The URS Student Advisory Council (SAC) is a committee of undergraduate students that are currently participating in research. Together, they provide critical student perspectives and feedback to the URS Office.
Curious about research at Duke? Each SAC member can be reached via their Duke emails below with any questions.
Emilio Abelmann
Major(s): Philosophy and Sociology
Minor: Political Science
Class Year: 2025
Duke email: emilio.abelmann@duke.edu
Pronouns: he/him
Current research project: This past year, I worked on the Bass Connections: Open Design Studio team that leveraged human-centered design approaches to understand Durham's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Ultimately, we aimed to expand necessity-driven entrepreneurial access to resources to support small businesses and build economic strength in the Durham communities traditionally underrepresented in entrepreneurship. Moving forward, I hope to find future research experiences that align with my interests in impact finance, international development, and public-private partnerships.
Post-Duke plans: My plans are certainly uncertain, but for now, I intend to travel immediately after graduation before beginning work as a social impact consultant in my hometown of Washington, DC. I hope this opportunity will provide me with the skills needed to then enter an international development organization, impact startup, or graduate program in related fields. I know that my past research exposure has had a profound impact on how I approach social issues, and I thus hope to gain more research experience as my career unfolds.
Ishaan Brar
Major(s): Biology and Global Health
Minor: Chemistry
Class Year: 2025
Duke email: ishaan.brar@duke.edu
Pronouns: he/him
Current research project: I am interested in researching antimicrobial resistance and health innovation and access. I've explored this through wet-lab research as a member of the Jones, where I have studied nano-particle accumulation in biofilm to understand how drug resistance occurs. I have also conducted global health research and policy analysis on antimicrobial resistance and health innovation and access issues as a summer assistant at the John's Hopkins IDEA Initiative. I seek to bridge the gap between wet lab research and global health on solving the multidimensional, complex issues of antimicrobial resistance, and that broadly, develop and implement health care interventions that push for equity.
Post-Duke plans: After graduation, I plan to head to med school, and continue to build on my passion for research! I would be interested in entering into global health or health policy, and continuing to help support translational, equitable interventions.
Allie Brown
Major(s): Visual and Media Studies and Global Cultural Studies in Literature
Minor: Sociology
Class Year: 2025
Duke email: allie.brown@duke.edu
Pronouns: she/her
Current research project: I am fascinated by the intersection of media, technology, and education in addressing social and environmental concerns. This has led me to pursue research at Duke, with my collaboration on Bass Connections’ Revaluing Care in the Global Economy team. There, I worked with students in environmental, economic, and policy-based disciplines to research and produce a mixed-media simulation game. Our research created a game prototype that allows players to experience the difficult questions and trade-offs involved in climate action. I have since continued academic research with the goal of developing innovative educational approaches to combatting social inequality and global climate change today.
Post-Duke plans: I hope to continue learning about media in whatever capacity, with the aim of contributing to positive social and environmental action.
Grace Davis
Major: Undeclared
Class Year: 2026
Duke email: gfd6@duke.edu
Pronouns: she/her
Current research project: I am involved in Bass Connection's Trauma-Informed Courts Project where we look into how improving the level of trauma-informedness towards juveniles during court proceedings results in better outcomes. My role includes observing juvenile court cases in varies North Carolina courts to asses the level of trauma-informedness.
I also have been involved in a MUSER project throughout my time at Duke, exploring factors that encourage or harm the political involvement of women, people of color, and others historically excluded from politics.
Post-Duke plans: I am interested in pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology after Duke. My long-term goals are to engage in research that promotes an understanding the way that trauma impacts individual's well-being and how to recover from it. In addition, I hope to be a clinical therapist that helps those who've suffered from traumatic experiences.
Rani Jones
Major: Psychology
Minor: Cultural Anthropology
Class Year: 2025
Duke email: raj29@duke.edu
Pronouns: she/her
Current research project: I work at the identity and diversity lab with Dr. Gaither! Our projects look at how children and young adults perceive and express their cultural identies as well as how children are impacted by cultural expressions/contexts. I've grown to be quite fascinated in the ways sociocultural identies develop among children! I would like to conduct further research on these developments and the ways children express their identities.
Post-Duke plans: I plan on going to grad school and getting my PhD! Eventually I would want to become a professor, but before then I'd like to explore the various opportunities out there within my fields of interest.
