Alumni Week

The purpose of the Alumni Week is for students to connect with MRADS/MRC/UIR alumni to learn from their experiences and professional path. In turn, MRADS aims to build a long-term relationship with its students, beyond their time at the University of Michigan. We know that the best advocates for our community are those who experienced it firsthand!

Schedule

Tuesday, March 10th 2026: Keynote Lecture

4:00 - 5:00 pm ~ Dr. Paulina Devlin presents keynote speech followed by Q&A

5:00 - 6:00 pm ~ Networking Mixer

Wednesday, March 11th 2026: Alumni Panel

6:30 - 6:45 pm ~ Welcome and Opening Remarks by Director

6:30 - 7:20 pm ~ Alumni Breakout Session #1

7:20 - 7:30 pm ~ Transition

7:30 - 8:00 pm ~ Alumni Breakout Session #2

Thursday, March 12th 2026: Alumni Tea Time

1:00 - 2:00 pm ~ Tea Time with Scholars and MRADS Alumni

Alumni Panelists

Dr. Paulina Devlin, Keynote Speaker

Dr. Paulina Devlin is from Brighton, Michigan, and completed her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from the University of Michigan in 2016. She completed a master's degree in Physiology in 2017 and then worked as a clinical study coordinator for prospective studies of hepatocellular cancer biomarkers and randomized controlled trials investigating medications for adrenal conditions. She enrolled in the University of Michigan Medical School and graduated with academic honors in 2022, where she was also selected to be a member of the AOA and Gold Humanism honors societies. She is currently in her final year of Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at the University of Utah and plans to stay at University of Utah to pursue a fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Her primary research interests are in reducing maternal morbidity during the labor and delivery admission and equity in medical education. In 2025, she led an effort to oppose an anti-DEI law by publishing a petition in the Salt Lake Tribune. Outside of work, she is a lifelong ballet dancer and enjoys hiking, board games, and hosting dinner gatherings with her partner.

Dr. Sahil Dagli

Sahil Dagli is a Research and Development Engineer at PsiQuantum, currently working on material development for photodetectors used in quantum computing systems. His interests span optoelectronics, photonics, and materials science. He received his bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from University of Michigan in 2019, where he participated in the MRADS program from 2015-2017. As an undergraduate, he conducted computational and experimental research on materials for solid-state batteries, heat transport in semiconductors, and virtual reality tools for engineering education. He completed his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University in 2025, focusing on the design, fabrication, and characterization of nanoscale optical devices for wavefront shaping, free-space optical communications, and biosensing. During his studies, he also interned at General Motors and Applied Materials, gaining experience in materials and process development for the automotive, semiconductor, and display industries. As a graduate student, he also taught a class on energy materials, and is passionate about teaching, mentorship, and education. Outside of work, he enjoys distance running, volleyball, and playing music.

Dr. Nicole DesJardins

I spent two years in MRADS from 2013-2015, serving as a Peer Advisor as a Sophomore. During my time in MRADS, I conducted research on learning behavior in paper wasps and went on to pursue an Honors thesis in that same lab. I graduated from the University of Michigan in 2017 with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Afterwards, I completed my PhD at Arizona State University, studying bee behavior and physiology and graduating in 2023. I am currently a postdoctoral fellow in Entomology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and am applying for Assistant Professor positions in biology. I'm always happy to discuss careers in ecology and the environment, graduate school, and academia.

