada at the age of 15 with his parents for a better education. He is currently involved in two research projects that revolve around the biogenetics of various anti-freeze proteins. Outside the lab, Mohamed enjoys playing soccer with his friends.

I’m Srish, a first-year Bioengineering major at the University of Pennsylvania, interested specifically in medical devices, tissue engineering, and public/global health. I initially became involved in JEI through the process of drafting a research manuscript about my studies on protein-folding dynamics at the UPenn Perelman School of Medicine. Currently, along with my involvement in other school clubs, I am an associate editor of the Penn Bioethics Journal and I conduct orthopaedics research on degenerative disc disease at HSS/Weill Cornell Medicine. In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis and biking, rewatching my favorite shows, and gaining new experiences through travel and food.

Harrish Ganesh is a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA. He’s a committed student researcher in the areas of virology, neuroscience, and CRISPR technology. He is the founder of The Future Brighter, a non-profit organization focused on early STEM education and STEM outreach. He serves as the STEM Ambassador for the US Army Educational Outreach Program (USAEOP) and also serves as the Secretary, Virginia Junior Academy of Science. Harrish loves to play basketball, participate in TED-style talks, and play guitar.

Krithikaa Premnath is a junior at Dougherty Valley High School who loves the sciences and the arts. She is the co-founder and executive director of the Future Surgeons Journal Club, a journal club made up of attending surgeons dedicated to teaching high school, premed and medical students how to read and analyze surgical literature. She is also an avid researcher through the Fremont-based Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program, primarily working on the chemical synthesis, mechanistic studies, and anti-cancer activity of novel dihydropyrimidine compounds and the partial syntheses of epimeric cyclic pentadepsipeptides. Outside of science, Krithi is very passionate about the arts and music and plays the cello, ukulele, guitar. Some of her favorite hobbies include binging TV shows, karaoke, and learning other languages.