Our Leadership Team
Get to know our leadership board.
Omar Salinas
Co-presidentOmar is a 3rd year PhD candidate in Chemistry researching the use of upconversion nanoparticles for biological imaging. His role in GFLI@MIT includes obtaining and maintaining internal records for GFLI advocacy.
Fun Fact: He is an active member of MIT Dance Troupe and has been involved with dance organizations since high school.
Pronouns: he/they
Coco Wu
Co-presidentCoco is a 2nd year PhD student in Biology program studying the oncogenic roles of cancer mutations in gene transcription using high-throughput CRISPR screen. Her role within GFLI@MIT is to actively expand, collaborate and maintain contacts with external partners, alumni, and donors.
Fun Fact: She moved from sunny California where she enjoyed beautiful beaches and natural scenery. After settling in Boston she now enjoys visiting cultural and historical museums, watching ballet and musical shows, and seeing fall foliage.
Pronouns: she/her
Hao Nghi Luu
TreasurerHao is a 2nd year PhD Student in the Department of Material Sciences and Engineering (DMSE) as a member of the Biomolecular Materials Group under Prof. Angela Belcher.
Pronouns: she/her
Karla Manzanares
SecretaryKarla is a 2nd year PhD student in the Biological Engineering program at MIT who researches reproductive tissue modeling, homeostasis and immunology using single-cell omics. Her role in GFLI@MIT includes obtaining and maintaining internal records for GFLI advocacy.
Fun Fact: She loves going going on runs and once ran an unofficial marathon in Big Bear, CA for fun during the pandemic.
Zihan Lin
Programming ChairZihan is a PhD student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE) at MIT studying the effect of ionizing radiation on ultrawide bandgap materials in the Ju Li group. He grew up in a village in southern China and moved to the U.S. when he was 12. He is a first-gen college graduate from Princeton University (Chemical and Biological Engineering). He is an NSF GRFP recipient and Draper Scholar. He enjoys cooking and playing table tennis during his free time. His dream career path is to open a restaurant after retiring from academia.
Abdallah Lamane
External RelationsAbdallah is a French PhD student at MIT working at the crossroads of computational pathology and machine learning—think AI meets medicine, with a lot of math in the mix. Outside the lab, he keeps his French & Moroccan heritage alive through ambitious home-cooked meals, and scouting out the best pastry shops in Cambridge.
Fun fact: I love dogs!
