Graduate Affiliates

Hey TD! We are the TD Grad Affiliates and we’re excited to meet you! We’re a group of graduate and professional students who are interested in working with, giving back to, and learning from the TD undergrad community. Our main function within the college is mentoring seniors on thesis presentations for Mellon Forums. We’re a great resource for students in both social and academic contexts. Feel free toask us about grad school life, the process of applying to grad programs, New Haven life outside of Yale College, life after college, the “real world,” or anything really! We’re a growing program and we’re all really friendly, so feel free to say hi if you see us around the courtyard.

Head Graduate Affiliate

James Bonanno (Email: james.bonanno@yale.edu)

Hello! My name is James (he/him) and I am a fifth-year student in the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program. I am originally from Long Island and I studied Neuroscience and Cognitive Science at Vassar College. At my undergraduate college, I researched the role of astrocytes in cognition. My current research focuses on functional recovery from spinal cord injury. Outside of research, my interests include science outreach and American politics. Please feel free to reach out if you are interested in research or graduate school. I look forward to meeting you all!

Graduate Affiliates 

Caroline Francis (Email: caroline.francis@yale.edu)

Hello TD! My name is Caroline, and I am a fourth-year M.D. student from Portland, OR. My undergraduate years were spent in Missouri at Washington University in St. Louis where I studied biology and psychological and brain sciences. At WashU, mentoring first-years as they adjusted to college and working with students as a teaching assistant were two of my favorite roles. After WashU, I spent two gap years working at an employment agency in Portland – Mulberry Talent Partners. Optimizing resumes and LinkedIn profiles as well as providing interview practice and career guidance were rewarding parts of this job and previous undergraduate mentorship positions. Whether you are aspiring toward a career in medicine or any other profession, I would be excited to speak with you about achieving academic and personal success in college, planning gap years, applying to graduate school and jobs, and anything else! Looking forward to working with each of you as one of your Graduate Affiliates!

Adi Kumar (Email: adi.kumar@yale.edu)

Hi! I’m Adi, a sixth year History PhD Candidate researching race, social movements, and South Asian American history. In my spare time, I love to meditate, listen to rnb, and hang out with my cat Keanu. If you’re interested in PhD programs, history, or want to see more photos of my cat — feel free to reach out!

Atreyo Pal (Email: atreyo.pal@yale.edu">atreyo.pal@yale.edu)

Hey TD! My name is Atreyo Pal (pronouns he/him), and I’m a fourth-year PhD candidate in Genetics. I graduated from the University of Chicago in 2020 after majoring in Physics and Biology. I study specific regions in the genome (called Human Accelerated Regions or HARs) to identify genomic elements that might affect uniquely human traits, such as having a larger brain compared to other primates (like chimpanzee). I love talking about science to people outside my field, and have taught at the Yale Young Global Scholars for the past two years. I’m happy to chat about grad school and careers across the physical or biological sciences, especially about interdisciplinary opportunities spanning (seemingly) unrelated areas. Outside lab, I am an avid chess and tennis player, and love traveling. Excited to meet and get to know you all!

Saahil Chadha (Email: saahil.chadha@yale.edu">saahil.chadha@yale.edu)

Hey there! I’m Saahil (he/him), and I’m a third-year medical student. I’m originally from Minnetonka, MN – we’re known for Tonka Trucks and Minnetonka Moccasins if you’ve heard of those! After growing up in the Midwest, I went to the West Coast and got my bachelor’s in Computer Science from UC Berkeley. Had a blast exploring the Bay Area and Northern California during that time. During college, I also worked at the Jain Lab at UCSF studying the basic science of how the human body responds to varying oxygen levels (too high or too low) as well as the cellular effects of vitamin deficiencies. I was primarily computational, developing pipelines to analyze the data my lab generated. Having really enjoyed the research I did in this lab, I continued to be interested in how we can utilize technology to answer clinical research questions as well as assist at the point of care in medicine. After graduating, I spent a year working at Amazon as a software engineer to continue developing my technical skills before moving to the East Coast to start here at YSM this fall. Outside of class, I enjoy hiking, trying out new restaurants, and just watching Netflix/Hulu (current favorite is Abbott Elementary). Let me know if you have any recs! Feel free to reach out if you have similar interests or just want to chat.  Àshe!

Steve Bai (Email: steve.bai@yale.edu)

Hey folks! My name is Steve Bai (he/his) and I am a Ph.D. student in political science at Yale. My research primarily focuses on political behaviors and social policies in authoritarian states; I am also interested in anthropology, particularly on the topic of food and immigration. As a self-proclaimed city nomad, I have lived in Beijing, Boston, Beirut, Hong Kong, and Montreal, while conducting fieldwork in various countries and regions. Prior to my arrival at Yale, I also worked as a journalist, a bartender, a food writer, and a barista. In case you are interested in politics, food, or drinks, feel free to reach out to me! 

Audrey Smith (Email: audrey.smith@yale.edu)

Hey TD! I’m Audrey. I’m a distance runner, travel lover, food enthusiast, and wannabe painter. I’m also a third-year PhD student in the School of the Environment, where my research focuses on the health and equity dimensions of urban climate mitigation and adaptation. Built environments and cities are central to my research–and I’m fascinated by them, maybe because I’ve lived in so many all over the country! I’m a native of Santa Cruz, CA and most recently lived in Miami, FL (so of course I’m a big ocean lover, and recently got scuba certified!). I also lived in Houston and Oakland for my undergrad and masters at Rice and UC Berkeley, respectively. I was an active member of my own residential college while at Rice, so I’m very excited to get to know the TD community!

