Neuroscience Undergraduate Society
University of California - Los Angeles
2020-2021 Executive Board
David Bakalov
President
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Major: Bioengineering
Class: Junior
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More about me: I am a third year Bioengineering major. I hail from the great city of LA, which makes me very cool. I also have been a part of NUS ever since my freshman year, and it's safe to say that I absolutely love what the club has been able to provide for its members. Throughout my time in NUS, I have had the pleasure of interacting with countless like-minded and driven students as well as many fascinating professors. Because of NUS, I've also been able to find a wonderful research position that suits my interests of combining bioengineering and neuroscience. NUS is truly a gem, and I hope to spend the rest of my undergraduate years in it, helping to make the club an even stronger resource for students. Quick facts:
- I love basketball and only recognize the one true LA team
- the Lakers
- I love spaghetti western movies with a passion
- My favorite ice cream flavor is the Salt & Straw Chocolate Gooey Brownie
- That's it, that's all the facts
Simon Moore
Vice President
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Major: Neuroscience
Class: Junior
More About Me: Heyooo my name is Simon and I am the 2020-2021 Vice President of the NUS! Outside of the NUS, I am a volunteer at the RR UCLA Medical Center and in Dr. Pouratian's lab which conducts clinical research related to the functional preservation and restoration of patients' brains. I am from La Quinta, California, and despite the intense heat here in the desert, I still love to go for runs and return inside where I practice piano. I'm not as boring as I described myself in this bio, so feel free to reach out if you'd like to have your ear talked off or if you'd like academic/personal advice or help!
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Joey Hitesman
Mentor-Mentee Director
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Major: Neuroscience
Class: Junior
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​More About Me: I’m a third year neuroscience major with a minor in art history. The brain is beautiful too! As a perpetual Neurology patient, understanding the brain has become important to me, and I’m excited to see how this field changes the future. I come from a military family and UCLA is actually my 10th school. I am also a lu’au director for UCLA’s Hawaiian cultural club and I normally volunteer for the La Brea Tar Pits Fossil Lab cleaning, repairing, and sorting fossils.
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Andrew Swenson
Member Outreach Co-Director
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Major: Physiological Science
Class: Sophomore
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More about Me: Hi! My name is Andrew Swenson and I am from Dallas, Texas. This is my second year in the club and I'm happy to be your Member Outreach Co-Director. For me, NUS has not only been an educational and rewarding experience, but it has also been a great community to meet friends with similar passions and interests. Outside of NUS, I am involved in research which studies the effects of focused ultrasound on neurological injuries and diseases while volunteering for the Red Cross and CMLA. In my free time, I love playing board games and any sport:)
Anish Natarajan
Member Outreach Co-Director
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Major: Neuroscience
Class: Sophomore
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More about Me: Hi! My name is Anish Natarajan and I'm from Moorpark, California. I'm a 2nd year neuroscience major and one of the 2020-2021 Member Outreach Co-Directors. I joined NUS in my freshman year and I’ve had an amazing experience interacting and networking with other students who share a passion for neuroscience. Outside of school I love to learn more about other cultures and philosophies; I’m also a huge film buff so if you want to hear a 5 hour rant about Apocalypse Now or Cars 2, I’m your guy!
Zubair Ahmed
Professional Development Co-Chair
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Major: Neuroscience with an Arabic and Islamic Studies Minor
Class: Junior
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More About Me: I am a second-year Neuroscience student with a minor in Arabic and Islamic Studies. Outside of NUS, I conduct research regarding Traumatic Brain Injuries in Dr. Neil Harris Lab and I am an active volunteer at the Ronald Reagan Hospital. Moreover, I am involved in CNS, MSA, and I love learning other languages! In my free time, I love playing basketball and performing magic!
