EXECUTIVE BOARD
Bettina Schmerl
President
Bettina is a postdoctoral associate in the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT. Her research focusses on the structural and molecular heterogeneity of inhibitory synapses in the visual cortex. During her PhD she worked on understanding the function and interactions of postsynaptic scaffold proteins that are implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders. Outside of the lab Bettina has too many interests to fit in a short biography. She previously served as chair of the Sports Committee for a year and is still captain of the MIT postdoc running club.
As president of the postdoctoral association, she wants to continue to encourage and support the postdoc community and create a sense of belonging through community and professional development events. Through close collaboration between PDA and the VPR office, she aims to further improve postdoc life at MIT by advocating for postdoc rights and benefits.
Ishaq Khan
Vice President
Khan is a cancer neurobiologist working with Prof. Deblina on developing novel therapeutic strategies for tumors which are resistant to standard treatments. Prior joining Medial Lab-NCB, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate at Texas A&M Health Science Center, on developing novel small molecule kinase inhibitors for breast cancer brain metastasis. Khan has established the only national brain tumors biobank from 350+ patients at Khyber Medical University, with comprehensive clinical data including radiological scans, histopathological reports, biochemical, and hematological profiles. As PI of Precision Oncomedicine Lab (C3POL), Khan retrieved cancer tissues, blood, DNA, RNA, and generated primary cell cultures from wide range of adult and pediatric brain tumors’ patients including meningiomas, medulloblastomas, pituitary tumors, schwannomas, ependymoma, glioblastomas and other astrocytic tumors, which have been used extensively for advanced cancer research.
With previous experience as Vice President of the Texas A&M University Postdoctoral Association, Khan brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her new role at MIT. As Vice President, he is committed to creating a strong sense of community and belonging among MIT postdocs.
Winald Kitzmann
Recording Secretary
Winald is a postdoctoral fellow of the Human Frontier Science Program in the Department of Chemistry at MIT. His research revolves all around how light interacts with matter and how we can use these interactions to tackle our current challenges in energy and sustainability. In his current work, he uses ultrashort laser pulses to understand what happens in a molecule right after light is absorbed.
He obtained his PhD in chemistry in the University of Mainz, Germany. There, he established the doctoral student representatives and served as their speaker for 2 years. Winald is committed to continue his advocacy work to improve the conditions for postdocs at MIT.
Danlei Chen
Corresponding Secretary
Danlei is a postdoctoral associate in the Research Laboratory of Electronics at MIT. Her research focuses on examining human brainstem function using innovative fMRI technology. She currently utilizes ultra-high field multi-modal human imaging methods to explore whole-brain neural and physiological dynamics across different stages of arousal. Danlei earned her PhD in Psychology from Northeastern University, where she served as a graduate student DEI representative for two years. Beyond research, Danlei enjoys crocheting, painting, hiking, swimming, and playing tennis. As Correspondence Secretary, she aims to improve communication efficiency, foster connections within the postdoc community, and enhance the community’s image and messaging through social media.
Elia Arnese Feffin
Treasurer
Elia is a postdoctoral associate at the Department of Chemical Engineering. His research revolves around industrial data analytics and mathematical modeling, with particular focus on fault detection and integration of prior knowledge into data-driven modeling workflows. Originally from Italy, he earned his PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of Padua, working on industrial data analytics applied to biorefinery processes. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, practicing and learning about the tea culture, and taking long walks. He serves the postdoc community at MIT as Treasurer of the PDA. In this role, he manages the budget of the association, tracks the cash flows associated with events organized by the Committees, and ensures proper processing of expenses and refunds.
STANDING COMMITTEEs
Amy Lee
Advocacy Committee Chair
Amy is a postdoc associate in the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and received her PhD from Brown prior to coming to MIT. As Advocacy Chair, she hopes to cultivate a stronger postdoc community and to continue to spotlight important issues that affect us professionally and personally. She looks forward to working alongside fellow PDA chairs and listening to others to amplify our experiences here at MIT. Outside of lab, she enjoys watching basketball (go Lakers!) and eating her way around the greater Boston area.
Ziling Chen
Orientation Committee Chair
Ziling Chen is a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT, working in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Learning Engineering and Practice (LEAP) Group. He earned his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue University, where he specialized in robotics. His research interests encompass manipulation, computer vision, large language models, and sensor development. As the Chair of the Orientation Committee, Ziling is dedicated to enhancing the onboarding experience for incoming postdocs by making information and resources more accessible. He believes that a strong start is essential for success, and he is committed to ensuring new postdocs transition smoothly and effortlessly to MIT.
