The Executive Management Team is comprised of student leaders from a variety of institutions around the globe. These leaders are chosen for their vision, enthusiasm, innovative thinking, proven leadership, and dedication to The Triple Helix. Together, they ensure the continued success of The Triple Helix’s old and new initiatives alike through international and various inter-chapter operations. The Executive Management Team also serves as a liaison between the undergraduate-run Triple Helix and its associated boards, the Board of Directors and the Board of Advisors.
Chief Executive Officer | Yucheng Pan
Yucheng is a sophomore at Harvard University, studying molecular/cellular biology and English. Previously, she has written about personal genome sequencing for TTH and served as the Executive Director of Science Policy. She likes thunderstorms, rummage sales, traveling, and adventurous eating. She also produces Spanish theater and works in a developmental neuroscience lab. Although the exact path remains foggy, Yucheng wants to pursue a career at the intersection of science and society, with a particular interest in biotechnology. In the meantime, she’s enjoying every bit of learning. This year, Yucheng is thrilled to work with a talented and brilliant team. She is committed to expanding TTH’s online presence and enhancing inter-chapter communication. A productive year will hopefully culminate in the 10th international conference at the University of Chicago.
Contact: ceo@thetriplehelix.org
Chief Operating Officer, North America | Brittany Hsu
Brittany Hsu is a junior at Cornell University studying Nutritional Sciences. She has been a part of the Triple Helix since her freshman year and has written three articles for the print publication, one of which was selected as an international feature. She has also been an editor for the journal and has served as the Director of Finance for the Cornell Chapter. She attended the 2012 Annual Triple Helix Conference in Washington D.C. and was selected to present her TTH-related research at the STGlobal Conference. Last year, as the Executive Director of Internal Affairs on the EMT, she organized the 2013 AAAS/Triple Helix Conference and Poster Session in Boston, M.A. She also expanded the alumni database and coordinated an alumni career panel featuring former EMT members who are currently in medical or graduate school. As Chief Operating Officer of North America, Brittany is working to establish new North American chapters and hopes to foster unity and collaboration amongst existing chapters to build a sustainable, global TTH network.
Contact: coo.na@thetriplehelix.org
Chief Operating Officer, Asia | Worapol Ratanapan
My name is Worapol Ratanapan or you can just call me by my nickname, Tong (preferred). Born and grew up in Thailand, I decided to get a different experience for my tertiary education abroad. This coming academic year I’ll be in my junior year at the National University of Singapore. I’m majoring in Computer Engineering and minoring Mathematics. I joined TTH NUS last year as a Social Media Director. My contribution went mostly to revamping the TTH NUS website. This year my focus as the COO Asia will be expanding TTH chapters to Thailand, South Korea, China and India. In addition to my passion for science and mathematics, I also have strong interest in politics and economics of Climate Change. I spent last summer at the University of Cambridge taking courses in International Politics.
Contact: coo.asia@thetriplehelix.org
Chief Operating Officer, Australia | Kristijan Jovanoski
Kristijan Jovanoski is currently undertaking an Honours research year in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Bio21 Molecular Science and Technology Institute, where he is developing new techniques to investigate Huntington’s disease before going on to pursue either a PhD or a medical degree. He majored in Neuroscience for his Bachelor of Biomedicine degree at the University of Melbourne, completing the course in two years instead of the usual three. Kristijan became involved in TTH in 2011 as an editor and writer for The Science in Society Review of the Melbourne chapter, with his article ‘Optogenetics: Light of the Future’ being published as an international feature. He is now the Editor-in-Chief for the Melbourne chapter and his key goals as COO Australia will be to elevate the profile of TTH in Australia by setting up new chapters and creating a science policy division for the Melbourne chapter. Outside of TTH, Kristijan is involved in a number of other student initiatives and has a strong interest in many natural and social sciences as well as the humanities.
Contact: coo.aus@thetriplehelix.org
Chief Operating Officer, Europe | Emilija Emma
Emilija is currently an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, studying zoology, ecology and history and philosophy of science. She is planning on pursuing a degree in the latter after finishing her zoology BA, because there’s no way she can make up her mind about what she likes better – doing science or philosophizing about it. Emilija got involved with TTH Cambridge through needing something to take her mind off a bad break-up; starting off as an Associate Editor, she has been all of the following: Assistant Events Director, GRaDS Editor, Events Director, and currently co-EIC and President. She is also temporarily the Chief Operating Officer Europe, as a representative of the only functioning European TTH chapter, and has the goal of exploring some possible avenues for expansion in Europe before finding a person who would be committed to performing the role of the COO on a more permanent basis. Emilija has a passion for pole-dancing, lindy hop and horses. She also has an extremely short attention span and likes bossing people around, which is why her team at TTH Cambridge love working with her so much.
Contact: coo.euro@thetriplehelix.org
Chief Technology Officer | Jessica Yao
Jessica Yao is a rising junior at Harvard, studying Computer Science with a secondary in Statistics. She joined The Triple Helix because she saw potential for innovation in its upcoming transition from print-based to digital media, a change which has been occurring throughout the journalistic world, altering and enhancing the way people absorb new information. As CTO, she hopes to revamp the current website and bring TTH to the mobile platform as well. Outside of TTH, Jessica enjoys skiing (snow in general), hiking, playing the piano, exploring new places, getting sidetracked on the internet (oh, the places you’ll go!), and sleeping if and whenever possible. Recent advances in tech that she sees as particularly fascinating and groundbreaking include 3D printing, machine learning/data processing, biologically-inspired systems, and human-computer interfaces. She hopes to consider pursuing her interests in these fields through industry, research, and/or entrepreneurship.
