Leadership — Science Policy Group at UCLA

Leadership Team

Co-President

4th Year PhD Candidate, Molecular, Cellular, & Integrative Physiology

What do you study? The neural mechanisms of empathy and affiliative social behaviors

If you weren’t a scientist, what would you be? Recipe tester, or a florist

Email: kaylaylim@ucla.edu

Kayla Lim

Co-President

6th Year PhD Student, Materials Science & Engineering

What do you study? Probabilistic risk analysis; Reliability and resilience of renewable energy systems in communities

If you weren’t a scientist, what would you be? Poet/singer-songwriter

Email: bndefru@ucla.edu

Bineh Ndefru

Chair, Science Communication & Professional Development Committee

5th Year PhD Candidate, Molecular Biology

What do you study? Regulation of cardiac fibroblast activation by chromatin structural proteins

If you weren’t a scientist, what would you be? Journalist

Email: ngehred@g.ucla.edu

Natalie Gehred

Chair, Community Outreach Committee

4th Year PhD Student, Neuroscience

What do you study? Neural circuits of avoidance behavior in adolescence

If you weren’t a scientist, what would you be? A travel blogger

Email: cgoodpaster@g.ucla.edu

Caitlin Goodpaster

Chair, Finance Committee

6th Year PhD Student, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

What do you study? The processes of RNA transcription and processing. My work primarily focuses on understanding how DNA bound proteins can act as a safeguard from aberrant transcripts, and understanding how the degradation of specific RNAs regulates the response to toxic metals

If you weren’t a scientist, what would you be? I would work at an animal rescue or be a wildlife photographer

Email: keatonbarr@ucla.edu

Keaton Barr

Science Communication & Professional Dev Committee: Natalie Gehred (Chair), Caitlin Goodpaster, Zoe Dobler, Jerome Freudenberg, Kyla Gelev, Alex Akin, Erin Morrow, Natalie Carrillo, Vivian Byeon, Noelle Morrow

Advocacy and Government Relations Committee: Alex Stevens, Narayan Gopinathan, Heidi Salguero, Jackie Giovanniello, Lauren Wagner, Ria Nawathe
Community Outreach Committee: Caitlin Goodpaster (Chair), Melody Iglesias, Becky Jenkins, Catherine Virtue
Media and Communications Committee: Taniya Matthew (Chair). Narayan Gopinathan. Heidi Salguero, Catherine Virtue, Alex Akin, Anish Patel
Finance Committee: Keaton Barr (Chair), Anish Patel

Chair, Media & Communications

3rd Year Undergraduate, Microbiology, Immunology, & Molecular Genetics

What do you study? I am currently learning the fundamentals of various kinds of biology with a specific interest in physiology and immunology. I hope to learn more about genetic technology and it’s capacities in the future!

If you weren’t a scientist, what would you be? Owner of a library-cafe fusion!