Graduate Affiliates

Head Grad Affiliates

Grad Affiliates

Vicki Beizer (BK ‘18) is an MBA student at the Yale School of Management. As an undergraduate, Vicki majored in Astronomy and conducted research both at Yale and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. After graduation, Vicki worked as a consultant at Quadrant Strategies in Washington, DC, where she conducted focus groups and polls to inform companies’ key strategic decisions; her favorite projects were those focusing on product development. She is always happy to talk about STEM, anything space related, applying to business school, baking endeavors or reality TV. 

Andrés Bustamante (BK ‘15) is a PhD candidate in History. As an undergrad, he was a Berkeley College Aide, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, and student coordinator at La Casa Cultural. Before beginning his PhD, he studied Archeology and Art History at the University of Cambridge as a Paul Mellon Fellow. He also has curatorial experience at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Yale Center for British Art. He is thrilled to be back in the BK community after a year of field research in Mexico City and looks forward to chatting, especially over bubble tea!

Mary Katherine DeWane is a joint degree student pursuing a Masters of Forestry at Yale School of the Environment and an MBA at Yale SOM. She is originally from Memphis, Tennessee, and graduated from Harvard College in 2020 with a degree in Integrative Biology and a secondary in Archaeology. While at Harvard, Mary Katherine was a resident of Dunster House- Berkeley’s sister house!- and has many fond memories of staying in Berkeley during H-Y weekend. She loves anything outdoors, especially if it means she gets to see cool plants, and she also loves any water related activity- swimming, rowing, boating, fishing, etc. Feel free to talk to her about any of these activities, applying to YSE or SOM, college football, Memphis basketball, and any good food spots in New Haven!

Lucien Dieter is a PhD student in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering. Growing up in Portland, Oregon. He graduated in 2021 with a degree in environmental engineering at Arizona State University, where he also minored in sustainability and music performance. As a student researcher with The Biodesign Institute, Lucien investigated the impact of pharmaceutical compounds in the environment. After graduating, he worked as a physical scientist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency before arriving at Yale. His PhD research studies analytical and molecular biotechnology applied to environmental health. Lucien is always looking to be active outdoors, experiment with new vegan foods, and catch up on a backlog of movies and TV. Please talk freely with me about things to do in the area, science and engineering research or career interests, pets, and all things health and environment!

Naomi Gluck is a second-year Physics PhD student from Long Island, NY. Her current research is in computational astrophysics and cosmology, simulating large-scale structure formation and evolution. As an undergraduate, Naomi majored in Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University, and conducted research there and in Israel at the Technion Institute of Technology. Aside from astrophysics, Naomi is interested in music composition, cooking, digital art, and mentoring. Please feel free to reach out - she is always happy to talk about physics, graduate school, art/music, and coffee!

Ken Gunasekera (BK’ 15) is from Long Island, NY and currently a final-year MD-PhD student. He received his PhD in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at the Yale School of Public Health. His PhD work used various statistical and mathematical modeling techniques to improve childhood tuberculosis care. As part of his PhD, he traveled to Namibia and South Africa and collaborated extensively with the World Health Organization to inform childhood tuberculosis guidelines development. He is planning on pursuing medical training in pediatrics because he loves working with kiddos and their caregivers. In his free time he likes to climb, train for triathlons (for which he has yet to participate), and be gay. He is often found in and around Berkeley College and is happy to be a resource!

RJ Hakes is a first-year Masters candidate in Archaeology.  As an undergraduate, he double majored in Classical Civilizations and Archaeological studies (BK ’22) and was awarded the Charles Seymour Prize for the highest standing in the humanities. RJ was active in the Eli Whitney Students Program and was the founding co-President of the Yale Undergraduate Veterans Society as well as a board member for the Ivy League Veterans Council. He also represented Yale at the 2022 College Curling National Championships in Fargo, ND. RJ is passionate about helping military veterans transition into academia and serves as an admissions ambassador and Humanities Teaching Fellow for two non-profits. This coming summer RJ plans to lead archaeological fieldwork at an ancient (Archaic Period) Native American habitation site in central Texas. He is always happy to chat about anything on the minds of BK students–whether academic, social, or otherwise. RJ is excited to serve as a Graduate Affiliate for the best residential college at Yale and is looking forward to seeing you around campus and Berkeley!