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Adithi Tirumalai
Professional Development Co-Chair
Major: Biology with Computation Specialization
Class: Senior
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More About Me: What draws me to neuroscience is its very interdisciplinary nature. Being multilingual is an important part of my identity, and thus I have always been fascinated with communication and the brain’s perception of different languages. I joined NUS in my freshman year, and am really looking forward to helping out behind the scenes again as co-Professional Development Director. In my free time, I conduct research on temporal processing at UCLA/remote public health research at Stanford, fundraise for our sister village through UCLA’s Project RISHI, and play an instrument called the Veena. Outside academia, I also love surfing, vegan decorative baking, and dancing with my team, Bruin Bhangra!
Rebecca Altshuler
External Communications Director
Major: Neuroscience with a Biomedical Research and Chicano Studies Double Minor
Class: Junior
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More about me: I am a third-year neuroscience student and I hope to one day become a pediatric neurologist. I'm passionate about research, and I currently work in an fMRI lab looking for autism biomarkers in infants. Outside of NUS, I'm involved in running multiple on campus organizations including AMWA, City Lab, Mortar Board, and Beauty and Cosmetics Club. I have also just helped found a new organization called Art and Axon for STEM students who are also passionate about art. A fun fact about me is that I have synesthesia, and I didn't realize I had it until I took a neuroscience class at UCLA! I associate every word, letter, and number with a different color.
Bobbi Matthews
Study Buddy Director
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​Major: Neuroscience
Class: Junior
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More About Me: Hi! My name is Bobbi Matthews and I am a Neuroscience major at UCLA. In addition to NUS, I am also apart of City Lab, a club that teaches science to LAUSD middle/high schools who are underfunded in STEM, just like my high school was. In my free time I work at the Michael Levine research lab, where we study Huntington’s Disease in mouse models. After my time at UCLA I plan to take a gap year to gain more research experience; after that, I will begin my journey to obtain my PhD in Neuroscience.
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Saman Andalib
Book/Journal Club Co-Director
Major: Neuroscience
Class: Junior
More About Me: I am a third year Neuroscience major and Iranian Studies minor, as well as director of the neuroscience journal club. I do Neurotrauma research in the Harris Lab as well and Neurointerventional Radiology research with Dr. Viktor Szeder. I am also involved in the Student Stroke Team, Alumni Scholars Club and Iranian Student Group. Outside of academics, I love playing basketball and chess.
Anthony Tanzillo
Book/Journal Club Co-Director
Bio coming soon...
Ashita Tanwar
Treasurer
Bio coming soon...
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Fiona Huang
Academic Chair
Major: Neuroscience
Class: Junior
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More about me: Hi! I'm Fiona Huang. I'm a third year neuroscience major. I work in the Fanselow lab where we study fear and anxiety through both behaviors and molecular approaches. In leisure time, I do ballroom dancing (Waltz, Tango etc.), and I play a Chinese string instrument called pipa!
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2020-2021 NUS Interns
Patrick Cai
President Intern
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Major: Physiological Science
Class: Junior
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More about me: I've been involved with NUS since the spring of my first year, and I can easily say that NUS has been a core part of my time in college. The people, opportunities, and experiences that I can attribute through NUS are numerous and I hope for all members the same goes!
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Theresa D'Silva
Vice President Intern
Major: Neuroscience
Class: Sophomore
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More about me: Second-year neuro major from Portland, OR. Outside of NUS, enjoy doing HD research & exploring LA
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Previous NUS Board Members
Ray Lee
Former Vice President (2014-2015)
UCLA Teacher Education Program (M.Ed.)
Angel Pan
Former Vice President (2013-2014)
UCSF School of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
Bryan Pezeshki
Former Vice President (2011-2012)
Duke University School of Medicine (M.D.)
UCLA Anderson School of Management (M.B.A.)
Peter Chu
Former President (2014-2015)
University of Michigan School of Public Health
Health Services Administration (M.H.S.A.)
Sirivalli Chamarti
Former President (2012-2013)
Medical College of Georgia (M.D.)
Megan Sue
Former President (2010-2012)
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine (M.D.)