Leadership Team
Alan Tung
Co-President
Alan is a Lucille P. Markey Biomedical Research Fellow (SGF) and 3rd year Ph.D. candidate in the cancer biology program at Stanford. Alan grew up in Taiwan before moving to San Diego, where he received a B.S. in molecular biology at UC San Diego and studied mitochondrial homeostasis at the Salk Institute. He is now conducting his thesis research in Jonathan Long’s lab in the Department of Pathology. His research focuses on identifying novel exercise-inducible circulating factors and understanding how they could mediate the benefits of exercise. Outside of the lab, Alan is interested in exploring biotech investment, commercial strategy, and entrepreneurship. Alan is passionate about sports (rooting for the San Diego Padres and Borussia Dortmund), playing tennis, singing, and traveling. You can find him tweeting at @alanshtung
Shreya Kishore
Communication Chair
Shreya is a Gabilan Research Fellow (SGF) and 3rd year PhD candidate in the chemistry program at Stanford. Shreya grew up in Bangalore, India, before moving to Philadelphia where she received a B.S. in Chemistry at Haverford College and studied marine natural product efflux pump inhibitors in the Whalen lab. Now, in Chaitan Khosla’s lab, she is studying bacterial natural product biosynthesis. Shreya is interested in the intersection of academia and industry and in translating early fundamental research. In addition she is interested in international biotechnology ventures and science policy. Outside of the lab, she loves reading, watching movies, dancing and exploring the bay area.
Andrew Reiter
Finance Chair
Andrew is a Ph.D. candidate and a National Science Foundation fellow (NSF GRFP) in the Department of Biology. He is currently developing bispecific T cell engagers for the treatment of hematologic malignancies in the labs of Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi and Dr. Or Gozani. Prior to graduate school, Andrew developed new methods in mass spectrometry-based proteomics in Dr. Steven Carr’s lab at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. He received his B.S. in biology from UNC-Chapel Hill. Outside of the lab, Andrew is interested in translating innovative academic ideas into breakthrough therapeutics. In his free time, Andrew enjoys playing basketball, hiking, and watching movies.
Rachel Gleyzer
Board Member
Rachel Gleyzer is a 3rd year PhD candidate and a National Science Foundation fellow (NSF GFRP) in the Department of Cancer Biology at Stanford. Her research in Prof. Aaron Newman’s lab uses computational approaches to understand cancer heterogeneity and uncover developmental cell states driving tumorigenesis. Prior to starting her PhD, Rachel received a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago and was a Senior Associate at a small life sciences consulting firm. Rachel is passionate about working at the interface of research and industry and effectively translating scientific breakthroughs into impactful patient therapeutics. Outside of work Rachel enjoys all kinds of dancing and hiking all around the Bay Area.
Yoo Jin Jung
Board Member
Yoo Jin is a PhD candidate and Blavatnik Fellow in the Neurosciences graduate program. Prior to graduate school, she did her postbac at the NIH (NIA, Drug Design and Development Section), conducting preclinical research on novel anti-inflammatory small molecule drugs in various models of neurodegenerative disease. Yoo Jin received her B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavior from the University of Notre Dame, where she also minored in Catholic Social Tradition. In the Andreasson lab at Stanford, Yoo Jin is studying the role of brain-infiltrating T cells in post-stroke dementia. Yoo Jin aspires to discover novel and effective therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases and aging. Outside of lab, Yoo Jin enjoys gleaning fruit from Stanford fruit trees and reading self-improvement books.
Celeste Diaz
Board Member
Celeste is a Cancer Biology PhD student at Stanford University and is co-advised by Livnat Jerby and Jennifer Cochran. Her research that is supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program incorporates multi-omic approaches and protein engineering to develop novel therapeutics in the immuno-oncology space. Before coming to Stanford for her PhD, Celeste graduated from California State University Stanislaus with a B.S. in Biological Sciences with Summa Cum Laude honors as a first-generation, Mexican-American student. Following graduation, Celeste performed research in the Cancer Program at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard under the mentorship of Dr. JT Neal. Her work there utilized genome editing tools to create novel models of rare allelic variation and developing single-cell technologies that can assay functional outcomes of these genetic perturbations. Celeste is passionate about the field of biotechnology and making STEM inclusive and widely accessible through teaching and mentorship. In her free time, Celeste enjoys running, hiking, dancing, walking dogs, and cooking traditional Mexican recipes.
