Meet Our Leadership Board

WISAY Board 2022-2023

Claire Cody (she/hers)

Program: PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry         

Board member since: 2019 

Hometown: Glencoe, IL   

Favorite WISAY activity: The non-academic career panel! It’s the event I went to that made me want to become more involved in WISAY - learning about alternative careers and hearing the panelists’ stories.

Fun Fact: I graduated with a minor in Dance and still take ballet classes at New Haven Ballet

 

 

 

 

Sarah McGill (she/hers)

sarah.mcgill@yale.edu

Program: Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Department of Neuroscience      

Board member since: 2019 

Hometown: Crowley, TX  

Favorite WISAY activity: Our fantastic social events! :)

Fun Fact: To both my shame and delight, I have well over five thousand cards in my Magic card collection.

 

 

 

 

Anlan Cao (she/hers)

anlan.cao@yale.edu

Program: PhD in Chronic Disease Epidemiology

Board member since: 2022

Hometown: Wuhan, China 

Favorite WISAY activity: The mentoring program!

Fun Fact: I’m in a kpop dance group and we have a youtube channel :)

 

 

 

 

 

Gemma Moore, Ph.D. (she/hers)

gemma.moore@yale.edu

Program: Postdoc in Therapeutic Radiology

Board member since: 2020

Hometown: Dublin, Ireland

Favorite WISAY activity: Academic and Non-academic chats

Fun Fact: I am a podcast addict! My fav is Armchair Expert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arcadia Kratkiewikz (she/hers)

arcadia.kratkiewicz@yale.edu

Program: BBS/MCDB

Board member since: 2022

Hometown: Shirley, MA

Favorite WISAY activity: The mentorship program

Fun Fact: I study planaria - the flatworms with the ability to regenerate any part of their body!

Anne Olazabal-Herrero, Ph.D. (she/hers)

ane.olazabal@yale.edu

Program: Postdoctoral Fellow in Hematology

Board member since: 2021

Hometown: Spain

Favorite WISAY activity: I joined WISAY to further promote the interests of women and gender minorities in STEM fields.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yara Alshwairikh (she/hers)

Program: PhD candidate in Evolutionary Ecology

Board member since: 2021

Hometown: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Favorite WISAY activity: The mentoring program

Fun Fact: I (love) and study reptiles and amphibians for my PhD.

 

 

 

 

Alexis Brieant, Ph.D. (she/hers)

alexis.brieant@yale.edu

Program: Postdoctoral Associate in Psychology

Board member since: 2020

Hometown: Camillus, NY

Favorite WISAY activity: The social events

Fun Fact: I love to bake, and make something new almost every week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ashley Abel (she/hers)

ashley.abel@yale.edu

Program: PhD student in Genetics

Board member since: 2021

Hometown: San Jose, CA

Favorite WISAY activity: The Career Chats! I love hearing the diverse stories and motivations that lead PhDs down different career trajectories.

Fun Fact: I worked as a veterinary assistant during my undergraduate degree (and I’m a huge animal lover)! Although I don’t have pets of my own currently, I’ve met many of the amazing dogs and cats of New Haven through petsitting in my spare time.

 

 

 

 

 

Allison Cairns (she/hers)

allison.cairns@yale.edu

Program: PhD student in Applied Physics and Physical Engineering Biology

Board member since: 2021

Hometown: Santa Ana, CA

Favorite WISAY activity: The mentoring program

Fun Fact: I’ve never tried meat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jasmine Gormley (she/hers)

jasmine.gormey@yale.edu

Program: BS in Environmental Studies

Board member since: 2022

Hometown: Boscawen, NH

Favorite WISAY activity: The mentoring program!

Fun Fact: I love rock climbing, I’m very often at the climbing gym in New Haven during my spare time! 

 

 

 

Matilda Vary (she/hers)

matilda.vary@yale.edu

Program: BS in Mechanical Engineering

Board member since: 2022

Hometown: Seattle, WA

Favorite WISAY activity: The mentoring program!

Fun Fact: The only other Matilda I have ever met was a koala.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lana Zheng (she/hers)

Program: BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry

Board member since: 2022

Hometown: NY

Favorite WISAY activity: Non-academic career panel!

Fun Fact: I’m learning how to crochet. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ume Tahir (she/hers)

ume.tahir@yale.edu

Program: PhD Student in Biophysical Chemistry

Board member since: 2021

Hometown: Wichita Falls, TX / Pakistan

Favorite WISAY activity: The mentorship program

Fun Fact: I grew up in the United States, Nepal, India, Oman, and Germany

 

 

 

 

 

Ming Ma (she/hers)

ming.m.ma@yale.edu

Program: PhD candidate in Psychology

Board member since: 2022

Favorite WISAY activity: The career panels

Fun Fact: I really want to go to Switzerland this year!

 

Brigitte Naughton (she/hers)

brigitte.naughton@yale.edu

Program: PhD candidate in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry - BBS

Board member since: 2022

Hometown: Laguna Beach, CA

Favorite WISAY activity: The coffee chats

Fun Fact: I taught my cat Milo to fetch!