Dr. Erik Epp

Erik Epp (he/him) was part of the MRADS (then UIR) community from 1999-2002 where he was one of the Rescomp "Tech Team" staff and also acted as unofficial photographer while studying chemistry in LS&A. After graduating, he continued studying chemistry, earning a M.S. from the University of Chicago (focus on Computational Astrochemistry) and a Ph.D. from Purdue University (Physical Chemistry Education and Technology). After a brief stint teaching chemistry at St. Olaf College, he shifted focus to educational technology, both at a startup (WebAssign, later acquired by Cengage) and the University of Minnesota before moving into the energy industry as a database administrator and data scientist. He now works on making large quantities of time-series data reliable and accessible to energy plant operators and building facilities management on district energy systems (similar to Umich's steam system). He finds the role allows him to stretch his teaching background with communication and data visualization as key components. He enjoys reading, running, photography, pottery, LEGO, Rubik's cubes (and similar puzzles), gardening succulents, and tinkering with technology in his spare time. He and his wife, Katia (MRADS/UIR 2001-2003), live in Minnesota.

Karina Forsythe-Cummings

Karina Forsythe is a first-generation doctoral student from Detroit. She was apart of the MRADS living learning community during her Freshman year at Michigan where she had the opportunity to work in the Psychology department. Currently, a fourth year in the Combined Program for Education and Psychology, Karina completed her Bachelor's in Elementary Education (Mathematics) from Michigan in 2020. During which, she founded Curl Talk @ Umich. In her time away from Ann Arbor, Karina taught 5th grade in a suburb of Chicago. In graduate school, Karina served as co-founder/president of the Black Graduate Student Association, and is a current member of the Black Student Psychological Association and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Her current dissertation research is on the intersections of emotion, culture and cognition to establish "Black Cognitive Joy" as a construct. Her goal is to work in community partnership or as a school consultant. Fun fact: Karina swam and played rugby in high school and continues to swim every week!

Dr. Marius Kongsore

Marius Kongsore recently earned his Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics from NYU and is now an incoming postdoctoral scholar at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara. His research focuses on the fundamental structure and symmetries of quantum field theory — the framework underlying modern particle physics — and on questions in physics beyond the Standard Model, such as the nature of dark matter.

As an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, he served as a peer advisor for MRADS, conducted research at CERN, sang in the Arts Chorale, helped organize the Math Corps summer program, and served on the board of the Society of Physics Students.

Dr. Keegan Melstrom

Keegan Melstrom is an assistant professor of Biology at the University of Central Oklahoma. He joined the MRC, as MRADS was known at the time, in 2008 and ended up conducting four years of paleontology research at Michigan. After this, he decided to pursue paleontology as a career and received his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Utah studying the evolution of diet in extinct crocodile relatives, ultimately finding that several fossil crocs actually ate plants! Following this, he did his postdoc at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County studying the teeth and diet of dinosaurs. This paleontological research has taken him across the world, visiting museums from Argentina to Germany. He has also conducted fieldwork throughout the western United States and Ethiopia. In this time, he has worked in a variety of roles, from teaching 6th grade science to working in geology and biology departments.

Dr. Sara Rivera

Hi! I'm Sara Rivera. I was an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, where I double majored in Biochemistry and Geological Sciences (now Earth and Environmental Sciences). I was also in MRADS for 2 years before joining Res Staff for the next two years. I then moved to California and completed a PhD in Oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. I moved back to Michigan for a post-doc focused on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the Great Lakes. I transitioned that into a full time staff role as a Lab Manager for the Geomicrobiology Lab in the EARTH department. I love teaching though, so this semester I made the jump into full time lecturing and split my time between EARTH and Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). I also teach the only R&E course that is also Natural Sciences (NS). I believe in opening as many doors for students as possible to help everyone find their path to what they consider success, even if that doesn't align with the expectations of others. Life doesn't always go in a straight line.

Dr. Brandon Rosen

Brandon grew up in San Francisco and obtained his B.S. Chem. from the University of Michigan in 2011. During his time in the Michigan Research Community (now MRADS) he performed research in the laboratory of Professor John Wolfe. He then moved to The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA, and completed his Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor Phil Baran in 2015. He is currently a Director in the department of Medicinal Chemistry at Arcus Biosciences, where he has been since 2016. Outside of work, he is an avid marine sports enthusiast, both under the water as a certified rescue diver and on top of the water as a competitive sailor.

