NeURO Undergraduate Alumni

Blen Kedir (‘23) is a sophomore at Stanford majoring in Biology, on the Neurobiology track, and minoring in Philosophy. Currently, she works in the lab of Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray at Stanford, investigating the role of aging and immune pathways in neurodegeneration, with a focus on Alzheimer's Disease. Her past research experiences involved microbiology and biochemistry at her local laboratory at the University of North Texas. Outside of science, she is passionate about activism for racial equality through education.

Zeena Khazendar is currently a pre-med sophomore on the varsity beach volleyball team at Stanford majoring in Human Biology and minoring in Human Rights. She grew up in Jordan and her grandparents were Palestinian refugees, which led her to develop a fierce passion for serving underrepresented populations. Pursuing this passion, Zeena became an Associate Director of BeAGoodDoctor, a nonprofit that serves the ED at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center by providing interpretation and volunteer services, largely for marginalized groups.

Idalia Lopez-Martinez is a sophomore majoring in Psychology. Her love for Psychology began at a young age, during a time where she struggled with her own mental health. As a child, she loved superheroes and had this seemingly crazy idea that she could save the world one day. She was determined and confident that she would make the world a better place. And along the way, maybe become the next Batman. If there’s one thing she has always wanted to do, it’s to change the world and help others. She hopes to help change the stigma surrounding mental health and educate others.

Moremi Mabogunje (’23) is a sophomore at Foothill College majoring in Communication Studies. With a distinct interest in the ways communication affects and explains human behavior, she now aspires to study the deeper connection of neuroscience and that field. Her current research work is in Dr. Lauren O’Connell’s lab, focusing on factors that contribute to brain development and social behavior such as nutrition through frog behavior.

Matthew Martinez (’24) is a freshman at Stanford planning on studying bioengineering and psychology. In the NeURO fellowship, he looks forward to studying and answering questions related to Alzheimer’s disease through analyzing genomic data in the Gentles lab. He became passionate about neuroscience, specifically Alzheimer’s disease research, through reading books from his local library and scientific journals. At Stanford, he has enjoyed serving on Frosh Council, where he represents the Class of 2024 and plans community-building events.

My name is Sasha Ronaghi and I am from Irvine, CA. I am a first-year student and hope to major in Materials Science and Engineering with an emphasis on biomaterials. I am especially interested in how biology can inspire material design and materials can lead to a better understanding and manipulation of biology. In Dr. Guosong Hong's lab, I will be designing photovoltaic materials for minimally invasive neuroelectronic implants.

Bikal Sharma (’24) is a freshman at Stanford with interests in neuroscience, biocomputation, and chemistry. As a NeURO fellow in the Pfeffer Lab, he researches the causes of inherited Parkinson’s Disease using innovative biochemical approaches. Outside of the lab, Bikal serves on Frosh Council, volunteers with Cardinal Free Clinics, competes on the Model United Nations team, and tutors underserved youth at East Palo Alto Stanford Academy.

Chase Swinton (‘23) is a sophomore majoring in Symbolic Systems with a concentration in Neurosciences from Sherwood, Arkansas. She’s really happy to be a part of the Zuchero Lab which aspires to understand how myelin is formed in the central nervous system and perturbed in disease. After taking ‘Minds and Machines’, Chase found herself interested in the intersection between systems and cognitive neuroscience. Eventually she’d like to explore if there’s a relationship between oligodendrocytes, synaptogenesis, and memory.

Samrat is an incoming freshman to Stanford hoping to major in Biomedical Computation. His primary interests are in stem cells, specifically the mechanisms by which normal stem cells become cancerous. With a background studying blood stem cells and computations methods he hopes to approach medicine with perspectives of CS and molecular biology. Beyond research Samrat is fascinated with rockets, taking part in the Stanford Space Initiative Rocket team, DIY projects, and long distance running: he hopes to complete his first marathon in 2021.

Jennifer Wang (23’) is a sophomore at Stanford currently deciding to study either Chemical Engineering or Chemistry. Although her past research have included microbiology and environmental engineering, she is excited about learning about and contributing to neuroscience research through a chemistry lens in Dr. Bianxiao Cui’s Lab. In her free time, she enjoys running, listening to podcasts, and sending funny cat videos to her friends.