Peer Mentors are a valuable resource for students, offering mentorship and guidance on major requirements and course sequencing. They’re always happy to meet with and advise any student who is currently in — or considering — the MCDB major.
Clara Gulick is a junior in Franklin, double-majoring in MCDB and Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS). Over the past two summers, she has done research in New Haven in both departments, focusing on liver cancer and seismology. She would be happy to answer questions about juggling classes and research in multiple areas of interest. This year, she is involved with research at the med school and in the EPS department, physics peer tutoring, volunteer coordination for the American Red Cross at Yale, and the vertebrate paleontology collections at the Peabody Museum. Reach out to Clara to talk about double-majoring, finding a lab, course selection, and volunteering Dwight Hall, and more!
Colin Kim is a senior in Benjamin Franklin College, studying Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration, with a certificate in Education Studies. On campus, Colin is conducting cardiovascular immunology research at the Bender Lab, investigating the interactions between regulatory T-cells and vascular smooth muscle cells. Aside from that, he volunteers at Yale New Haven Hospital and serves as a patient navigator for HAVEN Free Clinic. He plans on attending medical school. Feel free to reach out to Colin if you have any questions about being pre-med, research, and/or anything else!
Abigail Lopez Freire is a senior in Berkeley College from Maryland pursuing the BS/MS in MCDB on the pre-med track. She currently conducts research in the Chang Lab on telomere biology. She has conducted telomere research at the Yale School of Medicine and at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre in Madrid through Yale fellowships. On campus, Abi has loved mentoring through the FroCo Program & the STARS I program, co-leading Yale Undergraduates for UNICEF, tutoring as an intro bio peer tutor, and working at the Berkeley College Office! Outside of academics, she enjoys photography, music, arts, and exploring Yale’s many libraries. Ask her about the MCDB major, finding an advisor, research & fellowship opportunities, the best spots around campus, and more!
Grace Kostecki is a senior in Branford College from Honolulu, Hawaii, studying MCDB on the pre-med track. She is currently conducting research in the von Blume lab at the Yale Medical School on protein trafficking through the trans-Golgi complex and in the Dakshanamurthy lab at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center on the carcinogenic effects of PFAS chemicals. In addition to serving as a Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry peer tutor, she is excited to be a MCDB peer mentor and is happy to answer any questions about the MCDB major or student life at Yale!
Anish Beeram is a junior in Davenport College pursuing the combined BS/MS in MCDB with a double-major in Chemistry and a certificate in Global Health Studies. Anish is a member of the Pyle Lab researching the discovery of conserved secondary structural motifs in long non-coding RNA involved in cancer progression. He is also starting in the Bindra Lab at the Yale Medical School and previously worked in the Shapiro Lab at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Aside from research, Anish completed the Directed Studies Program, volunteers with the Y2Y New Haven Homeless Shelter, and is the president of the Yale Foreign Policy Initiative. Anish intends to pursue an MD/PhD with a focus towards oncology.
Levi Cruz is a senior in Davenport College from Clinton, North Carolina studying Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology on the pre-med track. He conducts research at the Van Wolfswinkel Lab on nucleic acid immunity in invertebrates. Outside of classes, he volunteers with HAVEN Free Clinic, Connecticut Hospice, and La Unidad Latina. Feel free to reach out to ask any questions about the MCDB major, course selection, research at Yale, and more!
Debbie Mojekwu is a third-year student, originally from Chicago, majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology on the pre-med track. She is passionate about exploring the intersections of biology and health policy, in hopes of working in the Global Health field. On campus, she is involved in infectious disease research in the medical school, STEM tour guides, Community Health Educators, Yale Policy Institute, and Yale Global Health Review.
Joe Abou-Khalil is a rising junior majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with a strong interest in developmental genetics and translational research. He has conducted research in the Breaker Lab at Yale and recently completed the CRISSP program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he worked on in utero gene editing strategies. Outside the lab, he is involved in Yale Dabke, a Levantine dance team, and MathCounts Outreach, where he volunteers with local middle school students.
Mia Gawith is a senior in Hopper College pursuing a B.S. Intensive in MCDB on the pre-med track. Beginning as a STARS student, she conducts research in the Rogers Lab at the Yale School of Medicine on how gene technology can be used against gene-amplified cancers. Outside of classes and lab, Mia enjoys volunteering, serving as a managing editor of the Yale Scientific Magazine, and peer tutoring for the introductory biology sequence.
Oteng-Agyei is a junior in Morse College from Ghana, pursuing a B.S. in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology and a Certificate in Spanish. He is passionate about RNA biology, which he explores through his research in the Baserga Lab. Beyond academics, Oteng-Agyei is deeply committed to bridging educational inequities—working with initiatives such as the Yale Prison Education Initiative and Yale Young African Scholars—and volunteers regularly at Yale New Haven Hospital. He is also active in campus life through organizations like the Black Solidarity Conference.
