Meet the Leadership | Graduate Student Assembly

Officers, 2022-2023

Jo Machesky, Chair

Jo (she/her) is a fifth year PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering. This is her fifth year in the GSA and her first year as the Chair after serving as the CTF director for two terms and one term as the Vice Chair. Her research focuses on identifying and understanding non-traditional sources of air pollution in urban areas. Before Yale, Jo received a degree in Environmental Engineering and Integrated Science from Northwestern University. Through her position in the GSA, Jo is excited to work with GSA representatives and GSAS to ensure that GSA is helping advocate and support graduate students in all divisions.

Roxanne Morris, Vice Chair

Roxanne (she/her) is a fifth year PhD candidate in the Microbiology Program. This is her fourth year as a representative and her first year as the Vice Chair. Her research uses single cell techniques to investigate how an environmental bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, successfully infects the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis. Through the GSA, Roxanne hopes to raise graduate student voices and advocate for improved graduate student education for all. Outside GSA and the lab, Roxanne enjoys walking in West Rock, going to museums, and eating out in NYC.

Christopher Lindsay, Secretary

Christopher (he/him) is a third year PhD candidate in the Department of Astronomy. Christopher’s research focuses on stellar astrophysics, how stars are born and evolve over billions of years. In particular, Christopher explores how long time series observations of stellar oscillation modes can be used to study interior processes and structure of stars. Christopher received degrees in Astronomy and Environmental Studies from the University of Southern California. This year is Christopher’s second on the GSA and first year serving as a GSA Officer.

Bugra Sahin, Treasurer

Buğra (he/him) is a third year PhD in Chemical and Environmental Engineering. This is his first year as both a representative and the treasurer. His research focuses on stimuli responsive nano composite materials for water treatment and desalination. Buğra completed a dual degree in Chemical Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before coming to Yale. He hopes to do work in the GSA to ensure better protections and easier transition to a new country for the international graduate student body, alongside helping to improve the graduate student life and experience in general as well.

Committee Chairs, 2022-2023

Grace Lan, Academics and Professional Development Committee Chair

Grace (she/her) is a third-year PhD in Political Science. Her research focuses on contentious politics related to multinational corporations’ foreign investment and supply chains in the Global South. This is her first year as a representative and the Academic and Professional Development Chair. She cares deeply about making her peer graduate students’ experience in academic and professional development at Yale enjoyable. Through her work with GSA, she aims to make students’ academic life easier to navigate by helping departments improve the clarity, reasonableness, and transparency of their advising guidelines. She will also try to explore and make accessible various resources for career development inside and outside academia for graduate students by collaborating with the Yale Office of Career Strategy.

Shannon Rainsford, Conference Travel Fund Director/Committee Chair

Shannon (she/her) is a third year PhD student in Genetics co-mentored by Zachary Smith and Bluma Lesch. Her work focuses on the epigenetic influences of the male gamete on early embryogenesis. Prior to Yale, she graduated with a B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and an M.A. in Biotechnology from Boston University, and worked at a start-up in Cambridge, MA. This is her second year as a GSA representative and first year as CTF Director. She looks forward to working alongside the GSA and GSAS to supply funds for graduate students sharing their work with the world.

Faith Taylor, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Chair

Victoria Rai, Facilities and Healthcare Committee Chair

Victoria (she/her) is a third year PhD student in Cellular & Molecular Physiology jointly mentored in the laboratories of Joseph E. Craft and Michael J. Caplan. She graduated with a B.S. in Biophysics and B.S. in Economics from the University of Michigan and worked in Chicago prior to coming to Yale. This is her first year in GSA and first year as the Facilities and Healthcare Chair, but brings experience from being a co-leader of the Graduate Student Disability Alliance at Yale and her involvement with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation to this position. Victoria hopes to continue to advocate for accessibility and healthcare needs of graduate students, bring existing projects to completion, and expand equity and inclusion projects in the graduate school.

Jane Lee, Service Committee Chair

Jane (she/her) is a second year student in the Computer Science department. Her general research interests are in machine learning theory, particularly in understanding and proving why various machine learning algorithms are effective. Prior, she studied mathematics, computer science, and statistics at University of Pennsylvania. She is passionate about equal access to education and opportunity, volunteering with educational non-profits including the SMART program and TEALS for the past 3 years. She hopes find ways to help improve the graduate student experience at Yale and the New Haven community at large during her tenure this year on the GSA.

Will Chadwick, Transit and Security Committee Chair

Will (he/him) is a third year PhD student in Cell Biology in the LusKing laboratory where he studies compartmentalization of the nucleus in fission yeast. This is his first year as a GSA representative and first year as chair of the Transit and Security committee. Before coming to Yale he received bachelor’s degrees in Cell and Molecular Biology and in Classics from San Francisco State University, and a master’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology. He recognizes the importance that transportation and security have in ensuring a healthy and safe environment for graduate students and is dedicated to improving and sustaining Yale’s current systems.

Anthony Isenhour, Public Relations Committee Chair

Anthony (he/him) is a third year PhD student in Cell Biology. This is his second year as a GSA representative and first year as the PR committee chair. His research in the laboratory of Patrick Lusk and Megan King focuses on the role of nuclear envelope repair proteins in regulating an innate immune response to cytosolic DNA. Anthony received degrees in Biology and English from the University of Richmond. He hopes to take the time this year on GSA to explore practices in increased communication of resources for graduate students.