Eui Young Kim (she/her) is a student at Yale Law School from Seoul, South Korea. She majored in philosophy at Yale College and worked as an immigration paralegal at New Haven Legal Assistance for a year after graduating. As an undergraduate, she was a writer at the Yale Daily News, a Peer Liaison at the Asian American Cultural Center, and a board member of Yale Effective Altruism. She enjoys vegan baking, spoken word, art galleries, superhero movies, and long walks.

Siddharth Mitra is a PhD student in the Computer Science Department and enjoys working on algorithms for machine learning and optimization. For undergrad, he was at the Chennai Mathematical Institute, a small and close knit community of eccentrics in the heart of South India, where he majored in Mathematics and Computer Science. Originally from New Delhi, India, he has lived in Virginia and Illinois. Sid loves the outdoors and particularly enjoys running and hiking. He plays the piano and, never seen without his camera, has a deep love for photography. His greatest talent may lie, however, in brewing an excellent cup of coffee, and in being a good listener.

Danielle Miyagishima is an MD-PhD student. She is originally from New Mexico and graduated in 2015 with a degree in Biology from New Mexico State University. She is doing her PhD in Genetics with Dr. Murat Gunel and is studying the tumor microenvironment of meningiomas using a variety of molecular biology and computational methods. Her other academic interests include teaching/tutoring, anatomy, bioethics, and neuroscience. She hopes to pursue a career in neurosurgery and was Co-Founder and Co-President of a medical student organization (Yale Cushing Society) for several years, which hosts events with YMPO for Yale College students interested in the field (so if you are interested, or curious, talk to me!). She’s involved in a variety of leadership and community-based activity inside and outside of Yale including her role as Founding Curator of the New Haven Global Shapers Hub. Global Shapers is an initiative by the World Economic Forum inspiring young people to organize in their local communities for the betterment of the world. Outside of school, Danielle enjoys anything outdoors (hiking/backpacking/camping, running, cycling, swimming, soccer, rock climbing), and cooking New Mexican food. She has three very cute (unbiased, of course) dogs that live with her in West Haven. Talk to her about: anything, philosophy, surgical (or any medical/biomedical research) career interests, life in general, or life as a dog mom.

Anthony Ratinov (BK ‘20) is a M.M. (Master of Music) student at the Yale School of Music, studying piano with Professor Boris Berman and Professor Wei-Yi Yang. His family is originally from Moscow, Russia and he grew up in Maryland. At Yale, he majored in Chemical Engineering (ABET-accredited). He was a FOOT leader, serving as one of the equipment coordinators, and was on the leadership board for the Undergraduate Piano Collective. He also was a member of the Pfefferle Lab Group, where he researched the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials and superconductors. During the summers, in addition to research, he participated in international music festivals and competitions, recently winning the Pianists’ Award, sponsored by Bösendorfer, at the International Summer Academy in Austria (2019), and the 3rd prize at the Virtuoso & Belcanto piano competition in Italy (2017). 

He enjoys exploring new food, going on hikes and backpacking, and loves watching and analyzing films. He is always happy to discuss his academic, social, and extracurricular experience at Yale, and would be happy to meet new people! 

Sarah Spaulding is an MD student at Yale School of Medicine. Originally from sunny Wilmington, NC, Sarah double majored in Environmental Engineering and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology as a Yale undergrad. After graduation, she worked in cancer research for two years in New York City. Now back at Yale for med school, she is passionate about student wellness and making time for life outside of school. Talk to her about reality TV, pickleball, audiobooks, online shopping, or anything STEM/medicine-related. 

Amy Zhao (BK ’18) is an MD/PhD student at the Yale School of Medicine. She was born in California and grew up in Connecticut and Massachusetts. As an undergrad, she majored in Statistics and Data Science as well as Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. She was also a member of the varsity swimming and diving team, a student researcher in the Koleske and King labs, and a co-leader/member of several student organizations. In addition to her Genetics PhD thesis research on lung diseases, she is passionate about advocating for women in STEM and medicine, advising students, and teaching/tutoring. She also enjoys board gaming, playing piano, and trying new restaurants. Please feel free to reach out - she is happy to talk about things to do in New Haven, STEM, medicine, and life in BK and at Yale!