Jason Akram
Undergraduate Committee
Jason Akram is an undergraduate at Stanford University studying Computational Neurobiology & Finance. He is deeply passionate about cutting-edge technologies within the biotech industry such as cell and gene therapies. As such, Jason is currently a Research Assistant at the Heilshorn Biomaterials Group studying neural progenitor cell maturation and brain organoid formation within the condition of a 3D hydrogel model constructed of biochemical and biophysical materials. Over the past two summers, Jason Akram gained experience within the biotech industry as a Research Associate at Biotech Value Fund, an Undergraduate Fellow at Longitude Capital, and a Business Development Intern at Kate Therapeutics, a gene therapy company.
Hudson Horn
Co-President
Hudson Horn is a 3rd year Cancer Biology Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Calvin Kuo’s lab. In Dr. Kuo’s lab, he is leveraging novel organoid technologies to model and study carcinogenesis. He completed his B.S. in molecular biology at the University of Wisconsin - Madison where he studied the PI3K pathway in Dr. Richard Anderson’s lab. Outside of the lab, Hudson likes to explore the food scene in the Bay Area and go hiking and snowboarding.
Steven Wang
Career Development Co-Chair
Steven is a PhD student at Stanford’s Cancer Biology program. Prior to Stanford, he received a B.A. in Biology at Columbia University. Steven is interested in engineering biological systems, spanning from nucleic acids to organoids, for novel applications as therapeutics and scientific tools. Outside of work, Steven is an avid fan of water sports, including and not limited to scuba diving, rowing, surfing, and fishing.
Jessica Diarra
Career Development Co-Chair
Jessica is a 3rd-year PhD candidate in the Immunology program at Stanford University. She is a REACH Biosciences PhD Fellow and an American Society of Hematology Minority Hematology Graduate Award recipient. Before graduate school, she earned an Honors Bachelor of Science with High Distinction in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Toronto and worked as a technician at a CAR-T cell biotechnology company. Jessica conducts her research in the laboratories of Dr. Sean Bendall and Dr. Everett Meyer, focusing on regulatory T cells—immune cells critical for preventing autoimmunity and managing chronic inflammatory diseases. Her work aims to uncover how these cells function and explore ways to enhance their activity in disease contexts. Outside the lab, Jessica enjoys tending to her houseplants and discovering new restaurants.
Mikaela Ribi
Board Member
Mikaela is pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemistry, mentored by Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi and Dr. Robert Mike Angelo as a National Science Foundation (NSF) and a ChEM-H Chemical-Biology Interface (CBI) fellow. Her research integrates glycosylation biology, immune-oncology, and advanced imaging technologies to explore innovative solutions for human health challenges.
Before her Ph.D., Mikaela worked at Genentech in South San Francisco, manufacturing commercial and clinical protein therapeutics, and at Segan Industries, a Bay Area based material science company. Mikaela’s work and research applies chemistry and chemical biology tools to tackle critical questions in human health, focusing on developing impactful and translatable advancements in diagnostics and therapeutics.
Becca Rodell
Board Member
Becca is a 3rd year PhD candidate in the Chemical and Systems Biology department. She received a B.A. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Cornell University. She then studied DNA repair pathways as a technician at Washington University in St. Louis. She now studies the endogenous functions of RNA modifications in Dr. Nicole Martinez’s lab. Broadly, she is interested in novel functions of RNA and how they can be leveraged into therapeutics. Outside of science, Becca is an enthusiast of cats and chocolate!
Nicole Tanenbaum
Board Member
Nicole Tanenbaum is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow (NSF GRFP) and a PhD candidate in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University. Her research explores how viruses exploit host cellular machinery to drive pathogenesis, aiming to characterize novel therapeutic targets. Nicole is passionate about translating scientific discoveries into real-world applications that drive innovation and impact.
Before coming to Stanford, Nicole graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she conducted research on antibody responses to influenza and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and infection.
Outside the lab, Nicole enjoys experimenting with new recipes, going on long runs with good podcasts, and tending to her growing collection of houseplants.