Kenny Cheng is a junior seeking to complete a BS/MS in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with a concentration in Biotechnology and a certificate in Statistics and Data Science. He researches novel and strange nucleic acids—like riboswitches and ssDNA triplexes—in the Breaker Lab and also works at Yale Ventures to help faculty commercialize biotech innovations. A passionate science communicator, Kenny is a senior staff writer for the Yale Scientific Magazine and worked as an Editorial Associate at the Yale School of Medicine, translating complex science for a broad audience.
Christian Guirgis is a senior MCDB major on the BS/MS track. He works in Akiko Iwasaki’s lab, where he researches herpesvirus reactivation and Long COVID. This year, his time will be spent in the lab as he writes his thesis, as a peer tutor for CHEM 1610 peer tutor, and on his med school applications. In his free time, Christian captains Yale’s club soccer team and enjoys playing IM sports. Reach out to Christian with any questions about MCDB courses/tracks, pre-med life, chemistry, or research!
Crystal Liu is a senior in Pierson College pursuing a B.S. in MCDB and a certificate in data science. She conducted plant molecular biology research with the Irish Lab during her first two years and switched to viral biochemistry with the DiMaio Lab in her junior year. This past summer, she was fortunate to receive the Tetelman fellowship and join the Lok Shee-Mei Lab in Singapore to study Dengue virus. She hopes to pursue graduate studies after college. Crystal also serves as a Peer Liaison for OISS, and she is happy to chat about bluebooking, research, or anything else!
Usmaan Siddiqi (Pierson College ’27) is an MCDB major on the Biotechnology track. His favorite course so far has been Biotechnology (MCDB 370), which deepened his interest in how emerging technologies can be applied to solve devastating diseases. He conducts research on heart failure and mechanical circulatory support devices, and more broadly is passionate about leveraging interdisciplinary approaches––from artificial intelligence to computational modeling––to improve human health.
Madison Kesler is a junior in Saybrook completing a B.S. in MCDB on the neurobiology track and a certificate in Spanish. She is a pre-medical student, passionate about genetics research and bridging gaps in the healthcare system. Outside of the lecture hall or lab, Madi volunteers at HAVEN Free Clinic and YNHH, plays on the women’s club rugby team, and enjoys spending time at the Yale Farm. Reach out to her anytime with questions or concerns about extracurriculars, pre-med prerequisites, or anything else!
Kayla Sohn is a senior in Timothy Dwight College, studying Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology with a certificate in Global Health Studies from Long Island, New York. She is also a student in Yale School of Public Health’s five-year BS/MPH program pursuing an MPH in Environmental Health Sciences. Kayla is currently a member of the Lee Lab in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at Yale School of Medicine where she conducts research in human and translational immunology and immune related adverse events. She is also a writer for the Yale Scientific Magazine and a violinist for the Davenport Pops Orchestra. As a World Food Prize Borlaug-Ruan International Intern, Kayla hopes to learn more about the connections between policy, food security, scientific communication, and public health to drive her career pursuits in healthcare. Feel free to ask anything about pursuing a BS/MPH to learning how to integrate a passion for writing into STEM!
Angela Morka is a senior in Trumbull from Dallas, Texas. On campus, she works in the Lucas Lab conducting immunobiology research at the medical school, volunteers at Yale New Haven Hospital, and has been involved in the Black Pre-Health organization and many other organizations at the AfAm House. Outside of academics, she loves creating and listening to music, playing intramural volleyball, and watching reality TV. She would love to help answer questions about planning courses to fulfill the MCDB major, joining a lab, the simultaneous BS/MS degree track, being pre-med, applying to and attending research conferences, summer activities, and much more!
Valerie Rakotomalala is a junior in Trumbull College from Minnesota, studying MCDB on the premed track. Last year, she conducted research at Yale’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit, and this year she is looking to shift into research regarding DNA repair in cancer biology. Other than her love for MCDB, she is a captain of the Yale Women’s Club Soccer team, a singer in Yale’s Gospel Choir, and a Yale Student Ambassador! Feel free to reach out to her with any questions on course selection, getting into research at Yale, or anything else you may think of!
Andrea Chamba
The Undergraduate Registrar is the first point of contact for all major-related questions.
Stephen Dellaporta, Director of Undergraduate Studies
Damon Clark, Director of Undergraduate Studies for Neuroscience
Nancy daSilva, Neuroscience Program Coordinator
Primary faculty members of the MCDB department can serve as a faculty advisor to majors. For assistance in identifying a suitable advisor, students should contact the departmental Undergraduate Registrar. Students in the neurobiology, biotechnology, or quantitative biology track should have an advisor from their specific track.
Students whose regular advisor is on leave can consult the office of the director of undergraduate studies to arrange for an alternate. Please contact your MCDB faculty advisors by email to set up a zoom appointment if needed.