Current Research Ambassadors
 | Merom Arthur Merom Arthur is a fourth-year majoring in Human Health and minoring in Film and Media on the premedical track. She has conducted research in the area of genetic medicine and clinical neuroscience. In 2022, she joined the Grady Trauma Project as a clinical research intern. The study looks at how symptoms of PTSD can impact the mood and lives of pregnant African American women. Additionally, she joined the Caspary lab in Spring 2024 in a collaboration project investigating metabolic disease. This past summer she continued her work as a Research Trainee at Children’s National Research Institute in Washington D.C. Her research focused on congenital heart defects and utilizing new technology to analyze data in 3D formation. Merom is from Northern Virginia. She sings in Emory VOIS, loves reading, media and production, volleyball, tennis, and obtaining new talents! Feel free to ask her anything about research and her interests! |
 | Ben Chiok Benjamin Chiok is Class of 2026 Chemistry major and QSS minor from Lawrenceville, GA. He currently is an undergraduate researcher at the Wuest Lab and is pursuing the total synthesis of 4-hydroxy-2-pyridone natural products, which show potent antimicrobial activity. He plans to pursue a PhD. in organic chemistry and to one day teach in the synthetic/medicinal chemistry field. He enjoys watching and playing sports (basketball, soccer) and loves to cook. Ask him about tips with faculty communication, research at other universities, and school-work-life balance. |
 | Karina Esquer Amezcua Karina Esquer Amezcua is a third-year student at Emory University, majoring in Human Biology and Anthropology on the pre-medical track. Originally from Arizona, she currently serves as an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the Rosser Lab in the Department of Human Genetics at Emory School of Medicine, where her research focuses on Down Syndrome and Autism. This past summer, Karina participated in the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles. Beyond her academic and research pursuits, Karina is an enthusiastic about gymnastics and actively volunteers in the Atlanta area. She is also engaged on campus with Emory Volunteer Medical Interpretation Services (VMIS), Emory Pipeline, and Emory QSN. Ask me about finding research opportunities, participating in club sports, artistic gymnastics, medical interpretation, mentoring, or summer programs! |
 | Montana Jackson Montana Jackson is a third-year undergraduate student from Brunswick, GA, pursuing a major in Anthropology and Human Biology on the pre-med track. Her passion for research began when she worked in her hometown nephrology office, assisting with human clinical studies investigating the effects of two FDA-approved drugs to manage chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes. This experience sparked Montana’s interest in research that bridges the gap between basic science and clinical medicine, specifically translational medicine. In her second year at Emory, Montana was selected as a Scholarly Inquiry and Research at Emory (SIRE) Scholar, working at the Emory University School of Medicine. Her research focused on Hemophilia A and Factor VIII inhibitors. She shared her findings through an oral presentation at the Emory University Undergraduate Research SIRE Spring Symposium in 2024. Her work garnered recognition from other institutions, leading to an internship at Harvard Medical School during the summer, where she researched treatment alternatives for Sickle Cell Disease crises and alloimmunization related to blood group antigens such as KEL and Rh factor. To provide financial support for her time in Boston, Montana was awarded the Independent Research Grant by the Undergraduate Research Program (URP). Montana returned to Emory in the fall as an SIRE Ambassador, working alongside Emory faculty to help keep undergraduate students engaged in diverse research opportunities throughout the academic year. This spring, she will continue contributing as a Research Ambassador, advising undergraduates interested in research and promoting URP’s various programs, including SIRE, SURE, and the Conference + Independent Grant programs. Through her work, Montana is committed to advancing opportunities for fellow students to engage in meaningful research and make an impact in their fields. |
 | Yash Kamdar Yash Kamdar is a junior from the Bay Area, California, double majoring in Biology and Psychology on the Pre-Medicine track. He has over 7 years of combined research experience in cancer therapeutics, drug discovery, and clinical research, with several publications, oral presentations, and poster presentations. He currently researches the connection between Cardiovascular Diseases and Neurological conditions in South Asians at Rollins School of Public Health and Emory School of Medicine. Yash engages with refugee populations by volunteering at Clarkston Community Health Center as a Phlebotomist and Pharmacy Technician. He also volunteers at Emory University Hospital and has worked as a medical assistant in various private practices. Yash has also worked at the CDC as a SWEP volunteer. At Emory, Yash is an Emory Men’s Club Volleyball Athlete and Resident Advisor. Besides being a full-time student on his Pre-Medicine journey, Yash enjoys cooking, exploring new restaurants, going on scenic drives, and playing volleyball. Feel free to talk to Yash about food, research, and clinical experiences! |
 | Valeria Li Val is a double major in Psychology and Linguistics from Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Currently, she is an undergraduate research assistant in the Brain, Behavior, and Broader Learning Laboratory with Dr. Brianna Yamasaki researching the neuropsychological underpinnings of literacy and bilingualism. She is also conducting research under the linguistics program where she is researching Internet language and humor. In 2023, she participated in the SURE program where she worked on a project about phonological productions of morphologically distinct Spanish homophones with Dr. Yun Kim. Val also works at the Emory Writing Center as a writing tutor and ELL specialist, and has conducted research on gender in academic spaces. |
