Executive Committee
Simon Ogundare, President
Simon is a junior in CC studying Neuroscience and Behavior. He is interested in the intertwining of neurodegeneration and communication, and the therapeutic implications of communication of any kind for treating neurological diseases. In his free time, he loves playing the piano and saxophone, and spending time outside! |
Sasha Newman-Oktan, Vice President
Sasha came to Columbia University after her extensive career as a classical and contemporary ballet dancer in Toronto, Moscow, and New York City. At present, she is a Cognitive Science student specializing in Logic and Decision Theory, and a TA for Thinking and Decision Making. She is interested in 'neurophilosophy', 'neurorights', and decision architecture, as well as the ethics and regulation of artificial intelligence. She is deeply motivated by understanding complex problems at their core and devising strategy solutions in internal business affairs. Sasha is passionate about intelligence automation; streamlining time-consuming tasks to increase both efficiencies and allow for more creativity and metacognitive work. She also enjoys learning about olfactory neuroscience, specifically, the role of olfactory neural correlates in learned behavior. |
Aida Razavilar
Aida is a senior in CC studying Neuroscience & Behavior with a particular interest in systems and computational neuroscience. She has spearheaded many initiatives through the CNS in particular founding epiSTEMic (a summer camp outreach program that has served hundreds of students in the greater NYC area in an effort to create more equitable access to early, transformational research experiences), organizing Encephalon (our annually held neuroscience conference exploring the frontiers of neuroscience), and also directing the development of the Neurotechnology and Brain Computer Interface chapter at Columbia (as a new CNS subdivision). In terms of research she has been working at the Canoll, or Bartoli Brain Tumor Lab, for the past 3 years now giving her the ability to have a multifaceted exposure to neuroscience and medicine. She focuses particularly on understanding changes in the brain microenvironment (at a biological and systems level) in seizure-inducing gliomas. Outside of the CNS she loves to rock climb, bike, or do anything on the outdoorsy spectrum. |
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Haroon Arain he/him
Haroon is a junior in Columbia College studying neuroscience with a concentration in sustainable development. Haroon is very interested in questions of consciousness and emotions, specifically the neural correlates of fear in anxiety disorders. He is also passionate about mental health outreach, especially towards disadvantaged groups. When he is not watching cricket reruns, Haroon loves to play overplayed guitar songs and bake exotically flavored macarons for his friends! |
Isabella Souza, Treasurer she/her
Isabella is a sophomore in CC studying Financial Economics & psychology. She plans to pursue healthcare investment banking/private equity with a focus in neurotechnology applications. At CNS she serves as treasurer where she budgets for all of our initiatives including Research Fair, Encephalon, and more. In her free time she likes to shop, play board games, and try new restaurants! |
Phalaen Chang, Saturday Science Chair she/her
Phalaen is a senior in Columbia College studying Neuroscience and Public Health. As Saturday Science Chair for the CNS, she helps organize, plan, recruit volunteers for Saturday Science events and other various CNS outreach projects. She is also involved with planning music and the brain events for the CNS and has previously co-organized panels and a design challenge. This is her third year with the CNS and she is grateful for the community CNS has offered. In her free time, she plays the violin, reads Webtoons, and writes. |
Diana Marie Gilly
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Naz Gokcen
Naz is a junior in CC studying Neuroscience and Applied Math. She's really interested in the overlap of artificial intelligence/ machine learning and neuroscience. In her free time she loves playing basketball and I’m a huge cat lover. Writing poetry and cooking yummy foods feels like a therapy for her. |
Leslie Yao
Leslie is a junior at Barnard College studying Neuroscience & Behavior with a minor in Science & Public Policy, and planning to pursue a future in medicine. In the past, she has led the EpiSTEMic summer outreach program and worked on initiatives such as Research Fair, panel events such as neuroaesthetics, etc. She is currently working in the Liu and Peng labs at the Institute of Genomic Medicine at CUIMC to study the epigenetics of memory, and is passionate about furthering accessibility in healthcare and science communication. In her free time, she loves to play badminton, spend time in gaming lounges, and learn digital art! |
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Karlton Gaskin he/him
Karlton Gaskin is a senior in Columbia College studying Neuroscience and Behavior. He is interested in the intersections between genetics, neurocircuitry, and behavior, with a specific emphasis on the role these factors play in the development of psychological disorders. He enjoys going to concerts and biking around the city during his free time. |
Alejandra Nunez
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Albertine Neal
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Organizational Committee
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Aditi Borde she/her
Aditi is a sophomore studying Neuroscience & Behavior and Computer Science. Specifically she's interested in many aspects of neuroscience including neurotechnology and finding a way to intersect these two fields. She has experience working with multivariate lesion symptom mapping and using this technology to correlate specific brain regions with certain functionalities. Overall this lab experience has only strengthened her interest in the field and showed her just how practically neuroimaging and noninvasive brain stimulation can be used to make advancements in research. In her free time, Aditi enjoys running, hammocking, and playing the piano. |
Alicia Russo she/her
Alicia is a junior majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior and minoring in Science and Public Policy. Alicia is very interested in the blood brain barrier and how it is affected in disease. Alicia works in the Agalliu Lab at CUIMC where she does research in this area. In her free time she loves to play music and spend time outdoors! |
Angie Maldonado she/her
Angie is originally from Colombia. She came to the United States in 2016 as an international student. Prior Columbia, she worked at New York University Langone Health Center in sleep and behavioral population research. Currently, she works at Peng Lab on a project about sleep, memory and epigenetics. |
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Arya Adake
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Kavita Murthy she/her
Kavita is a freshman in SEAS studying Biomedical Engineering. She is interested in drug delivery research and neuroengineering. In her free time, Kavita enjoys playing the violin or going on runs. |
Kat Kusmin
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Kevin Rotham he/him
Kevin is a sophomore at Columbia College studying Neuroscience and Behavior. He plans to pursue an MD/PhD after graduation to be on the translational forefront of medicine and movement disorders. His research experiences have spanned topics including the role of cannabinoid receptor signaling on neurite outgrowth, the effects of Wnt signaling on epileptogenesis, and now to identifying the molecular mechanisms that govern synaptogenesis at the neuromuscular junction as a member of the research group of Richard S. Mann at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute. In his free time, Kevin enjoys listening to science podcasts, exploring the city, and making memories with friends. |
Leah Yadessa she/her
Leah is a sophomore in Columbia College studying Neuroscience and Behavior, with a particular interest in computational neuroscience and how technological advances, such as AI, aid in the understanding and treatments of brain disorders and illnesses. She is currently a research assistant at Zuckerman Institute's Polleux Lab where she runs data analysis for mapping the size and spatial distribution of excitatory and inhibitory synapses received by neurons in vivo, and aids in investigating human-specific genetic changes that may impact the function of brain circuits that sustain cognition in the lab. In her free time, Leah enjoys finding new coffee shops and bookstores in the city, going on walks, listening to new music/curating new playlists, and spending quality time with friends! 
Sofia Cruz she/her
Sofia is a first year at barnard hoping to study Neuroscience and Behavior. She is interested in psychiatry, visual perception, and psychobiology. On her free time, she loves to go thrifting, indulge her sweet tooth for dark chocolate, and watch cat videos. |
Olivia Dods
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Robyn An
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