Jo Sasota

I was part of MRADS for one year, and it played a big role in shaping my path early on. The program helped me build a strong foundation in research and gave me the opportunity to work alongside people who were just as curious about understanding how and why people think and behave the way they do.

Since then, I’ve built my career in UX research, focusing on customer experience and product strategy. I’m currently a Senior UX Researcher at Amazon Business, where I lead research across payments, financial services, and seller tools. My work centers on helping teams make better product decisions by bringing forward real customer insights through both qualitative and quantitative research.

Outside of work, I’m especially interested in the future of work—how AI, automation, and shifting economic models are reshaping careers and organizations. I’m also an avid pickleball player and enjoy the community and competition that comes with the sport

Dr. Lauren Tighe

Lauren Tighe is an alumna of the Michigan Research Community (MRC), now known as MRADS. As a freshman in 2007, she conducted research on the associations between social relationships and well-being with her faculty mentors at the Institute for Social Research (ISR), Drs. Kira Birditt and Toni Antonucci. Tighe continued research with her mentors through senior year, culminating in a Psychology Department honor's thesis that is published in Developmental Psychology. Following graduation, she was a high school math teacher in Detroit through Teach for America. Tighe then returned to Michigan in 2013 as a doctoral student in the Joint Doctoral Program in Developmental Psychology and Social Work. After graduating with her PhD in 2019, she began a postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University's Institute for Policy Research. Now, as a Research Assistant Professor, her current work focuses on the role of families in the development and academic success of children and youth. More specifically, she uses mixed methods to study the implementation and evaluation of family-centered education programs designed to promote economic and social mobility.

Past Alumni Panelists

Steven Walker ‘18

Steven Walker graduated in 2018 with a BSE in Chemical Engineering. MRADS was a big part of Steven’s college experience as a member during his first-year, a peer advisor sophomore year, an RA junior and senior year, and then after graduation as an interim Administrative Assistant.
Steven is currently a Process Engineer at Fleis & VandenBrink Engineering in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His main responsibilities include designing wastewater and water treatment plants and all related appurtenances for municipalities all around Michigan and Indiana. Steven recently passed his Professional Engineering Exam and is on track to becoming a Professional Engineer in April 2023.

Marius Kongsore ‘21

Marius graduated in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Physics and Mathematics. He is currently a Ph.D. student at New York University (NYU), conducting research in elementary particle physics. Most of his work is centered around probing the particle nature of dark matter via new theoretical models and physical observables.

While a student at Michigan, Marius was a peer advisor in MRADS, he spent a semester abroad doing research at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, he partook in and was on the board of the Arts Chorale, he helped organize the math department's Math Corp summer education program, and he served on the board of the Michigan Society of Physics Students.

Lizbeth Gonzalez ‘21

Lizbeth Gonzalez graduated in 2021 with a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Science Technology and Society. She also served as a peer mentor while in MRADS from 2017-2019.

Currently, Lizbeth is a Clinical Research Associate at Kellogg Eye Center conducting research on optic neuritis, IIH, and NAION. In addition, she conducts clinical research at the College of Pharmacy on depression and anxiety among the Latinx population, and the diversity, equity, and inclusion practices across every pharmacy school in the nation.

Lizbeth is also in the process of applying to medical school and hopes her research experiences aid in achieving her dream of becoming a neuro-ophthalmologist.

Riki Carroll ‘21

Riki Carroll received a bachelor's and master's in Chemical Engineering. While in MRADS, she conducted research in the Education and Psychology department where she studied mind-wandering using eye-tracking devices. She then returned as a peer mentor for the program. Later in college, Riki returned as a peer mentor for MRADS and was part of the Nagrath Laboratory, a microfluidics cancer research lab.

Riki’s college work experiences vary from being a baker, camp counselor, and a screen printing operator. Currently, she works at BP as a Pipeline Maintenance Engineer supporting maintenance projects for the Midwest Assets and in the field.

Freddie Bauer ‘21

Freddie Bauer is a second-year Ph.D. student studying anatomy and education at Indiana University. During his time at U-M, he majored in Movement Science and enjoyed various extracurriculars including his professional fraternity and many research projects in topics ranging from education to cardiovascular health to biomechanics. Currently, Freddie is balancing a combination of teaching, research, and coursework in his Ph.D. For his research, Freddie is focusing on metacognition, i.e., “thinking about how we think” and projects focused on the inaccuracy of self-reported data and how we can teach students to become more metacognitively aware while improving self-report accuracy/objectivity.

Tori Bonn

Tori is a 2016 LSA grad and a 2012-2015 MRADS (formerly MRC) alum. She came to U of M from a very small town near Lansing, so Ann Arbor was initially a big culture shock for her. The community she found at Mosher Jordan was essential in helping her face uncertainty in her first two years of college in terms of finances and wondering if Chemical Engineering was the right major for her. (It wasn’t.) Tori ended up graduating with a degree in International Studies and then moved to DC for a few years. She worked first at a nonprofit and then as an Immigration Paralegal at an employment law firm before coming back to Michigan in 2021. Tori is now in her second year of law school at Michigan State, studying environmental and tribal law.

Sahil Dagli

Sahil is currently wrapping up a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University. His current research interests are in nanoscale optical devices, and using computational and experimental approaches to develop devices for optical communications and sensing. He graduated from University of Michigan in 2019 after completing his undergraduate degree in Materials Science and Engineering. He was a peer advisor in MRC/MRADS and worked on research projects spanning solid-state batteries, computational materials science, and virtual reality tools for education. He has also completed internships at General Motors (undergrad) and Applied Materials (grad) and enjoyed seeing how materials science plays a role in the automotive and semiconductor industries. During grad school, he co-instructed a class on Energy Materials and helped start a program to give undergraduates funded opportunities to do research in the Materials Science department at Stanford. Looking forward, he hopes to find a full-time position focused on translating photonics and optoelectronics technologies from the lab to industry.

Leah Lambart

Leah has over 14 years of research experience in academic medical centers. Her current position is as a postdoctoral fellow with the Kansas University Cancer Center office of Community Outreach and Engagement. She started with MRADS or UROP, as it was called at the time, during her undergraduate degree program at the University of Michigan doing research in a kinesiology lab. Next, she started the MPH program at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC), she worked in an NIH-funded laboratory (1R01CA101963-01) as a graduate research assistant (GRA) on smoking cessation. After completion of her MPH, she worked for a spinal surgeon at KUMC. Next, Leah worked as an infectious disease epidemiologist for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. She conducted outbreak investigations, managed the state Perinatal Hepatitis B program, and tracked immunizations in kindergarteners. They innovated a method to detect and trace Hepatitis B positive mothers and their newborns by auditing hospital records and she presented the work at a national CDC conference and at the Kansas Public Health Association (KPHA) conference. Next, she worked as the project director for an NIH-funded laboratory (5R01HL087643-04) that assessed Telemedicine for Smoking Cessation in Rural Primary Care. Leah was a co-author on three publications from the project. Next, she worked at The KU Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (KU ADRC) as a Clinical Research Coordinator. She obtained the Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) certification. During that time, she realized she wanted to be part of the science and research trial development. She applied and started the PhD program at KUMC, during which, she worked as a GRA within the department of Population Health at KUMC and helped run four research studies (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT04996940, NCT05510154, NCT05887947, and NCT06477601). For these studies, they looked at acceptability, subjective effects, and nicotine delivery in three nicotine products: cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco. Leah presented work from these, and other projects related to cannabis and tobacco cessation at Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, and KPHA in 2020. As she learned more about how science can inform policy, she grew passionate about conducting more research to lessen disparity-related health burdens from the patient level to the federal policy level. Her passion is to find ways to reduce suffering by working to continue to reduce cancer burden using evidence-based methods. Leah's next step is to conduct her own, original research. Her postdoctoral position will help her gain critical experience and knowledge in each of the following areas: (1) cancer care delivery in diverse environments; (2) clinical environment of cancer screening in rural environments; (3) advanced statistical skills for epidemiological studies; (4) Dissemination and Implementation Methods. The broad objective of Leah's research agenda is to contribute to the understanding of how to improve cancer care delivery with a specific focus on screening. A primary aspect of her research has been to understand how and why rural healthcare disparities exist and how to reduce them.