Danielle Coogan
Alumni Committee Chair
Danielle Coogan is a Postdoctoral Associate in the AeroAstro Department with the Space Telecommunications, Astronomy, and Radiation Laboratory. Her research focuses on precision navigation and instrumentation for satellite laser communication. She has an interest in space sustainability and is a former National Academies Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow (2023). Danielle is an MIT Lincoln Laboratory GEM Fellow alumna and received her PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida in December 2023. She received her B.S. Mechanical Engineering from the University of Miami. At the University of Florida, Danielle was a founder of the Graduate Society of Women Engineers section, Chair of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Graduate Student Council, and a member of her department’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Committee. She looks forward to using her experience with those organizations in her role as Alumni Chair of the PDA and understands the impact and importance of a strong professional network and community.
Juan Felipe Torres Gonzalez
Community Building Committee Chair
Juan is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Chemistry. His research in the Dincă laboratory focusses on developing new strategies to apply metal organic frameworks to catalysis. Before joining MIT, he got his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the University of Florida, where he worked with multimetallic complexes for small molecule activation. Juan is originally from Colombia, he loves to dance, to run, to bake and to bond with new people. Through his position as Community Building Chair, Juan expects to offer the postdoctoral community an opportunity to connect with others.
Yiqiao Zheng
Community Building Committee Co-Chair
Yiqiao is a postdoctoral associate working with Dr. Daniel “Danny” Lew in the Biology Department (Building 68). Originally trained as a biomedical engineer in college, she became interested in biomedicine and pursued her Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics and Genomics at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, studying rare inherited retinal diseases. She came to the Lew Lab at MIT fascinated by an unconventional fungi that challenges the dogma of how eukaryotic cells divide. Outside the lab, Yiqiao loves all sorts of sports, is passionate about trying new recipes from different cuisines, and enjoys seeking new experiences and bringing people together.
At WashU, Yiqiao was the Peer Mentoring Program coordinator for the Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences and a member of the Student Advocacy Committee. She is excited about bringing these experiences in her new role as the Community Building Committee Co-Chair at MIT PDA to build and maintain a welcoming and supportive community among fellow postdocs.
Amilton Barbosa Botelho Junior
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee Chair
Amilton is a postdoctoral associate at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Chiang Group). His research focuses on sustainable mining – recovery of critical minerals from secondary sources. During his postdoc fellowship at Stanford, he worked on membrane-based electrochemical separation to recover Li from brine and ammonia from urban wastewater, including new membrane materials. As a graduate student at the University of Sao Paulo/Brazil, he worked on hydrometallurgical processing to recover critical minerals from mining tailings, collaborating with the University of British Columbia (Canada) and the University of Queensland (Australia). Outside the lab, he enjoys heavy metal and metalcore concerts, reading a great book peacefully, and a Brazilian barbecue.
Expery Omollo
Professional Development Committee Chair
Expery is a Damon Runyon postdoctoral fellow at MIT Biology, specializing in using bioinformatics and biochemistry to study transcription regulation in bacteria. He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Beyond his scientific research, Expery has experience consulting for biotechnology companies with WiSolve Consulting Group. He also co-founded and led a start-up focused on collecting recyclable waste and selling it to established recycling companies. As the chair of the professional development committee, Expery provides MIT postdoctoral scholars with the resources they need to achieve their professional goals.
Fabian Moeller
Sports Committee Chair
Fabian is a postdoctoral associate at the Aerospace Physiology Laboratory in Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is working on optimizing countermeasures for spaceflight with interests in cardiovascular and pulmonary physiology in extreme underwater, microgravity, altitude, and isolation environments. As part of his doctoral work at the German Sport University Cologne, he investigated the effects of countermeasure exercise training in long-duration isolation spaceflight analogs on physical and cognitive performance and conducted applied research on human physiology and performance underwater.
As the sports committee chair, he organizes and leads sports events at MIT to strengthen the postdoc network and provide physical activity opportunities. He builds on his background in Sports Science and extensive experience with honorary work in sports clubs at the local and federal levels.
David Rohrbach
IT & Information Committee Chair
David is a Swiss National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the MIT Department of Chemistry. In his research, he generates intense electromagnetic pulses at THz frequencies and uses those to characterize the nonlinear and collective behavior of various material systems.
Prior to joining MIT, he received his Ph.D. in strong-field THz spectroscopy from the University of Bern, Switzerland. In his spare time, he is an avid runner, enjoys board games and hiking.
During his time in Bern, he served as a Ph.D. student representative and was also responsible for the IT infrastructure at his institute. As Chair of the IT & Information Committee, David hopes to update the PDA website, efficiently deliver MIT PDA information to MIT postdocs, and thereby contribute as much as possible to making their postdoc experience a pleasant one.