Our Team | STEM Fellowship

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee oversees STEM Fellowship’s operations and sets the strategic direction for the charity

Arshvir Singh Dhari

Co-Chief Executive Officer

Arshvir is a Molecular Biology and Biochemistry undergraduate student at Simon Fraser University. He previously served in various capacities at STEM Fellowship and secured support for the charity from government, academia, and corporations. Beyond this, Arshvir has enjoyed conducting research in fields ranging from exploring antimicrobial peptide gene expression in bed bugs to respiratory diseases in humans. His interests lie at the crossroads of global health and bioethics.

Arman Athwal

Co-Chief Executive Officer

Arman is in the final year of his Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Simon Fraser University. He has co-authored several research papers in vision science, and currently works for two research labs in Vancouver, BC and Perth, Western Australia. He loves astronomy and human spaceflight, and is working on his pilot’s license with the hope of applying to be a Canadian astronaut candidate sometime in the future.

“I joined STEM Fellowship back in 2018 as the SciComm Workshops team lead. Since then, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have served in multiple positions, most recently as the co-CEO of the organization. Out of any volunteer experience I’ve had, SF tops the list. The opportunities to develop skills like leadership, communication, and team management are endless, and the people here are truly the best in town.”

Patrick Prochazka
Co-Chief Operating Officer

Patrick is a 4th year student at Johns Hopkins University, where he is pursuing a double major in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Applied Mathematics and Statistics. He is also completing a concurrent Master’s Degree in Biology, where his research focuses on the biochemistry of RNA folding. As STEM Fellowship’s co-COO, he is passionate about designing and providing STEM opportunities for youth – especially those from traditional underrepresented backgrounds – and developing initiatives to build the internal team dynamic within the charity. Outside of STEM Fellowship, Patrick loves playing the piano and violin, teaching math and science (especially organic chemistry), and cheering on his hometown Toronto Raptors.

“I first heard of STEM Fellowship when I was a competitor at the 2017 Canadian Young Physicists’ Tournament (CaYPT). I ended up joining the charity in 2018 as a Mentorships Coordinator on the STEMpowerment team. I served in several roles since, including STEMpowerment Mentorships Team Lead, Associate STEMpowerment Officer, and Associate CaYPT Officer, prior to taking on the COO role. My experience on STEM Fellowship has been transformational to my personal growth, and my phenomenal teammates over the past several years have pushed me to become a better leader and person. I have also made several close friends through the charity world that have shaped me to the person I am today!”

Zackary Masri

Chief Data Officer

Zackary is an undergraduate student at McMaster University majoring in Mathematics and Statistics. He has worked as an IT Solutions and Data Analyst in the past, and is currently responsible for running STEM Fellowship’s Undergraduate and High School Big Data Challenges (UNBDC and HSBDC respectively). His interests include sports and adventuring, and one day hopes to have a career in sustainable energy and development.

“I joined STEM Fellowship as a Program Management Team Member in September 2019, and have held roles in the other positions within the Data Science Committee. I’m really engaged in the Big Data Challenges that we run. The feeling of running an event with hundreds of students participating across many different countries is exhilarating, and being able to teach important data analysis skills, knowing the impact that it can have on a student’s professional development and career, is something that I enjoy dearly.”

Anish Verma
Co-Chief Operating Officer

Anish Verma is a leader driven to make impact through emerging technologies like Quantum Computing, and by equitably empowering students across Canada with the power of Data Science. Anish pursued a B.Sc. honours degree in Chemical Physics at Simon Fraser University and an M.Sc. in Physics jointly between the University of Guelph and the University of Waterloo. As STEM Fellowship’s co-CEO, he oversees the national charity’s programs, providing equitable opportunities for scientific research, academic publishing, and science communication. In addition to this, Anish is a Quantitative Analyst and Quantum Researcher at 1QBit – a leading Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence company.

Learn more about him at https://AnishRVerma.github.io

“As a Fijian, genderqueer person of colour, the lack of representation and accessbility in STEM had me wavering in my youth about pursuing STEM. Indeed, when I was younger there were no accessible programs that would allow people in my community to develop the necessary skills for STEM that others had. Through STEM Fellowship, I was able to make genuine impact facilitating equitable opportunities for underrepresented groups in STEM. There are countless people in underrepresented communities that can be immensely successful, if provided the opportunities and resources. At STEM Fellowship, I am proud to be able to make this possible, and will always proudly look back on my time here.”

