
Contact: president@gsa.rutgers.edu
Shawn Rumrill is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Here, he uses biophysical techniques to understand the structure, function, and mechanisms of HIV and other proteins related to human health and disease. Shawn has a history of student involvement and leadership in organizations and student worker positions. His goals for the GSA are to build strong connections and engagement with the graduate community and advocate for student needs to foster a high-quality and meaningful graduate experience. In his free time, he enjoys reading, watching movies, and cooking a variety of food.
Contact: evp@gsa.rutgers.edu
Nusrath is a graduate student in Dr. Kevin Monahan’s lab in the Neuroscience and Molecular Biology/Biochemistry Department. She hopes to work alongside the graduate student community to keep building a more equitable and inclusive academic and research environment.
Contact: treasurer@gsa.rutgers.edu
Mary Pat Reiter is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. She focuses on investigating contact electrification or triboelectricity through peeling pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes under various parameters applicable to medical and industrial fields. Her primary goals for the year as GSA treasurer are to maintain organized long-term records and improve communication between GSOs and the GSA with up-to-date funding information, thereby increasing GSOs’ ability to host events that can foster unity throughout the students. Outside of academia, she is involved in performing choral music, painting and drawing, and managing an active online gaming community.
Contact: secretary@gsa.rutgers.edu
Contact: vpeas@gsa.rutgers.edu
Arthur Lee is a graduate student in the Masters of Science in Biomedical Sciences at Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences. He pursued undergraduate education at Rutgers University and received a Bachelor’s of Science in Microbiology from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. He is currently pursuing research on the gut microbiome and its effects.
Contact: vpep@gsa.rutgers.edu
Contact: vpmoc@gsa.rutgers.edu
Contact: professional_development@gsa.rutgers.edu
Anannya Bhagwat is a first year graduate student in the Master of Business Science program. She is from India, but earned her Bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management & Psychology from Rutgers University. Some of her hobbies include singing, listening to new music, meditating, cooking, and reading. She aspires to be a User Experience Designer and her goal with GSA is to ensure that all graduate students are well connected within the Rutgers community and to also help them establish more connections to establish a sense of community.
Contact: academic_development@gsa.rutgers.edu
Vrushali Palande is a graduate student in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She hails from India, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Her primary goal with GSA is to ensure that the institution’s academic services are tailored to the needs of the graduate student community and to also develop appropriate student support programs to help them establish a network. Outside of academia, she enjoys dancing, crafting, cooking, taking snapshots, and loves her me time doing yoga.
Contact: blog@gsa.rutgers.edu
Contact: mentalhealth@gsa.rutgers.edu
Ruth Midianga is a second year graduate Social Work student at the School of Social Work Masters Program. She aspires to become a licensed clinical social worker. Her personal interests are working with mental illness and children and young adults. She has graduated from New Jersey City University with her Bachelors of Science in Public Health. During her free time, she likes to ride her bike near the waterfront or write in her journal.
Contact: recreation@gsa.rutgers.edu
Contact: diversity@gsa.rutgers.edu
Eric is a second year PhD student in the Microbial Biology department. Here he studies how homeostatic metabolic activity between coral reefs and their algal symbionts is altered under stress and secondary metabolite production in coral reefs. He is also a researcher at the CINJ Metabolomics Shared Resource. When he is not in lab he is consumed with recipe testing, patronizing the arts, rabble rousing for social equity, Law & Order marathons, and working to make academia and STEM more inclusive spaces.
Jae is a first year PhD student in the Entomology Department at Rutgers. Here, they are investigating the variation in herbivore-defensive traits as well as gene expression between wild and domesticated blueberry populations in New Jersey. In their spare time, they love cooking, discovering new music, going for hikes with their dog, exploring coffee shops, and advocating for inclusivity in an academic environment.
Contact: socialmedia@gsa.rutgers.edu
Contact: senators@gsa.rutgers.edu
Sonal Gahlawat is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Her research aims to develop a 3D tissue-engineered model system to understand the structure-function relationship of collagen mutations in vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Since her first year at Rutgers, Sonal has been actively involved in the graduate student community, where she has taken multiple leadership roles. Her goals for the GSA include building a graduate student community of support, where grad students can grow personally, academically, and professionally. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, baking, and doing body pump (with Natalie Losada).
Natalie Losada is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate using her background in chemistry to tackle her project studying HIV proteins and their mechanisms of drug resistance. She uses her art background to help communicate her science and enjoys writing about science for the public. She loves being upside down (gymnastics) and doing many hours of physical activity. When she’s not active, she’s binging Avatar the last Airbender and doing puzzles and helping spread education and fun through the GSA health and nutrition committee.
Chelsea Cary is a fourth year PhD student in the Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology researching the mechanisms by which maternal plastic exposure causes adverse pregnancy outcomes. She is an avid college football fan due to her time spent in undergrad at the University of Georgia (GO DAWGS). Her primary goals as a senator are to increase student interest in GSA led and graduate student outreach. She hopes utilize her skillset from previous leadership roles she has held in her first three years as a graduate student.
Contact: events@gsa.rutgers.edu
Himanshu Waingankar is a second-year graduate student majoring in industrial and systems engineering. He completed his undergraduate studies in India and majored in Instrumentation and control engineering. He likes to go for a swim or work out in his free time.
Contact: help@gsa.rutgers.edu