Directory

Vanessa is an M.S. candidate in Biomedical Engineering from Nagoya, Japan, and Shanghai, China. She is an aspiring scientist in biomaterials, tissue engineering, and health equity. Vanessa’s current research at the Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering focuses on using engineered cardiac tissues to model and understand myocarditis in lupus patients.

Having served as the BME department representative in the Fall of 2022, Vanessa has come to appreciate the role of EGSC in advocating and supporting Columbia students. She looks forward to serving as the Interschool Chair with the goals of building a community amongst Columbia graduate students and fostering multidisciplinary discussions to tackle 21st-century problems.

In her free time, Vanessa can be found playing classical music, trying new restaurants, and exploring New York City.

Please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].

Hi everyone! My name is Ratna and I am a first-year MS/PhD student in Clark Hung's Lab! I work on tissue engineering strategies for the musculoskeletal system, focusing on the knee joint. In my free time, I love to play soccer, try new restaurants, and read! Feel free to say hi if you ever see me around!!

Hi! I’m Piya, and I’m a first-year MS student studying Materials Science and Engineering. I also completed my undergraduate degree in Materials Science and Engineering at UIUC. At Columbia, I love trying new coffee shops with my friends, playing board games, and exploring new activities around the city! My hobbies include painting, sketching, and designing, so you’ll probably find me in the makerspace. As your social chair, I’d love to hear your ideas, or just chat, so feel free to reach out!

Hi everyone! I’m Noé Aloy, a first-year Master’s student in Environmental Engineering with a focus on Sustainable Energy.

As the Career and Alumni Chair, I will do my best to help Columbia students connect with alumni and strengthen their professional networks. Please feel free to reach out to me via email or in person if you have event ideas or industry professionals you would like to see on campus—I’d be more than happy to chat!

Hi! I'm Myra Ashraf, a second-year Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical Engineering. My research involves engineering bacteria for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics in the Danino Lab. In my free time, I love exploring NYC (food spots and bookstores in particular), learning new hobbies, and volunteering around the city! 

As the new Student Affairs Chair, my goal is to ensure the Engineering student voice is heard on Columbia's campus, so feel free to reach out by email with any questions or concerns you may have.

Greetings, Everyone!

I'm Mili, currently pursuing a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering. My passions lie in the realms of EM Simulation, Electric Vehicles (EVs), and Sustainability. Beyond academics, I find joy in singing, dancing, and connecting with new individuals to uncover their fascinating life stories.

I firmly believe in the significance of amplifying student voices, hence, here I am as a member of EGSC, where I work towards supporting its mission to advocate for the welfare of graduate students within the SEAS community.

Sen. Matthew Beck is a Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. student in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) studying 2-D materials. Matthew is from Monmouth County, New Jersey, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rowan University. At Rowan University, Matthew served in several university leadership roles, including Student Government Association (SGA) President and Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs. Matthew also has several years of industry experience working at Lockheed Martin in advanced electronic packaging. While at Columbia, Matthew has on the executive boards of the Engineering Graduate Student Council and the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Association. Matthew also serves on the University Senate Education and Student Affairs Committees.

Please contact him if you have any questions or concerns regarding University Structure.

University Senate Website: https://senate.columbia.edu/committees/executive-committee

Hi y'all! I'm a second-year PhD student in the Chahine Lab working on combating inflammation in intervertebral disc degeneration. When I'm not in the lab, I enjoy reading, Broadway musicals, going to karaoke in K-town, and checking out new restaurants with friends!

Hi all, my name is Kim Kroupa and I am your EGSC President!

To me, EGSC has always been a place that students can turn to, whether it be for a fun time at one of our Carleton Socials, or for help when facing a challenge in their academic career.

This year I am looking forward to driving positive change in SEAS, advocating for student needs, and fostering a sense of community amongst our graduate students, within Columbia, and across NYC.

Please reach out to me at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or ideas for SEAS!

Hello everyone!

I’m Sravan, a fourth-year PhD student in Biomedical Engineering, working on autonomous magnetic resonance imaging.
I am learning to play the guitar (love music!) and enjoy gaming. I’m looking forward to meeting new people through EGSC! :)

Feel free to reach me at [email protected] if you have any questions, feedback or ideas for SEAS, or just want to grab a coffee!

