Research Ambassadors 2023-24

Julia García GalindoJulia García Galindo  (she/her/hers)
Cabot House, Class of 2025
Email: juliagarciagalindo@college.harvard.edu

Julia García Galindo (she/her) is a junior at Cabot House studying sociology with a secondary in education studies. She became interested in social sciences research as a first-year after conducting an independent research project on the impact of school closures in Puerto Rico for a history course. That summer she led a research project on artistic portrayals of the Spanish American War using the Houghton Library archives as part of the SHARP Fellowship. During her sophomore year, Julia worked as a research assistant (for class credit!) to Dr. Emily Handsman, a sociologist analyzing the effectiveness of DEI policies in suburban schools. Most recently, Julia was awarded the Mellon Mays Fellowship and is in the first stages of an independent research project on the Puerto Rican education system. She hopes this project will become her senior thesis. Julia is excited to support any students interested in humanities/social sciences research!

 

You can reach out to Julia at juliagarciagalindo@college.harvard.edu.

    

Fechi InyamaFechi Inyama (she/her/hers)
Dunster House, Class of 2024
Email: finyama@college.harvard.edu

Fechi Inyama (she/her) is a senior in Dunster House studying Integrative Biology with a Secondary in Theater, Dance, and Media and a Language Citation in French. She was fortunate to have her first exposure to research in high school, where she was introduced to microbiology in the context of toxicology, as well as the human gut microbiome. This experience spurred her to pursue research during her first summer at Harvard as a PRISE fellow, exploring how gut microbiome perturbations affected host phenotypes using a mouse model in the Carmody Lab. She now works in the Balskus Lab, focusing on gut microbial enzyme discovery. She is immensely grateful for the mentorship she has received from the PIs, graduate students, and post docs she has worked with, as well as the funding she has received from PRISE, HCRP, and the Amgen Scholars Program.

You can reach out to Fechi at finyama@college.harvard.edu.

   

Mataya PhilbrickMataya Philbrick (she/her/hers)
Dunster House, Class of 2024
Email: mphilbrick@college.harvard.edu

Mataya Philbrick (she/her) is a senior studying Linguistics and Romance Languages and Literature. She's originally from Brewer Maine, and currently resides in Dunster House (go Meese!). Mataya's first experience with research was as a sophomore working in the Snedeker Lab for developmental studies, looking at early childhood language development. Working in the Snedeker Lab, she became inspired by language advocacy and began looking more at communities affected by language-based stigma, particularly within the Black-French Diaspora. This pursuit led her to her current thesis research working with Boston Haitian Creole Heritage Speakers. She examines bilingual education programs in speakers' heritage language to see the effects on literacy and their attitudes toward Haitian Creole inside and outside the classroom. Her major goal is to advocate for more heritage language programs and for the status of the Haitian Creole language, affecting not only students' access to education in the US but also in Haiti where many students are not given opportunities to become literate in their native language. This past summer she used HCRP funding to continue her work in Boston and will continue this project into the semester! As a URAF ambassador, Mataya hopes to encourage people with little to no experience in research to join the Harvard research community. She encourages anyone nervous or daunted by entering this space to contact her, and discuss opportunities through URAF that make research more accessible and welcoming!

You can reach out to Mataya at mphilbrick@college.harvard.edu.

 

alexia voAlexia Vo (she/her/hers)
Mather House, Class of 2024
Email: alexiavo@college.harvard.edu

Originally from Utica, NY, Alexia is a senior at Harvard College concentrating in Molecular and Cellular Biology along with a language citation in Chinese. As a 2021 research fellow in the Program for Research in Science and Engineering (PRISE), 2022 Program Assistant/2023 Proctor for the Harvard Summer Undergraduate Research Village (HSURV), Alexia hopes to share her experience navigating research at Harvard and applying for research opportunities as a first-generation low-income student. As a URAF research ambassador, Alexia is committed to promoting research as an accessible and enriching opportunity for all students. Alexia currently conducts research on translational repression in Plasmodium parasites in the Léger-Abraham Lab at Harvard Medical School. Outside of research, she is the Co-Vice President for the Harvard College Undergraduate Research Association (HCURA), a member of the Harvard Vietnamese Association (HVA), and a facilitator for life science courses on campus. Alexia is available to talk about applying to research opportunities such as PRISE, finding a lab, choosing a concentration, and other topics mentioned above.

You can reach out to Alexia at alexiavo@college.harvard.edu.