People

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 […]

Shikha Shrestha is a PhD candidate in the Division of Computational & Data Sciences (DCDS). She graduated from Swarthmore College with a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and Mathematics. Her research interests lie in machine learning, with a focus on continual learning, out-of-distribution detection, and domain generalization. She is particularly interested in applying these […]

Steele Stewart is an MFA student in the Illustration & Visual Culture program at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. Having graduated from USC’s Film & Television BA program, he seeks to integrate his cinematic background and illustration practice to create experimental, yet narratively driven multimedia art. As someone who believes in the […]

Josep Campoy is a dual-degree Master of Architecture and Master of Urban Design student at WashU. Originally from Cusco, Peru, he earned his undergraduate degree in architecture in the United States, where he developed a deep passion for architecture as a cultural, social, and material practice. Prior to graduate study, Josep contributed to large-scale architectural […]

Jannah Moussaoui is a PhD student in the Clinical Psychological Science program and a fellow in WashU’s Artificial Intelligence Advancements and Convergence in Computational, Environmental, and Social Sciences (AI-ACCESS) National Research Traineeship program. She completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Oregon State University in 2023 and then spent a couple years coordinating clinical trials […]

Forrest Whiting is a PhD student in the Neurosciences within the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (DBBS). He earned degrees in Neuroscience and Dance from Washington University, where he was MARC-uSTAR research scholar exploring the therapeutic potential of movement-based interventions—particularly dance—in alleviating symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.  Currently, his research centers […]

Steven Myers Jr. is pursuing a PhD in Statistics. Steven graduated from Indiana University (South Bend) with a BS in Mathematics with highest distinction. During his time at IU, he received the Distinguished Alumni Service Scholarship and was inducted into the Distinguished Alumni cohort. Earlier this year, he was selected to be a Research and […]

Mark D. West began as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at Washington University in St. Louis on August 1, 2025. A renowned legal scholar and former dean of the University of Michigan Law School, he brings more than two decades of experience in higher education leadership, scholarship and cross-disciplinary collaboration to this […]

Juliet Iwelunmor has dedicated her career to understanding how these health interventions last over time. A graduate of Penn State University, Iwelunmor focuses on sustaining transformation through empowering groups to embrace planning with the right people, learning about the evidence, and adapting in an era of constant change, while nurturing core values that matter over […]

A practicing general internist, in her current leadership role, Eva Aagaard, MD, FACP, oversees medical education across the continuum including undergraduate (UME), graduate (GME) and continuing medical education as well as allied health professional and graduate training. This includes recently spearheading a large scale curriculum reform effort in the MD program, revisioning PhD education, and […]

Jenine is a senior data scientist working with the Institutional Effectiveness team on projects related to faculty work-life, student outcomes, and evaluation of the university strategic plan. She is responsible for data strategies and innovation including transformation and integration of data from multiple sources and building predictive models to identify trends, patterns, and potential areas […]