Emily McReynolds
Major: Public Policy & Markets and Management Studies
Class Year: 2025
Duke email: lauren.mcreynolds@duke.edu
Pronouns: she/her
Current research project: I worked as a data analyst on the Data+ "Visualizing Durham Public Schools" team, where I helped to expand and translate a website outlining available resources within DPS schools and the surrounding community. Presently, I am a research fellow on the continuation of my Data+ work through the Bass Connections "Strengthening Partnerships between DPS and Local Universities" team. Through both experiences, I've had the joy of working alongside my amazing peers, learning from impressive faculty/mentors, and expanding my knowledge about my surrounding community.
I am passionate about education policy, data analysis, and the intersection between government and businesses.
Post-Duke plans: I hope to work as a consultant and experience various industries and business cases. Beyond this, I aspire to obtain a Master’s in Business Administration!
Mariana Meza
Major: Undeclared
Class Year: 2026
Duke email: mm973@duke.edu
Pronouns: she/her/ella
Current research project: I hope to explore qualitative research opportunities in the liberal arts and humanities. Previously, I conducted research on the immigration detention Credible Fear Interview process with a focus on detention centers in El Paso, Texas and New Mexico. I seek to develop my research on immigration and its intersections through community-based projects that center authentic migrant narratives. Additionally, I hope to pursue an expansion of the research opportunities available to marginalized communities on Duke's campus, as well as broaden the scope of research projects in Latin America.
Post-Duke plans: While I continue to develop my career interests, I hope to incorporate my passion for social justice and community organizing in my future plans. Additionally, I seek to continue my education by pursuing a graduate degree.
Margarita Krylova
Major: Neuroscience
Minor(s): Chemistry and Russian
Class Year: 2026
Duke email: mk591@duke.edu
Pronouns: she/her
Current research project: I am currently involved in two research projects affiliated with Duke Neurosurgery. My basic science research and independent study, conducted in the Waitkus Lab at The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, focus on targeting DNA replication stress in glioblastoma cells by utilizing an atypical telomere-lengthening mechanism. My clinical research, under the mentorship of Dr. Hauck, investigates spontaneous and traumatic intra-orbital arteriovenous fistulas—an extremely rare occurrence with fewer than 30 reported cases worldwide. These immersive research experiences enhance my understanding of neuro-complexities and how to effectively address them using a patient-centered approach.
Post-Duke plans: After graduating, I aim to pursue either an MD-MBA or an MD-PhD. My specific interests in medicine include neuro- and transplant surgery, and I aspire to contribute to surgical research, either basic science or clinical, throughout my career.
Trisha Santanam
Major: English
Minor(s): Music
Class Year: 2026
Duke email: trisha.santanam@duke.edu
Pronouns: she/her
Current research project: My research focuses on how music and literature overlap and enhance each other when used in tandem. I am currently working on a research project about how the idea of "sonic curation," a method of arranging music that speaks to political, historical, and geographical afterlives, appears in the works of American playwrights. I'm interested in how music and literature are used to re-member and preserve things related to memory, as well as how music/literature can be used to warp our traditional sense of time. I'm also part of the "Rosetta Reitz Musical Archive of Care" Bass Connections team, where I study the blues and jazz archives of a feminist records collector, writer, and historian.
Post-Duke plans: I hope to pursue a PhD related to English/sound studies and eventually become a professor!
Anika Vemulapalli
Major(s): Global Health and Cultural Anthropology
Class Year: 2025
Duke email: asv21@duke.edu
Pronouns: she/her
Current research project: Working with the Margolis Health Policy Center and Dr. Mina Silberberg, I have analyzed the impact of place-based initiatives, projects that enhance cross-sectoral leadership skills to improve local public health, on 6 NC counties. Additionally, I have been working with Duke Remote Area Medical and Dr. Laura Fish in Duke Family and Community Health to understand the social background of patients who attended free pop-up medical clinics in the South. I am also a part of the Reproductive Justice Post Roe v. Wade Bass Connections Project with Dr. Wesley Hogan, Dr. Beverley Gray, and Dr. Jonah Schwartz, where we are formulating an archive depicting the impact of restrictive abortion policy through oral histories of abortion providers, socio-historical research on gynecology and reproductive rights, and abortion care advocacy. Ultimately, my research experiences have cultivated my interest in qualitative analysis and community based research in order to understand gaps in the healthcare system.
Post-Duke plans: After I graduate I plan on taking a gap year and then pursuing an MD/MPH, with a concentration on health policy in the latter. My goal is to be a practicing physician involved in the health advocacy space. Eventually, I would like to get involved with public service on a state or federal level to influence US health priorities and health policy implementation to reduce health disparities.