OCF Fellows

Wenxuan Xue is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at WashU, where she works in the Computational Medical Imaging and Therapy (CMIT) lab. She earned her BS in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she worked in the AI-based X-ray Imaging System lab that sparked her interest in medical imaging. At WashU, her first-year […]

Shauntal (they/them) is currently a doctoral student in Social Work at WashU (Brown School) and a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) T32 Predoctoral Fellow in Mental Health Services Research. They have extensive experience in school-based mental health, including supporting clinical research trials for adolescents with ADHD, implementing district-wide K–12 mental health interventions, and developing […]

Jackson Cox is a PhD student in Systems Science and Mathematics within the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering. He earned his B.S. in Systems Science and Engineering from WashU in 2023, where he was also a member of the varsity track and field team. In 2024, he completed […]

Daniel Cher is a PhD student in the Computational Data Sciences program housed in the McKelvey School of Engineering. He works within the Multimodal Vision Research Laboratory led by Pr. Nathan Jacobs. Prior to the PhD, he worked as a Data Scientist for six years tackling geospatial problems focusing on using machine learning to quantify […]

Lindsay Bendell is a PhD student in Social Work at the Brown School. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master’s degree in Social Work from Metropolitan State University of Denver and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Central Florida. Lindsay began her social work career in a public defender’s […]

Taylor Barnett is a PhD student in the Department of Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering. She graduated from Iowa State University in 2024 with a BS in Chemical Engineering. During her undergraduate studies, she was involved with research on critical element recovery at Ames National Laboratory, and that sparked her desire to pursue a PhD […]

Rosana Alfaro is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering. She earned her BE in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Engineering Management from Vanderbilt University in 2024. During her undergraduate studies, she worked on developing point-of-care technologies for the diagnosis of infectious diseases in low-resource settings. As an international student from Nicaragua, Rosana is deeply interested […]

Helena Heiberger (She/Her) is a PhD student in the Plant and Microbial Biosciences program within the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences. Helena earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of North Alabama in 2025, where she was awarded the Outstanding Senior Award in STEM and the Keller Key for academic excellence. […]

Sophie Davis is a PhD student in late medieval and early modern history. She graduated with her BA from Florida State University, where she majored in English Literature with minors in French, History, and Medieval Studies. Her undergraduate Honors Thesis focused on the ritual act of the oath in Le Roman de Silence, a 13th […]

A first-generation college graduate and master’s student in landscape architecture, Shannon Callahan is aiming to combine her background in restoration ecology from the University of Illinois with her interest in native landscape design to combat the ongoing biodiversity crisis. Having served as the conservation ecologist for the St. Louis Audubon Society, Shannon is well-versed in […]

Kyra Betts is a PhD student in the Public Health Sciences program. She earned her Masters degree from Webster University, where her capstone focused on culturally relevant childbirth preparation programs for Black families. Kyra has worked extensively at the intersection of policy, community health, and maternal well-being. Her passion for advocacy led her to roles […]

Anna Jaeggi-Wong is a PhD student in the Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis (MMMP) program. She graduated from Brandeis University in 2023 with her Bachelor’s in Biochemistry and Biology. She then completed a two-year postbaccalaureate fellowship in the Laboratory of Viral Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, where her research focused on regulation of […]

Tongyao Jiang (she/her) is a PhD student in the accounting department at Olin Business School. She previously completed her master’s degree at Columbia University and worked as a research analyst at financial institutions and NGOs. Her research interests include the effects of accounting information on capital markets, labor economics, municipal finance, and ESG issues. Tongyao is […]

Cara Kirby is a PhD student in the Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis program. They graduated from the University of Georgia in 2018 with a BS in Biology and in 2021 with an MS in Comparative Biomedical Sciences. Their master’s research characterized variability in mumps virus glycoproteins between vaccine and outbreak strains and tested recombinant viruses in mouse models to improve […]

Brendan Pagan is a PhD student in the Marketing department at Olin Business School. He studies consumer behavior and is specifically interested in consumer well-being and health-related judgments and decision-making.  

Caitlin Johnson is a Computer Science PhD student in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science in 2025 from Amherst College, where she began researching machine learning with a focus on deep learning for voice cloning and 2D/3D computer vision, primarily using convolutional neural network models. In Summer […]

Fengwei “Jerry” Liu is a PhD student in the Medical Physics PhD program housed within the Department of Radiation Oncology. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2025 with a degree in Nuclear Engineering. While pursuing his bachelor’s degree, he concurrently worked on a radiopharmaceutical research project utilizing Monte Carlo Simulation to investigate the […]

Aja Anh Phan (she/they) is a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering. Her research interests lie in mechanobiology, with a focus on how mechanical forces contribute to disease progression, including cancer and fibrosis.   She graduated with honors from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. As […]

Morgan Van Vleck is a PhD student in the Social Work program at the Brown School. In their PhD studies, Morgan will focus on research that aims to improve the care continuum and patient experiences from serious illness through end-of-life. Morgan is interested in research focused on digital innovations for end-of-life and aging, and their […]

Rasheda Pippens is a PhD student in Nursing Science. She is a graduate of University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Following graduation, she worked as a nurse in various inpatient settings, as an adjunct faculty member, and in outpatient office/clinics.  She […]