Previous board members
Amanda Shilton
President (2023-2024)
Amanda Shilton is a sixth-year PhD student in Luciano Marraffini’s lab studying the ways that bacteria defend themselves against their pathogens. She was born and raised in Zimbabwe, and came to the USA in 2014 as an undergraduate student at Brandeis University. After being here for nearly a decade, she has experienced a variety of challenges unique to international scholars. As founder of RIGS, Amanda hopes to provide resources to overcome these challenges, no matter what career stage people are at. She also hopes to bring people together to create a welcoming, supportive, and safe community space.
Elif Magemizoğlu
Board member (2023-2024)
Elif Magemizoğlu is a sixth-year PhD student in Shai Shaham’s lab studying how glia and neurons of the nervous system communicate with each other using the model C. elegans. She is from Turkey; came to the USA in 2014 to attend Cornell University and stayed to do her PhD at Rockefeller. She is very familiar with the challenges of living and working in a language different than one’s mother tongue, being miles and time zones away from one’s family, among other difficulties of being an international scholar in the States. She’s also familiar, however, with the joys of living in a new country and making friends with people all around the world. She is hopeful that RIGS will help the international scholars at Rockefeller find community, provide useful resources, and make everybody feel welcome and appreciated.
Laura Berneking
Board member (2023-2024)
Laura is a postdoctoral researcher in the Tarakhovsky Laboratory, where she focuses on investigating epigenetic memory in the context of infectious diseases. Born in Germany, Laura pursued her academic journey with an MD-PhD program in Hamburg, enriching her experiences with academic stints in both Italy and South Africa. In 2022, she embarked on a new chapter at Rockefeller University, where she moved with her two children. Laura's dedication to her work is complemented by her experiences as a parent, and she cherishes the multilingual environment her children now thrive in. Her fresh memory of the challenges of relocating abroad fuels her passion for her research and desire to make significant contributions to the scientific community.
Dhyey Gandhi
Social event co-ordinator (2024)
Dhyey Gandhi is a second-year graduate student in the Maimon Lab studying navigation and memory in fruit flies. Originally hailing from India, he first came to the US for his undergraduate studies at MIT, following which he relocated to New York for graduate studies at the Rockefeller University. Throughout his personal journey, he has had the support of many amazing friends, mentors, and teachers who helped his navigate through the culture shock and other challenges of pursuing his education and career thousands of miles away from home. He feels truly grateful to all of them for helping him thrive in this new environment, and wants to pay it forward to the international community at Rockefeller by helping everyone find community, resources, and support as they craft their own journeys towards their goals.
Yukina Chiba
Graduate student representative (2023-2025)
Yukina Chiba is a second-year graduate student at Rockefeller University with a keen interest in behavioral dynamics and variations. As one of the very few Japanese students, she is motivated to bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds to celebrate their scientific journeys. Her unique upbringing in Japan and Singapore has given her a distinct perspective on the importance of inclusivity in scientific communities.
Naama Aviram
Postdoc representative (2023-2024)
Naama Aviram is a postdoc in the Marraffini Laboratory of Bacteriology, studying how bacteria acquire immunological memories. She is a native Israeli, and received her PhD in Molecular Genetics from the Weizmann Institute of Science. Being a great believer in how scientific work can benefit from diverse perspectives, Naama hopes to promote discussion on what international researchers bring to the table as well as help them navigate the local job market in academia and industry.