Agetha Mahendran
Co-Chief STEMpowerment Officer

Agetha is an incoming 4th year student at the University of Western Ontario pursuing an Honours Specialization in Biochemistry of Infection and Immunity where her research focuses on exploring protein structure and activity. After her undergraduate degree, she hopes to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry where she can intertwine her science background with strategic planning. As one of the Chief STEMpowerment Officers, she is passionate about creating accessible and beneficial opportunities to support youth from backgrounds that are typically underrepresented in STEM. Outside of STEM Fellowship, Agetha is a huge foodie that loves to cook and try foods from all around the world.

“My journey at STEM Fellowship began in 2020 when I joined the STEMpowerment Committee as a Mentorships Coordinator. Since then, I was fortunate enough to serve in multiple roles including STEMNet Program Lead, Pairings Director for PowerUp, REO Team Lead and more recently, the role of Co-Chief STEMpowerment Officer. While my time at STEM Fellowship has been a key proponent to my personal development, the best part of this experience is the impact I have made to the lives of students through our work. I am so excited to be a part of this team and looking forward to the work we will do in the future!”

Harleen Klair
Co-Chief Marketing Officer

Harleen Klair is in her 3rd year in the mechanical and biomedical engineering program at McMaster University. She has worked as a business development consultant for MGD Health ICE, allowing her to explore the innovative technologies space as she aspires to become an entrepreneur within the prosthetics, personalized healthcare and e-health industries. Outside of academics, Harleen works in the creative space designing art pieces (and more recently planning out a comic series) as well as starting a new podcast on the intricacies of navigating adulthood.

“I joined the STEM Fellowship in 2017 as an outreach ambassador but wanted the opportunity to combine my passion for STEM and the arts. I was very fortunate to get the chance to join the design team and shortly held several positions within the team before becoming the co-Chief of Marketing for the organization. Being a part of such a creative and passionate group of individuals has not only motivated me to continue to push myself but has also taught me what it means to be a good leader and help others achieve their goals within an organization as supportive as the STEM Fellowship!”

Eun Gu Kang
Co-Chief Marketing Officer

Eun Gu recently graduated from Earl Haig Secondary School where she studied violin in the Claude Watson Arts Program. She is now an undergraduate in the TrackOne engineering program and hopes to pursue a career in robotics. She first joined SF as a design team member and now, hopes to promote SF’s diverse programs to underrepresented and under-supported groups in STEM as a co-CMO. Outside of STEM Fellowship, Eun Gu enjoys playing guitar, listening to music, painting, and playing with her dog and family.

Gurman Khera

Chief Science Communication Officer

Gurman is a UBC graduate in Psychoneuroimmunology with a minor in Public Health and coordinates research studies in pediatric IBD. She’s worked in student healthcare and education for over 7 years and continues to work in emergency first aid as a volunteer. With experience as a market analyst and research assistant for tertiary care centres across Lower Mainland and biotechnology companies such as Tel Array Diagnostics, she’s passionate about encouraging science and research literacy, especially within minority groups and inner-city schools. Outside of academics, you can find her running her small business in wedding, newborn, fashion, and family photography.

“I joined STEM Fellowship in 2020 as the SciComm Workshops Team Lead. Since then, it’s been an absolute pleasure to work in several roles, most recently as the Chief of Science Communication where I coordinate our sponsorships/partnerships, academic blog, scholarly writing workshops, scholarly writing challenge, one-on-one consulting service, and assist with the STEM Fellowship Journal’s administrative tasks. In my highschool experience, I had very little exposure to STEM research and had to jump through hoops to hone my skills and find the right research opportunities for myself. This organization gives first-time scholars and young researchers the opportunity to learn these skills in various ways: workshops, challenges, panels, tailored feedback, etc. On top of that, it’s great working with a global team of professionals; everyone’s bursting with ideas and always ready to help bring an innovative concept to life.”