 | Harleigh Markowitz Harleigh is a fourth-year student from Cleveland, Ohio, studying Human Health. She has experience working as a Research Assistant in the Pediatric Neuroimaging Core at Marcus Autism Center and in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute. Her current research project involves looking at the temporal relationship between infant gaze cues and infant-directed caregiver behavior in infants later diagnosed with autism. She is also a member of Emory's Student Government Association and sits on several student advisory boards for different organizations and departments on campus. In her free time, Harleigh enjoys reading, walking her dog, and exploring new coffee shops. |
 | Alexia Marriott Alexia is a senior majoring in neuroscience and behavioral biology. She has been working in David Weinshenker's lab in the Department of Human Genetics since her first year, studying the role of the locus coeruleus in Alzheimer's disease. In 2022, she participated in the Emory SURE program, where she worked on a project investigating changes in social behavior in a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease. Her prior research experiences also include studying noradrenergic neuron development at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and developing a virtual reality behavioral task to investigate novelty exploration in mice at the Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics. Alexia is interested in understanding the role of the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system in neurodegenerative disorders and hopes to earn her PhD in neuroscience and pursue a career in research. |
 | Katie Oshins Katie is a fourth-year undergraduate from Las Vegas, NV, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Neuroethics. She has been working in the Learning, Understanding, Memory, and Neurodevelopment (LUMeN) Lab since her sophomore year and is excited to continue to work on her honor's thesis with Dr. Alexandra Cohen. Katie previously participated in Emory's Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program and spent this past summer in the Neuroscience and Novel Therapeutics Unit at the National Institute of Mental Health. She is interested in studying the underlying cognitive mechanisms of mental health disorders and how interventions can better account for their developmental differences. Katie plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Outside of research, Katie serves as the Co-Chair and Outreach Chair of the Emory Helpline and is on the executive board of the Young Democrats of Emory. |
 | Kaushiki Ravi Kaushiki Ravi, a fourth-year undergraduate from Hyderabad, India, is pursuing a double major in Psychology and Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology. Her research interests lie within developmental and social psychology, where she investigates social-emotional behaviors and dynamics of social interactions to gain insights into the motivators of prosocial behavior and the mechanisms underlying social connection among individuals. She works as a research assistant at the Infant and Child Lab where she studies developmental origins of social behaviors such as schadenfreude and gift malaise. This year, she will be pursuing an independent research project at the Social Empathy Lab with Dr. Brendan Ozawa-de Silva, where she will study how commitment to joint action and interpersonal coordination may motivate empathic behaviors. Outside of academics, Kaushiki enjoys trying new cafès, cooking, and spending time with her friends. She’s involved on campus as a Pre-Orientation Captain for new students, co-captain for Zeebah, and facility attendant at the Hatchery. In the future, Kaushiki plans to pursue a PhD in Social Psychology. Ask her about finding research mentors, psychology-related research, or about pursuing interdisciplinary research at Emory! |
 | Tuan Vinh Tuan Vinh, a junior at Emory University (2024-25), hails from Atlanta, Georgia, and is double majoring in Chemistry and Computer Science, with additional coursework in the Biology major. His current research in the STEM discipline focuses on small molecule synthesis and bio-conjugation under Dr. Monika Raj. When he's not washing test tubes or preventing undergraduates in the Chemistry Department from catching on fire, Tuan explores AI applications in research at the Center for AI Learning. He serves as an undergraduate representative for the Chemistry Department, a research fellow, a teaching assistant/tutor for various health science courses, and a research advisor for the QTM department. Known for his quirky sense of humor, Tuan is dedicated to making science both fun and safe. Ask him about research techniques, AI in science, balancing academic pursuits, and tips for staying fire-free in the lab. |
 | Fei Xu Fei is a junior from Shanghai, China, majoring in psychology and minoring in anthropology. In her sophomore year, she did research in tracking recruitment contacts and outcomes for the HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study (HBCD) at Emory Brain Center. Currently, she is working in Dr. Wilson’s lab at the Emory National Primate Center, where she studies comparative psychology by exploring statistical learning in non-human primates and running human participants for Serial Reaction Time (SRT) tasks. Fei is an active member of the Friends for MyLife community, where she supports adults with autism by creating meaningful communications. In her free time, Fei enjoys work out, photographing, and listening to music. In the future, she plans to become a professional researcher engaging in primate work in either a laboratory or wild environment. |