^{I’ll stick to tea}

Hi hi! I'm a fourth year PhD in the Nerurkar Lab working on intestinal morphogenesis, so you'll often find me surrounded by chicken eggs in lab! Outside of lab, I spend a non-zero amount of time cooking, planning what to cook, or grocery shopping. I love trying new recipes or eating at new restaurants with friends. also like to dabble in lots of different things like ice skating, crocheting, video editing, calligraphy, etc.

Hi, my name is Jacob and I’m a second year BME Ph.D. student co-advised by Dr. Alex Dranovsky and Dr. Andrew Laine. My research focuses on using deep learning methods to study how early life stress and aging alter brain-connectivity at the whole-brain level with cellular resolution.

I grew up in the Bay Area, California, and recently completed both my undergrad. and master's in the BME  department at Columbia. Outside of research and class, I’ve been on the Columbia ski club for 5 years and spend time building things as a superuser in the Columbia Maker Space. I’ve also  co-founded a startup, Colonai, that uses deep learning to detect and localize colorectal cancer in colonoscopy videos in order to reduce the miss rate that's ~24% of tumors in current practice and that recently took 1st place in the Columbia Venture Competition Tech Track.

Feel free to reach me at [email protected] if you have any questions, feedback or ideas for SEAS!

Hi everyone! I'm Jacklyn, a 2nd year EE PhD student studying wide bandgap semiconductor devices. Outside of the lab, you can find me figure-skating or practicing with Columbia University Taekwondo :)

Hi! I am so excited to be your VP for 2025 and work alongside the wonderful Jenny Gao. I am a fourth-year PhD student in Nadeen Chahine’s lab in the orthopedic department. I work on the intervertebral disc and am studying potential therapeutic targets in the IVD to treat degeneration. In my free time, I love exploring the city for new restaurants and bars. I love reading -- been on a fantasy / sci-fi high reading Project Hail Mary, Red Rising, and the Will of the Many! I frequently enjoy watching (or rewatching) movies and TV shows, and am an avid Survivor fan (if you want to join a fantasy league hmu!). Ready for a great year ahead!

Sen. Cheng Gong is a Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. candidate in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Cheng enjoys using the art of optics to solve healthcare and life sciences problems, and is attracted by lab-to-market biomedical innovation. As a University Senator, Cheng seeks to foster connections across schools and with the wider Columbia community. On the University Senate, Cheng co-chairs the Student Affairs and External Relations and Research Policy committees, and serves on the Executive Committee. He is a University Senate Representative to two committees of the Board of Trustees: 1) the Committee on Public Affairs of the Trustees of CU; 2) the Committee on Student Life of the Trustees of CU. He also chairs the Ph.D. Council of Columbia University.

Aside from school, he is a certificated wine taster and enthusiastic about gourmet food from different cultures, rolling in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gym, and visiting galleries & museums.

Please feel free to contact him if you have any questions or concerns regarding University Structure.

University Senate Website: https://senate.columbia.edu/committees/executive-committee 

Hi! I am a MS student in Biomedical Engineering with an expected graduation date in December 2023. I am greatly interested in the entrepreneurship and startup space in medical device innovation.

I grew up in Hyderabad, India and graduated from Georgia Tech with a BS in Biomedical Engineering. Before Columbia, I taught abroad at the National University of Ireland.

In my free time, I love to bake, run and go on hikes (I am currently training for a full marathon, wish me luck :)).Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected] for any questions, comments, and concerns. I’d love to hear any ideas or feedback so that I can ensure you have the best graduate student life!

Hi, all! My name is Akash Das, born and raised in NYC. I am currently pursing a joint MS Engineering and MBA at Columbia. Before Columbia, I spent my professional career in finance as a derivatives portfolio manager and in private equity. I later left finance to pursue my own startup specializing in AI recommendation systems and inventory management for e-commerce companies. Post Columbia, I hope to bring my skills in machine learning/AI to the healthcare space, specifically in therapeutics and disease diagnoses. I enjoy producing music, playing the sitar and guitar, hiking, weight lifting, and exploring the cosmos with my telescope. To unwind, I also love spending time with my family and close friends. As Interschool Chair, I hope to connect with my fellow peers and advocate for building close communities across Columbia.

I did my undergrad at the National Institute of Science and Technology, India in ECE. Being the president of the student body, my team and I successfully organized the Techno-Cultural Symposium.

Post that, I spent some time working in the semiconductor industry for CoreEL Technologies and Intel, where I gained domain knowledge and experience in various areas of ASIC and FPGA, like RTL design, Verification and Validation. During my career, I also actively participated in volunteering and other social activities.

Apart from this, I love running, reading books and travelling.