Stephan Waizmann (Email: stephan.waizmann@yale.edu)

Hello everyone! I am Stephan, a Ph.D. student in Economics. Before coming to Yale, I studied in Germany, Scotland, and France. I love to play football and chess, and drink too much coffee. While I cannot tell you what stocks to buy, feel free to reach out if you have a question or just want to talk. Excited to get to know you!

Shuozhen Bao (Email: sb2723@yale.edu)

Bohan Chen (Email: bohan.chen@yale.edu):

Hi TD! I’m Bohan, a second–year M. Arch student at YSoA. I come from Singapore and completed my undergraduate at the National University of Singapore. I’m currently a designer and fabrication specialist at the Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture, where I focus on 3D-printed textiles, circular materials, and lightweight structures. I’d be happy to chat about anything design-related and the application processes for arts/architecture programs. Outside of work, you can find me at Brady Squash Center, Rudolph Hall’s Badminton court, and playing with the graduate rugby club. Feel free to reach out and looking forward to meeting y’all :)

 

Nancy Billings (Email: nancy.billings@yale.edu):

Hello! My name is Nancy (she/her), and I am a second-year PhD student in American Studies. I grew up in Maine and majored in American Studies and Hispanic Literatures and Cultures at Wesleyan. My research interests build off of my undergraduate work and center on US impacts and influence on Asian migration throughout the Americas in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Prior to Yale, I worked for a couple of years in the Senate on immigration, technology and telecom policy. Please reach out if you have any questions about graduate school, the application process, working on the Hill, or living in D.C. I look forward to meeting you all this year! 

 

Sven Witthaus (Email: sven.witthaus@yale.edu)

 

Hi all!! My name is Sven (he/him) and I’m a fourth-year graduate student in Physics. I’m originally from Madrid, Spain but I did my undergrad in Santa Barbara, California before embarking on my Ph.D. here at Yale. I am generally interested in Soft and Active Matter, which is the discipline of Physics that studies all things soft. This includes a wide variety of stuff ranging from biological tissues all the way to sand, basically everything other than hard metals. I am specifically interested in how small components can come together to form large-scale emergent behavior. In my free time, I love playing volleyball, cooking and playing video games. If you have any questions about graduate school, research, or anything else, please feel free to reach out! I hope to get to know some of you.

Joe Goode (Email: joseph.goode@yale.edu)

My name is Joe Goode, and I’m a second-year student at Yale Law School. I graduated from Yale College in 2019, where I was a member of TD for all four years. Since then, I’ve remained grateful to TD for the close friends I made over meals in the dining hall and conversations in the courtyard. I’m excited to rejoin the TD community and eager to meet you all. Whether you’re curious about law school or just want to chat, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here to assist in any way I can. 

Alan Mendoza Sosa (Email: alan.mendozasosa@yale.edu)

Alan Mendoza Sosa is a 3rd Year PhD Student in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. His research interests are on Mexican and Latin American literary, film, and cultural studies; queer studies, postcolonial and decolonial theory, Latinx literature, translation, and poetry. He holds a BA in Comparative Literature from Brown University and a Master’s from The University of Cambridge. 

Olivia Ang-Olson (Email: olivia.angolson@yale.edu)

Hi! I’m Olivia, a fifth-year in the 5-year BA/BS-MPH program at the Yale School of Public Health, studying Health Policy & Management. I’m from Sacramento, California and graduated from Yale College in 2024, majoring in Political Science. And I’m proud to say I was a TD-er for 4 years, serving as a Froco in 2023-2024 and (most importantly) IM Pickleball Co-Captain :) Whether you share similar academic interests, want to discuss lab research and extracurriculars on campus, need advice on post-college transitions or non-traditional career paths, or are also (like me) obsessed with pickleball, I’m happy to connect!

Grecia Hernandez Perez (Email: grecia.hernandezperez@yale.edu)

Hello! My name is Grecia Hernandez Perez. I am a first year Master of Arts in Religion (MAR) student at the Divinity School. I’m from the Roanoke valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. My undergraduate degree is in the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs. I studied public policy with a focus on the intersection of human rights, migration, and education. I also have a minor in Italian Language and Culture. I’ve come to the Divinity School to study how leaders infuse their religion into the work of justice in their communities. My hope is to bring that knowledge to my future work. My non-academic interests include crafting (crocheting and scrapbooking most recently), doing Pilates or spin classes, and spending time with my friends. I also love singing and making music. I am excited to meet everyone!

 

Raekwon Fuller (Email: raekwon.fuller@yale.edu)

Raekwon Fuller is a First Year Theatre Management student at Yale’s David Geffen School of Drama! He is SO excited to be the graduate affiliate at Timothy Dwight College and is looking forward to welcoming all the wonderful students living there. Raekwon is from South Carolina and loves to laugh, drink sweet tea, and be hospitable! He is a part of the G in LGBTQ and a Christian. He would love to have any conversations about queerness, religion, and being black that any student may have! His email is Raekwon.fuller@yale.edu and he welcomes you to email him ANY time!

 

Mehak Parwani (Email: mehak.parwani@yale.edu)

Hi TD! I’m Mehak (pronounced meh-heck), a first-year MBA student at Yale School of Management. I graduated from Stanford University with an Econ degree in 2024, and before business school, I explored the intersections of product management, economic development, and sustainability. Outside of school, I’m an avid fan of figure skating, love watching foreign films, and can’t resist diving into a good comic (whether it’s Western or manga). Feel free to reach out if you want to chat about business school (straight after undergrad), comics, or even just swap movie recommendations!

 

 

Here are some photos from the Kayaking Trip that the Graduate Affiliates organized during Fall Break: