Each year graduate students and postdocs are elected by their peers to representative positions. These representatives play a critical role in enriching graduate student life through recruitment and orientation of new students, participation in Graduate Training Committee meetings, organization of the Pharmacology retreats, coordinating special events and communicating the needs of the graduate students to the Graduate Training Committee and the department chair. They also participate in faculty meetings. Through these activities, the student representatives gain valuable leadership experience, the ability to positively influence the department’s graduate program, and serve as an information conduit between the graduate students and the faculty.
Meet our current representatives:
Andréa Ball
Andréa is a third year PhD candidate in the lab of Dr. Ajit Divakaruni studying the role of oxidative phosphorylation in pro-inflammatory macrophages. She received her bachelor’s degree in biology and Spanish from Duke University. Outside of lab, she enjoys going to the beach, running and exploring southern California!
Marisa Mekkittikul
Marisa is a second-year graduate student in the lab of Dr. Ajit Divakaruni studying brain energy metabolism. She received her bachelor’s degree from UCLA in Neuroscience. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new music with friends or staying in with her pets and plants.