La'Joya Orr

Originally from Romulus, MI, La'Joya Orr is a first-generation college graduate. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science from the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science and the Arts in 2008 and went on to complete a Master of Arts in Social Foundations of Education from Eastern Michigan University in 2013. During her time at Michigan, she participated in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, In Residence (UIR), now known as MRADS, from 2004 to 2006.

La'Joya Orr has served the University of Michigan for 15 years. She currently serves as the Associate Director of the Office of Undergraduate Student Affairs at the University of Michigan's School of Kinesiology, a role she has held since October 2013. In this position, she works closely with students and staff to support academic success and specifically manages admissions, recruitment and career development. Prior to this role, La'Joya worked for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, for a total of over 15 years of service to the University of Michigan.

Before entering higher education administration, La'Joya taught English in Japan for a year (April 2009–April 2010), immersing herself in both the language and culture while expanding her global perspective.
In addition to her professional career, La'Joya is the founder and designer behind Le'Lonnie Couture, a women's clothing brand she has run for over 10 years. With a keen eye for fashion and a commitment to quality, she has built a successful business that merges her love of people with her entrepreneurial spirit and creativity. La'Joya is also a lover of travel, with 44 countries visited, she continues to work toward her lofty goal of exploring 100 countries in her lifetime.

La'Joya is passionate about empowering students, creating opportunities for growth, and continuing to learn and evolve through both personal and professional experiences.

Jakob Hoellerbauer

Jakob was part of MRC (the predecessor of MRAD) as a freshman scholar in 2010 and then as a peer mentor the following year. He finished his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering in 2013 and then went on to complete his master's in electrical engineering: Systems in 2014. During his time at Michigan, he was a member of the UM:Autonomy student project team where they designed and built an autonomous boat. It was partly through this experience that he discovered his passion for robotics and autonomous systems.
After graduation, he worked for Ford Motor Company on their autonomous vehicle development program for close to 3 years. In 2017, he switched to working for the Toyota Research Institute, also writing software for autonomous vehicles. In 2022, he wanted something a little different and transitioned to working for Skyspecs, a company headquartered here in Ann Arbor. Among other things, Skyspecs uses autonomous drones to inspect wind turbines, and he is part of the robotics team responsible for those drones.

Harsh Jhaveri

Harsh Jhaveri joined the Michigan Research Community (now MRADS) in 2016 and was a part of the community for two years, returning as a peer advisor as a second-year student. Harsh completed his double major in Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science Engineering in December 2020. As an undergrad, Harsh was active as a student researcher (Solid State Battery Development with Prof. Jeff Sakamoto), Show Coordinator for the Indian American Student Association, Founding Member and Operations Director for University of Michigan Science Olympiad, Treasurer for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Instructional Assistant for ENGR 101 and EECS 280, and a member of multiple DEI and Advisory Boards (e.g., Dean of Students, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Engineering Education). Harsh returned to the University of Michigan for a Masters in Robotics, graduating in Spring 2023. As a graduate student, Harsh was a Graduate Student Instructor for ENGR 101, Department Representative for the Graduate Employees Organization, and Treasurer for the Robotics Graduate Student Council. Harsh is currently a Tactical Autonomy Engineer at Merlin Labs, a recent transition after working across Autonomy Engineering and Business Development for four and a half years at Aurora Flight Sciences, A Boeing Company. Additionally, Harsh is a Deferred MBA Admit to the Stanford Graduate School of Business, with the eventual goal of having a career intersecting between robotics technology, education, and business. In his free time, Harsh enjoys cooking, staying active, traveling, and taking on various woodworking/car/etc. projects to keep himself busy.