Shriram Chennakesavalu
Board Member
Shriram is a PhD candidate and a Center for Molecular Analysis and Design (CMAD) Fellow in the Department of Chemistry at Stanford University, working at the intersection of machine learning and molecular biophysics. Shriram’s interest in this intersection was cultivated during his undergraduate years at the University of Chicago, where he graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Biological Chemistry and a minor in Computer Science. As a member of the Rotskoff Lab at Stanford, Shriram is currently investigating how machine learning can be used to accelerate discovery in a variety of biological and chemical settings, including prediction of drug-binders to kinase and acceleration of molecular simulations for fundamental biological systems such as cell membranes and proteins. Beyond his graduate work, Shriram is interested in the tech-bio interface and how careful computational approaches can be used to drive scientific innovation. Outside of his research, Shriram enjoys watching movies, trying new restaurants, and exploring San Francisco.
Nick Phillips
Board Member
Nick is a 2nd year PhD candidate in the Cancer Biology program at Stanford. He is researching mechanisms of resistance to cell therapies in the Alizadeh and Kurtz labs. Prior to the PhD program, Nick completed an MS degree in Biomedical Informatics at Stanford, an MS in Computer Science at Georgia Tech, and a BS in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins. Nick has experience in machine learning and data science roles at GSK, Personalis, and Booz Allen. Outside of work, Nick enjoys hiking, skiing, and basketball.
Andy Chen
Board Member
Andy is a 4th year Ph.D student in Bioengineering with research focus on genomic immunology and human diseases. He graduated from medical school 4 years ago and worked in a startup developing a fast disease diagnosis system for 1.5 years. He is interested in the intersection of autoimmune disease management and digital health.
Sherry Yang
Board Member
Sherry is a Lucille P. Markey Biomedical Research Fellow (SGF) and 1st year PhD candidate in the bioengineering program at Stanford. She completed undergrad at Columbia University and studied Biology and Statistics. At Columbia, she conducted computational research in the Califano Lab studying gene interaction and identifying master regulators of oncogenic pathway. She is currently rotating in Howard Chang’s lab investigating genes that may lead to ecDNA copy number changes. Sherry is interested in exploring biotech investment, entrepreneurship, and other healthcare-related careers. Outside of lab, Sherry enjoys playing tennis/squash, working out, and travelling while practicing French.
Alumni
Sarah Jones Co-President (2023 - 2024)
Michelle Tai Co-President (2023- 2024)
Cassandra Villicana Board Member (2022-2023)
Amelia Farinas Board Member (2022-2023)
Egan Peltan Co-President (2021 - 2023)
Niraj Mehta Co-President (2021 - 2023)
Julien Roth Board Member (2020-2022)
Sai Gourisankar Board Member (2020-2022)
Jonathan Tyson Board Member (2022)
Stephanie Nevins Board Member (2018-2022)
Naomi Pacalin Co-President (2020-2021), Board Member (2018-2022)
Jack Silberstein Co-President (2020-2021); Biotech Investing Course
Kevin Ho Board Member (2020-2022)
Justin Donnelly Board Member (2020-2022)
Brianna McIntosh Board Member (2018-2022)
Morgan Kiss Board Member (2020-2022)
Sevahn Vorperian Board Member (2020-2021)
Amita Gupta President; Biotech Investing Course (2018-2020); Board Member (2017-2020)
Gille (Agmon) Roth Board Member (2018-2020)
Roger Zhang Biotech Investing Course (2016-2019); Board Member (2015-2019)
Clayton Brown Co-President (2017-2018); Board Member (2015-2019)
Yanniv Dorone Financial Officer (July 2018-July 2019)
Nikita Khylstov Board Member (July 2018-July 2019)
Kevin Erazo Board Member (June-Oct 2018)
Marta Andres Terre Co-President (2017-2018); Board Member (2015-2018)
Angelica Parente Board Member (2015-2017)
Aditya Asokan Board Member/INDE239SI Lecturer (2016-2018)
Melina Mathur Co-President (2014-2017)
Luke Lee Co-President (2014-2017)
Jens Durruthy Durruthy Vice President (2013-2014)
Leah Sibener Board Member (2014-2016)
Christina Loh SBG founder (2012-2013)
Christopher Stern SBG founder (2012-2013)