Meet Our Officers
Leadership Team
Victoria Diaz (Co-President): I am a 3rd year PhD student in the Chemical Engineering department working under Mike Gordon and Brad Chmelka. My research is inspired by cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish, octopus, etc.) that have a unique protein called reflectin that allows these creatures to change color for camouflage and communication. I aim to integrate reflectin into solid-state devices to dynamically tune color for photonic devices. I am very easily entertained so I enjoy all kinds of activities, both indoor and outdoor!!!(:
Rae Yee (Co-President): I am a third year PhD student in the Interdisciplinary Program in Quantitative Biology (Formerly Biomolecular Science and Engineering). I am a part of Dan Morse's group where we study the phase behavior and membrane interactions of the proteins in squids responsible for their fantastic camouflage abilities!
Michael Keith (Co-President): I'm a PhD student in the mathematics department. My main work is at the interface of mathematics and biology, where I produce 3D models of viruses and viral proteins by use of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Other works include leveraging topology to understand DNA knotting in bacteriophages and energy minimisation in molecular simulations to understand the protein-protein interactions in bacteriophage P4.
Janelle Arnold (Vice President): I am a 2nd year PhD student in the Chemical Engineering department advised by Michelle O'Malley and Carolyn Mills. My research is on in vitro protein synthesis for weird microbes. In particular, I am interested in anaerobic fungi that have been isolated from the guts of herbivores. In my free time, I like to go on hikes, hang out at the beach, and watch new movies. Feel free to reach out!
Alessandra Vidal Meza (Secretary): I am a PhD student at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management's Oliver Lab. My research brings conservation technology together with traditional ecological knowledge for biodiversity monitoring and management.
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Reina Gomez (Treasurer): I am a PhD student in the Materials department working under Dr. Stephen Wilson. My research is geared towards exploring the electronic and magnetic properties of various nitride materials through implementing X-ray and neutron characterization methods.
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Arturo Juan (Community Service/Philanthropy Chair): I am a third year PhD student in the Materials department working under Steve DenBaars. My work is growing epitaxial thin films of III-Nitrides via Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition. They are then processed into edge emitting lasers for optical communication systems. In my free time I enjoy doing endurance events – I’m usually training for a marathon and dabbling in triathlons.
Daniela Rivera Mirabal (Graduate Student Advisor for Undergraduate SACNAS Chapter): I’m a 4th year Ph.D. student in the Chemical Engineering Department, co-advised by Prof. Scott Shell and Prof. Rachel Segalman. My research leverages sequence-defined polypeptoids and advanced computational methods to explore how monomer sequences can impact polymer properties. In my free time I like dancing salsa, or cooking and baking while binging the Great British Bake-off.
Alfredo Ramirez (General Officer): Hi! My name is Alfredo Ramirez and I use he/him/his pronouns. I am a 4th year in the Mathematics department. I am working most generally in the field of Topology, but more specifically in Geometric Group Theory. I am looking at Coxeter and Artin groups and their connections to real and complex reflection groups. In my free time, I have recently gotten into rock climbing and into drag culture. :)