Teri Wang

Co-Chief University Branches Officer

Teri Wang is a B.Sc Biology graduate and a current Bachelor’s of Secondary Education student at the University of British Columbia. Teri has an extensive background in clinical research. Through her work as a clinical researcher, she discovered how important it was for everyone to have a strong basic understanding of how science research worked. Since then, she has authored multiple science learning packages for Secondary students with Michael Smith Labs at UBC. These packages aim to teach students about science topics surrounding human health, public health, and disease, and discuss new and innovative research in a fun and easy-to-digest way. She believes that everyone should have equal access to the resources and opportunities to achieve the level of education they want, regardless of their background. She advocates for this through her work in the Branches Committee. Outside of STEM Fellowship, she enjoys walking her dog, drinking tea, and struggling to hike up a mountain.

“I first joined STEM fellowship as a high school Ambassador back in 2016 when STEM Fellowship was first starting out because I believed in their goals. Years have passed and I have served as the Ambassador Lead, VP of the UBC branch, President of the UBC branch, and Associate University Branches officer before now serving as the Co-Chief University Branches Officer. It’s been a long journey and we’ve grown so much as an organization. I still believe in the direction STEM Fellowship is moving and I will keep working to make sure it continues on the right path.”

Christy Chan
Chief Outreach Ambassadors Officer

Christy is a third year Physiology honours student at the University of Alberta. Her interests are in the health sciences field, particularly in the areas of cardiovascular and maternal health. After her undergraduate degree, she hopes to pursue a career in medicine, either as a physician or a clinician-scientist. Outside of research and volunteering, she enjoys practicing martial arts and finding different sites for evening walks in the Edmonton river valley. Christy began as a STEM Fellowship outreach ambassador back in Grade 10 and ultimately hopes to continue spreading awareness for the STEM disciplines through her current role as the Chief Outreach Ambassadors Officer.

“Having been a part of STEM Fellowship since I was a 15 year-old, I feel very grateful and honoured to be able to grow alongside the organization. Through my various roles within the Outreach Ambassadors Committee, I’ve developed invaluable interpersonal and leadership skills that I am now able to pass onto a network of other budding innovators across Canada. The Outreach Ambassadors program is a wonderful way for young student-leaders to hone their professional skills through speaking about and representing our organization in the community at large. My involvement in STEM Fellowship has doubtlessly shaped me into the person I am today, and I have so much gratitude for all the opportunities it has given me.”

Kevin An

Co-Chief University Branches Officer

Kevin graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacology. He currently works as a Formulation Scientist at NanoVation Therapeutics, where he utilizes his expertise in lipid nanoparticle delivery systems in developing novel liposomal formulations in hopes of treating various genetic diseases. Kevin hopes to pursue a future career in healthcare, intertwining his foundational knowledge in science with his passion for helping others. Outside of his professional life Kevin enjoys playing table tennis, hiking, listening to music, and watching Netflix. Kevin joined STEM Fellowship as the Treasurer of the UBC STEM Fellowship branch before taking on his current role as Chief University Branches Officer, where he hopes to provide university students across Canada and the US with experiential learning opportunities to jumpstart their professional career.

“STEM Fellowship has undeniably been the catalyst that has led me to where I am today. I joined the charity in 2017 as the Treasurer of the UBC STEM Fellowship branch, which was the first leadership position I held as an undergraduate student. The connections and opportunities that STEM Fellowship provided me with has allowed me to develop strong interpersonal and professional skills, enabling my growth as an individual and my foundational experience in basic science. I now provide similar experiences for students across Canada and the US in hopes bringing inspiration to our next generation of new STEM leaders. I would not be where I am today without STEM Fellowship, and I am ever so grateful for the opportunities the charity has provided me.”

Elvira Nurmambetova
Chief High School Chapters Officer

Elvira Nurmambetova is a Chief High School Chapters Officer. She majors in Bioinformatics, Bachelor of Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. Outside of the STEM Fellowship, Elvira works as an intern at IBM, Markham, Ontario. She published research papers in data science with the Centre for Health Informatics and currently works on contributing to the open-source with her project on computational methodologies for speech recognition. She enjoys learning new technical and soft skills and working on problems to make an impact at scale.

Coming from a rural background, Elvira is passionate about advocating for students from underrepresented populations and creating educational and leadership opportunities for their personal and professional development. Beyond STEM Fellowship, Elvira spends her time assisting clinical staff and people from all walks of life in a local hospital.

