Our Leadership Team
Get to know our leadership board.
Kimberly Bennett
Co-Founder and Co-PresidentKimberly is a 4th year PhD candidate in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology program who researches drug delivery to pediatric brain tumors. Her role in GFLI@MIT includes internal management, communications, and GFLI advocacy.
Fun Fact: She has over 700+ hours in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Pronouns: she/her
Diana Grass
Co-Founder and Co-PresidentDiana is a 3rd year PhD student in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology program who researches the intersection of neuroimaging, immunology, & technology. Her role within GFLI@MIT includes interfacing with external entities and GFLI advocacy.
Fun Fact: She attended 13 different public schools before completing high school.
Pronouns: she/her
Davy Deng
Co-Founder and Co-President and Co-TreasurerDavy is a 3rd year PhD Student in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology program who is interested in the intersection of machine learning and cancer evolution. His role within GFLI@MIT includes account managing, fundraising, and financial affairs.
Fun Fact: He grew up in the Gobi and the Ordos deserts in China.
Pronouns: he/they
Ozioma Ozor-Ilo
Community Programming Chair and Web MasterOzioma is a 3rd year PhD student in Mechanical Engineering studying haptic technology, particularly wetness perception. Her role within GFLI@MIT includes community building and event programming.
Fun Fact: She has a to-do list where she plans every minute of her day, and currently has a 959 day completion streak.
Pronouns: she/her
Parisa Yousefpour, PhD
Undergraduate Relations Co-ChairParisa is a postdoc at the Koch Institute researching the combination of synthetic biology and immuoengineering to enhance RNA therapeutics. Her role within GFLI@MIT is interfacing with FLI@MIT and joint programming.
Fun Fact: At 18, she ranked 1st in Iran's national entrance exam, resulting in her appearing on the front page of Iran's newspapers.
Pronouns: she/her
Adriana Payan-Medina
Undergraduate Relations Co-Chair and Community Programming Chair AssistantAdriana is a PhD student in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program. She is a first-generation University of Utah graduate and a Mexican-American student. As a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Adriana conducts research in the Toner Lab on developing microfluidics for cancer research.
Fun Fact: She enjoys doing yoga, biking, and reading.
Pronouns: she/her
Omar Salinas
SecretaryOmar 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
External Relations ChairCoco 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
Professor Paula Therese Hammond
Faculty AdvisorProfessor Paula T. Hammond is Institute
Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and a member of MIT’s Koch Institute
for Integrative Cancer Research. She is Vice
Provost for Faculty and former Department Head in
Chemical Engineering. A full biography can be found here
Pronouns: she/her