Contact: cto@thetriplehelix.org
Chief Financial Officer | Palavi Vaidya
Palavi Vaidya is a freshman at Georgia Institute of Technology, studying Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in neuroengineering. She became involved in The Triple Helix organization in her beginning of freshman year trying to reestablish the chapter at Georgia Tech, later receiving the CFO position. Palavi plans to further spread the TTH name, bringing more funds for TTH to expand its science policy publications. She currently is heavily involved in the Georgia Tech Neuroscience Club and will start brain cancer research in the fall of her sophomore year. Her future goals consist of attending medical school to focus on neurology in hopes to becoming a neurosurgeon.
Contact: cfo@thetriplehelix.org
Chief Marketing Officer | Santhia (Sandy) Varatharajah
Santhia Varatharajah (Sandy) is a rising senior studying Biology of Global Health and Science, Technology, and International Affairs at Georgetown University. She became involved in The Triple Helix in her sophomore year as president of the Georgetown chapter. She served in that capacity for two years catapulting the chapter to campus success, successfully petitioning the University for recognition, and building productive relationships with on- and off-campus institutions to support the organization’s foothold. Being located in the heart of national policymaking, Sandy became accustomed to branding TTH Georgetown as a critical channel for analyzing science and technology in light of ethics, business, law, and international affairs. She now hopes to use that lens to rebrand TTH to a wider audience, and to build stronger ties between chapters and with policy strongholds centered in her home of Washington, DC. Outside of The Triple Helix, Sandy researches in a mosquito lab on campus, tutors at a DC public elementary school, dances in the annual South Asian cultural show Rangila, and serves as a Teaching Assistant for the Georgetown Biology Department. She enjoys in the vibrant and incredibly diverse District, activities including photography, outdoor running, cooking, and exploring music. She plans to pursue a career in medicine, then science and innovation policy.
Chief Production Officer | Cassie Yeh
A sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley, Cassie Yeh joined The Triple Helix out of a desire to bridge her interest in the production process with her pursuit of a healthcare career. She is interested in creating a relevant, vibrant forum for discussions at the intersection of scientific discoveries and medical needs through publications like The Science in Society Review. Besides fulfilling her responsibilities as Chief Production Officer, she enjoys running, hiking, reading, and baking.
Contact: cpo@thetriplehelix.org
Executive Editor-in-Chief, Print Publication | Harrison Specht
Harrison Specht is a junior in the Department of Chemistry at Cornell University. After joining the Triple Helix at Cornell his freshman year because he picked up a copy of the journal and couldn’t put it down, he worked as an Associate Editor for the Cornell Chapter, a Senior Literary Editor, and he will serve Cornell next year as the chapter’s editor-in-chief. Harrison is particularly interested in how chemistry offers a window into biology and the environment. He is currently involved in a project on the infrared imaging of biological tissues. He is also minoring in mathematics, and has plans to either pursue work in graduate school or industry.
Contact: eeic@thetriplehelix.org
Executive Director of E-Publishing | Arthur Jurao
Arthur Jurao is a Senior at Georgetown University studying Neurobiology with a minor in Art History; he finds both equally fascinating despite acknowledging that they are entirely unrelated disciplines. He hopes to study medicine and become a surgeon of some sort, preferably a heart or trauma surgeon. He joined TTH in 2012 as an editor for the Georgetown chapter, then worked as a SEE until his current role as EDEP. When he is not thinking about science or updating The Triple Helix Online, he can often be found napping outside, philosophically pondering the mysteries of life.
Contact: epub@thetriplehelix.org
Co-Executive Director of Science Policy | Siddhartha Jena
Siddhartha Jena is a freshman at Harvard College, studying Chemistry and Physics with a minor in Molecular and Cell Biology. He is passionate about scientific research as well as scientific communication, and hopes to use his role as Co-Executive Director of Science Policy to revamp the Triple Helix podcast, allowing the most current topics in science research and policy to become available to a larger and more diverse audience. Interested in a broad range of seemingly unrelated scientific topics, ranging from quantum mechanics to cell biology, Siddhartha strives to find interdisciplinary connections that may someday allow incredibly complex problems in both the natural and social sciences to be solved. An avid saxophonist and chef, he conducts research on salamander limb regeneration in the Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, and plans to pursue a career in scientific research.
Contact: edsp@thetriplehelix.org
Co-Executive Director of Science Policy | Ved Topkar
Ved Topkar is a freshman at Harvard College in Cambridge, MA who hails from Lafayette, Colorado. He is majoring in Chemical and Physical Biology with a minor in Computer Science. With his co-EDSP Siddhartha Jena, Ved aims to revitalize the Triple Helix podcast, hoping to examine both popular and undiscovered scientific literature and evaluating it critically in the context of current events and translational implications in a way that is accessible by the general public. When he’s not doing computational biology research at Harvard Medical School, you may see Ved jogging around Cambridge, playing the Classical Guitar, or reading in a hammock. Ved plans to go into medicine, medical research, or biotechnology.
Contact: edsp@thetriplehelix.org
Executive Director of High School Outreach | Kathryn Scheckel
Having worked as past President and Associate Editor at Arizona State University’s Triple Helix chapter between 2010-2012, Kathryn has a strong familiarity with and passion for The Triple Helix. During her time at ASU, Kathryn founded a student-driven initiative, The Quanta Foundation, which is committed to furthering research passions by creating real research experiences for high school students, and bridging the gap between high school and college. Having graduated summa cum laude in May 2012 with undergraduate degrees in molecular biosciences and piano from the Barrett Honors College at ASU, Kathryn is excited to bring her understanding and expertise of high school outreach to the Triple Helix community, and plans to serve high school students as a Teach For America corps member in the Bay Area.
Contact: edhs@thetriplehelix.org