Nikola Deretic
Chief Community Engagement Officer

Nikola is an incoming Medical student at UBC and has a BSc from UBC where he majored in Microbiology and Immunology. During his undergraduate degree, his research focused on B lymphocytes and actin. More recently, he has worked on a project examining the genomic determinants of COVID-19 to better inform the current pandemic and future pandemics. As the Chief Community Engagement Officer, he is focused on increasing diversity in STEM through helping to remove barriers and promoting inclusivity in STEM programs. He enjoys sports including hockey, basketball and soccer.

“As a high school student, I always felt there was a huge disparity in the STEM opportunities available for students. When I was an undergraduate student, my high school experiences inspired me to join STEM Fellowship as a STEMpowerment Mentorship Coordinator in 2019. Wanting to broaden the impact of STEMpowerment’s programs, I established the Outreach Team and that team has now become the Community Engagement Committee. The most amazing thing about STEM Fellowship has been all the room I have had to innovate. This freedom allowed me to address gaps I noticed and bring Indigenous programming to the organization. I am extremely grateful for the leadership skills I have gained, opportunities I have been able to access and like-minded individuals I have met because of STEM Fellowship.”

Ab Thaivalappil

STEM Fellowship Journal Co-Managing Editor

Ab is a PhD Candidate in Epidemiology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. His research interests include public health policy, environmental health, food safety, and health behaviours. He has worked with the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Public Health Association, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on breakthrough research. His career goals are to find a position where can exert influence over important public health decisions at the provincial and federal levels. Outside of STEM Fellowship and research, Ab is also passionate about fitness, DIY projects, Spanish, and volleyball.

“I’ve had numerous mentors who shaped and amplified my interest in science. This spurred me to join STEM Fellowship as an editor at the STEM Fellowship Journal (SFJ) in 2019. Since then, this organization has offered me an incredible amount of autonomy and opportunities to exercise the skills I’ve developed. I participate as a STEM Viewpoint Competition mentor and am currently one of the managing editors for SFJ which has allowed me to be a part of a team that encourages young students to pursue STEM, challenge their critical thinking, improve scientific communication and develop talented young Canadian researchers.”

Vikram Arora
Chief Human Resources Officer

Vikram is a first year student at McMaster University in the Honours Integrated Science program. As the Chief Human Resources Officer at STEM Fellowship, Vikram oversees the Human Resources Committee, which manages various administrative programs within the organization, working with all members of STEM Fellowship to ensure success in various initiatives. Outside of STEM Fellowship, Vikram is heavily involved in Model United Nations, helping to run his school’s conference, and the largest conference in the world. He also loves to play piano and drums.

“I joined STEM Fellowship in 2020 as a Chapter Head following my participation in the High School Big Data Challenge in 2019. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure to work in several roles, most recent the Chief Human Resources Officer. This position has allowed me to develop both professional and interpersonal skills that I can now pass on to all of the executives at the organization. I am very fortunate to work with a diverse group of leaders who support STEM Fellowship’s mission to facilitate opportunities for youth to foster the next generation of STEM Leaders. My involvement in STEM Fellowship has shaped me into a strong leader, and I’m excited to see what the future holds!”

Ruijia Zhang
STEM Fellowship Journal Co-Managing Editor

Ruijia is an undergraduate student in the Honours Chemical Biology Co-op program at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. She is currently working in a cancer research lab where her project focuses on studying the binding characteristics and therapeutic efficacy of novel small molecule cancer immunotherapeutics. Outside of STEM Fellowship, she loves digital planning and enjoys making templates for fun!

“I initially joined the STEM Fellowship Journal as a Typesetter in May 2019 where I was able to combine my passion in digital art with learning more about the scholarly publishing process. I have since had the opportunity to partake in various side projects which helped me discover my interest in workflow optimization and led me to my current position as one of the co-Managing Editors of the SFJ. Throughout my journey with the SFJ, I’ve had the opportunity to develop my professional communication and logical thinking skills amongst an inspiring team of highly-driven individuals. I am incredibly grateful for the experiences the journal has provided me and look forward to continue growing with the organization as a whole!”

Consultants

Mohit Sodhi
Consultant

Mohit is a UBC Medical student and was awarded the Governor General Gold Medal in 2019. He is a highly published and cited medical author and is an avid philanthropist. He enjoys American football, golf, and Marvel movies.