Josh is an MD-PhD candidate at Brown University. His research interests are in aging, neurodegeneration, and Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. He aspires to become a neurosurgeon and a neuroscientist.

Damon is a PhD student in finance at MIT with a focus on quantitative topics. He has interdisciplinary interests spanning statistics, finance, engineering, and machine learning. His current research focuses on factor models for the covariance structure of asset returns, effects of bias on duration effects in equity returns, and multimodal transformer models for time series prediction.

Prateeksha Menon holds a BA (Hons) in Gender Studies from the University of Melbourne and an MSc in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her research interests lie at the intersection of gender, climate justice, migration, and global health. She has conducted critical research on the racialised and gendered framing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australian public health campaigns, and explored the theoretical and ethical dimensions of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) abandonment efforts in The Gambia. Prateeksha has also led pioneering research projects on street harassment in Australia, applying an intersectional lens to inform public policy. With research experience across Australia, India, and the UK, she is passionate about interdisciplinary inquiry, decolonial research practices, and supporting young scholars to think critically, ask meaningful questions, and challenge dominant narratives through their work.

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.

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.

Marja is a doctoral student at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. She earned her Bachelor of Science degrees in Biological Chemistry and Chemistry with Honors from the University of Chicago in 2024. Her current research focuses on the synthesis of nanoscale electrocatalysts for OER in water electrolysis. Marja's academic journey reflects her commitment to advancing the field of molecular engineering through rigorous research and interdisciplinary collaboration.

David is a Bioengineering PhD student at the University of California in Berkeley and in San Francisco. His research focuses on brain imaging for neuromodulation therapies, using machine learning and computational tools. His disadvantaged background from Egypt, being the first generation graduate student in his family, and inspiring journey makes him an excellent mentor for students who aspire to follow similar paths.

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.

PhD candidate at UT Austin. Specializes in ancient philosophy, ethics of technology, and early modern philosophy. TA for logic and philosophy of law as well as other intro courses in philosophy.

Sharan has recently earned a doctorate in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University at the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. His research interests are at the intersection of International Finance, Macroeconomics, and Banking. He is interested in capital allocation and firm-level financial frictions, studying their effects on productivity and investment in economies. He is also interested in how global and regional risks, along with uncertainties in macroeconomic fundamentals, influence capital allocation and flows, particularly in emerging and developing economies. He has also been actively incorporating questions around climate change, carbon mitigation policies and green financing into my research focus.

Justin is a PhD student in experimental nuclear physics at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign who works on the sPHENIX experiment at the Relativisitc Heavy-Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Long Island New York. He is focused on studying quark gluon plasma, a primordial state of matter last seen microseconds after the big bang, and has worked in this field since his undergraduate studies at Lehigh University.

Andrew Bulata is a researcher in AI and machine learning at University College London, with a focus on cybersecurity applications. He holds an MSci in Chemistry with Drug Discovery from Imperial College London, where he spent four years conducting research in medicinal chemistry. Following this, he transitioned into finance, gaining experience in private equity and investment banking. Andrew later specialised in Python-driven data science through work in the London fintech sector, which led to his selection for a government-funded programme to further his studies in the field. He is currently pursuing an MSc in Crime and Forensic Science at UCL, with a minor in statistics and chemistry. Alongside his research, Andrew has taught both high school and university-level chemistry, and is currently teaching general and organic chemistry in Slovenia through an outreach initiative supported by Imperial College London. He also previously co-founded and led a military-focused startup dedicated to developing innovative protective equipment, which attracted interest from local investors and gained recognition in entrepreneurship competitions. A firm believer that learning never stops, he also studies classics, specialising in Latin, Ancient Greek, and history, both at UCL and in collaboration with an international university. Additionally, he is enrolled part-time at Imperial College Business School, where he continues to deepen his knowledge of private equity. Beyond academia, Andrew is a former professional basketball player and two-time national champion in his home country, and has proudly represented both Imperial and UCL on the court.