James F.W. Rowe is an award-winning doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign. His core research focus is the metaphysics of time where he has developed a novel defense of the Growing Block, but his work extends to the fields of ethical and political philosophy, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, and the history of philosophy (with an emphasis on ancient and early modern philosophy). His exemplary track record in the classroom and development of a course in philosophy in literature led to his recognition as the first graduate student to ever win the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching award.

Hadiza is a PhD student in Computer and Information Science at the University of Michigan–Dearborn, where her research focuses on software verification for AI-enabled cyber-physical systems. She earned a Master’s degree in Engineering Artificial Intelligence from Carnegie Mellon University Africa which was fully funded by the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. There she worked on interdisciplinary research, including improving access to customized 3D-printed prosthetics in resource-limited settings. Hadiza has over three years of experience as a teaching assistant and has also introduced many high school students to programming. She’s passionate about mentorship and actively supports students with college applications, scholarship opportunities, and career development.

Leslie is a Stanford medical student with a neuroscience degree from Harvard and a strong background in biomedical and translational research. Her current research focuses on developing neurotechnology to restore vision in patients with retinal degeneration. She’s excited to bring her passion for science and mentorship to the RISE program and support students as they explore their own academic and professional journeys.

Camille Bergeron is a developmental economics Ph.D. student at the University of Washington with a strong background in data analysis, economic modeling, and policy research. She holds degrees in Mathematics and Economics, and her work bridges academic rigor with real-world impacts. Camille is especially focused on computational macroeconomics, and brings experience from roles in research, consulting, and public sector analytics. She really enjoys

Valerie is a PhD student in Political Science at UC Berkeley. She holds a BA degree in Political Science from the University of Chicago and completed her Master's studies jointly at Johns Hopkins in Washington DC and Sciences Po in Paris. Her research focuses on both international politics and the global economy, with an emphasis on how policies and markets interact. She applies a wide range of research approaches, including socio-economic game theory, historical/archival tracing, and quantitative analysis.

Omar is a respected student of history at Princeton University, focusing on the history of return migration from the United States to México. His cutting-edge research speaks not only to the past histories of both the US and México, but remains relevant to the current political moment as mass deportations and xenophobia is on the rise in Western democracies.

Apurva is a PhD student in Applied Economics at Cornell University, specializing in development economics with a focus on gender and public policy. Her research interests extend to behavioral economics, social networks, and labor market decisions. She employs quantitative techniques to examine how economic policies and social structures influence outcomes, particularly in developing contexts, bringing rigorous empirical analysis to questions of social and economic development.

Etienne is a second year Mathematics PhD student at UC Berkeley, studying applied category theory, where he studies the fundamental structure of mathematics to inform innovations in pure mathematics, logic, and computer science.

Flo is an enthusiastic Cell Biologist and PhD candidate at the University of Washington. Their dissertation research focuses on smell receptors in a species of bat. Their project involves exciting approaches to help understand the function of olfactory receptors such as de-orphaning experiments, molecular docking, and fluorescence in-situ hybridization. Their extensive experience in the field of Biology as a first generation, neurodivergent individual makes them a great mentor for young, aspiring scientists.

Oluwatobi is a PhD candidate and Teaching Fellow in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University, where his research combines classical plant biology with cutting-edge molecular, imaging, computational, and ML approaches to understand leaf evolution and development across global climate gradients. His expertise spans from molecular biology and microscopy to machine learning, big data analysis, biodiversity and environmental research. With a decade of teaching experience across three continents and a passion for empowering young scientists, Oluwatobi brings both rigorous scientific training and genuine enthusiasm for mentoring students through impactful research projects.

I recently graduated from UC Berkeley with my PhD in computer science (specialization: machine learning and AI). I'm passionate about building technology that improves people's happiness and well-being, and am currently building my own health tech company. Outside of my technical interests, I love music (I'm a classically trained pianist and cellist) and running.

Jayson Toweh is an E-IPER PhD student focusing on identifying the health, environmental, and social impacts of climate change and creating co-benefits from developing sustainable energy transition. He hold's a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan’s Program in the Environment and a master’s degree in Environmental Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His thesis focused on evaluating and mapping emission changes after installing scrubbers to coal power plants. Prior to Stanford, Jayson worked as a Management and Program Analyst at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Inspector General, where he evaluated EPA's water programs and made recommendations for improvement. Jayson was elected and serves on the Harvard Board of Overseers, the university's governing board.