2025/2026
Executive Board
Dinesh Bojja, President
Dinesh Bojja (he/him) is a junior double majoring in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and Statistics and Data Science and a scholar in the Global Health Studies program. He is from Dublin, Ohio. As Vice President, Dinesh helps oversee YURA's committees, organize finances, and collaborate with donors, partners, and departments to support YURA initiatives. Outside of YURA, Dinesh sings for Yale Avaaz, volunteers in Pediatric Cardiology at Yale New Haven Hospital, and spars with the Yale Taekwondo Team.
Contact: dinesh.bojja@yale.edu
Vice President
Alyssa Anderson, Treasurer
Alyssa Anderson (she/her) is a first-year from Dallas, Texas majoring in mechanical engineering!
Jae-Hee Bae, COCO Chair
Jae-Hee Bae (she/they) is a junior majoring in MB&B & Climate Science and Solutions. Hailing from the verdant pastures of Dayton, Ohio, she serves as Chair of the Committee of Community Outreach. Jae-Hee helps YURA connect with youths and newbies to help realize their potential research-related dreams. Beyond YURA, Jae-Hee loves biking, making music with the Orange Street Trio, and doing taxes with Yale VITA!
Contact: jae-hee.bae@yale.edu
Lana Zheng, GUMI Chair
Lana Zheng (she/her) is a Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry major from New York. As GUMI Chair, she oversees all GUMI endeavors like the mentorship program and panels, with a special interest in outreach for minority communities in STEM. In her free time, she enjoys conducting research, battling an online shopping addiction, and eating fries at the Ivy.
Contact: lana.zheng@yale.edu
Ryan Fernandes, RDB Chair
Ryan Fernandes (he/him) is a first-year from Natick, Massachusetts pursuing a combined Electrical Engineering and Computer Science double major. As the RDB chair, he is leading the deployment of a new research database to connect students with professors who share similar research interests. Outside of YURA, he enjoys playing for the Club Spikeball team and baking (primarily macarons)!
Contact: ryan.fernandes@yale.edu
Zihan Yang, YURC Chair
Zihan Yang (he/him) is a junior majoring in MCDB. He is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the chair of the Yale Undergraduate Research Conference, Zihan oversees the logistics and planning of the annual research conference. Together with his team, he focuses on bridging research departments at Yale and other colleges. He hopes to foster the interdisciplinary research and collaboration that drives scientific/societal advancements in the 21st century. Outside of YURA, Zihan is a project manager in the Yale Undergraduate Consulting Group and dabbles in ballroom dance.
Contact: zihan.yang.zy284@yale.edu
Meenakshi Ambati, YURJ Chair
Meenakshi Ambati is a junior majoring in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and is a Hahn and Global Health Studies scholar. She hails from Charlottesville, Virginia. As Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Undergraduate Research Journal, Meenakshi oversees all aspects of the journal including the editorial process, student outreach, finances, and final publication/distribution. Together with the YURJ team, she hopes to expand the platform for undergraduate researchers at Yale and beyond to share their work and engage in meaningful scholarly activities. In her free time, she enjoys making pottery, painting landscapes, performing research in immunology and corporate sustainability, and encouraging scientific curiosity and engagement among young students.
Contact: meena.ambati@yale.edu
Johnathan McGee, GUMI Chair
Johnathan McGee (he/him) is a first year majoring in Psychology (Neuroscience Concentration) and History of Science, Medicine and Public Health. He is from Los Angeles, California. As GUMI-Co Chair he oversees all aspects of graduate-undergraduate affairs through the mentorship programs and various multi-faceted initiatives created to support and uplift the research community. Through the efforts of GUMI, he hopes to bridge the gap between underrepresented students and access to research to allow all Yale undergraduates to know that research is an opportunity anyone can be involved in. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his friends, traveling to New York, thrifting, collecting Vinyls and practicing DJ-ing.
Contact: johnathan.mcgee@yale.edu
Sophie Nguyễn, GUMI Chải
Sophie Nguyen (she/her) is a first-year majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from Orange County, California. As GUMI co-chair, Sophie helps oversee all GUMI endeavors, including the graduate-undergraduate mentorship program, panels, and other outreach opportunities regarding research in all disciplines. Outside of YURA, she enjoys playing her guitar, making matcha, and catching up with friends.
Contact: sophie.nguyen@yale.edu
Cole Haynes, Publicity & Design
Cole is a sophomore double majoring in Computer Science and Philosophy with certificates in Spanish and Food,Agriculture, and Climate Change. As a member of the P&D team, Cole does photography and digital media production for the various YURA initiatives. Outside of school, he enjoys running, talking about philosophy, playing IMs, and making videos.
Contact: cole.haynes@yale.edu
Karen Mei, Publicity & Design
Karen is a first-year majoring in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry from Michigan. As a member of the P&D team, Karen creates promotional content and maintains outreach across platforms for YURA’s initiatives. Outside of YURA, Karen enjoys scrapbooking, finding new coffee spots, and binge watching new shows.
Contact: karen.mei@yale.edu
Advisory Board Members
Milton Young
Alumni Advisor, YURA
website designed by Lea Kim (‘24)
Previous Executive Boards
To be added