Eduardo Batista

Eduardo joined MRADS in the Fall of 2015, and stayed for a year. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Business and another degree in Cognitive Science. Then, he went to Schwarzman Scholars at Tsinghua University for a Master's. While there, he was accepted to a few of the top PhD programs in the U.S. mostly in Management (out of Business School). He deferred Stanford MS&E for two years, before ultimately pursuing other ventures in Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, and Venture Capital. He still researches actively with Professors at Tsinghua, Michigan, and with a former HBS Professor, on a variety of topics, and most likely he will eventually pursue a PhD soon.

Drake Baglietto

Drake Baglietto is a Manager in Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis’ Los Angeles office. With a diverse background in consumer-focused awareness campaigns, public affairs, and crisis communication, Drake uses his unique experience to help clients simplify complexity through creativity. His non-traditional path, down which a love of strategy propelled him, has included crisis communications work for films and film festivals, developing executive thought leadership strategies for Fortune 500 companies, and conducting media training for prominent actors, directors and public officials.

Brenna Budaitis

Brenna Budaitis grew up in the Chicago suburbs and received her B.S. in Chemistry, with high distinction, from the University of Michigan in 2018. She was first exposed to research as a MRADS student and returned her second year as a Peer Advisor. During her first two years at Michigan, she conducted genetics research under Prof. Catherine Keegan. After discovering her interest in organic chemistry, she finished her research studies with Prof. Pavel Nagorny, contributing towards the synthesis of a spiroketal, chiral scaffold as an alternative ligand-analogue for asymmetric transition-metal catalysis. Brenna recently received her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in 2024 under Prof. Christina White. Her thesis focused on the development of electrophilic palladium(II)-catalyzed allylic C—H aminations that cross-couple amines and terminal olefins, with applications towards the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and their derivatives. Outside of research at UIUC, Brenna was the lab safety officer, served on the board for the Women Chemists Committee and the Gender Equity in Chemical Sciences Conference, and mentored two students. Brenna recently joined AbbVie in 2024 as a Senior Scientist I in Process Research and Development, and is collaboratively contributing towards the development of innovative chemical processes that supports the advancement of transformative medicines.

Alec Beljanski

Alec Beljanski is an embedded software engineer at Glydways, a public transit startup which develops software to run a fleet of autonomous vehicles as a public transit option. In this role, Alec develops device drivers for these autonomous vehicles, including external sensors (lidar, radar, cameras) and internal cabin devices (NFC readers, touchscreens, lighting, speakers, etc.).  At MRADS, Alec worked with a team of other undergraduate students to test and refine a microplastic filter as his research project. Alec stayed for a second year at MRADS as a peer mentor and led the study groups for Physics E/M and Differential Equations. After leaving MRADS, Alec worked for the Marine Renewable Energy lab and the Real Time Water Systems lab doing embedded software work. He finished his college experience by going on the 2019 Greenland Expedition for Undergraduate Research where he wrote data logging software for a radiometer and wind anemometer. He graduated Michigan in 2019 with a Computer Engineering BSE. He currently lives in Boulder, CO where he likes to climb, snowboard, practice handstands, and play board games with friends.

Dr. Barrett Anderson, Panelist & Keynote Speaker

Barrett Anderson is an alumnus of UROP-in-Residence (UIR), now known as MRADS. He lived in Mosher-Jordan for three years and continued in UIR as a student mentor. He graduated from the University of Michigan majoring in biology and Japanese. He attended medical school at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his residency in urological surgery at the Detroit Medical Center. He then completed a fellowship in endourology and minimally invasive surgery at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Barrett enjoys piano, violin, tennis, golf, video games, computers, and travel. He has been to Japan several times and always looks forward to returning.

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