Directors/Administrators

Jiya is a student at Yale College. Through her work in IYNA, she hopes to make access to neuroscience resources more equitable. Within the IYNA, she works on planning the Brain Bee Bootcamp and collaborating with IBB. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and volunteering as an EMT

Jacob Umans is a current MD/PhD student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and serves as Board Chair of the International Youth Neuroscience Association. He co-founded the IYNA as a high-school student, and is committed to making the IYNA a community in which students can explore a future in neuroscience and make like-minded friends while doing so.

Shrika is a grade 12 high school student from Toronto, Canada. She hopes to promote accessibility to all the exciting, open-access initiatives that IYNA has to offer, and contribute to maintaining the organisation’s commitment to high-quality neuroscience education. Her roles include maintaining the organisation through logistical tasks and managing volunteers. In her free time, she enjoys reading making Pinterest boards and biking.

Felix is a senior at St. Petersburg college and a junior in high-school, his hope for working with the IYNA is to further establish a strong sense of community and efficiency within the organization for students and volunteers alike to grow through their mutual passion, and establish the IYNA as an enduring source of support for those aspiring to enter into the field. His roles include managing Human Resources, assisting in volunteer and program management, and streamlining communication systems. In his free time, he enjoys taking care of plants, painting, and reading.

Sofia is currently a junior on her city’s highschool, TISLS. She was Chile’s 2022 Brain Bee finalist and hopes to study medicine. One of her main objetives working with IYNA is to inspire young girls into pursuing STEM related careers. Her specific roles in the organization include managing our social media, and being in charge of our advertisement. In her free time she loves to practice theater and dance, and she also speaks two languages, Spanish and English.

Aditi is a high school junior in Seattle, Washington. Through her work in IYNA, she hopes to inspire students in the field of neuroscience by making events and competitions more efficient and accessible. Her role includes liaising with IYNA partner organizations. Additionally, she reaches out to high schools and universities to share the IYNA organization so that more students can access IYNA's resources. In her leisure time, she enjoys biking and volunteering at her local senior home.

Steven is a high school student from Texas. He hopes to promote more accessible neuroscience resources to all people from socioeconomic disadvantaged backgrounds through competitions, summer programs, webinars, and bootcamps. His role includes creating new events, organizing existing virtual and in-person events, as well as managing volunteers. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis and listening to all genres of music.

Arla is a high school student from Vancouver, Canada. She hopes to improve IYNA’s Chapter system through fostering more structure and networking opportunities. Her responsibilities include creating new features for Chapters, managing logistics, and helping Chapters organize events. Outside of IYNA, she enjoys learning about birth defect pathology and volunteering at an early-childhood-education center.

Annie is an undergraduate student at The Johns Hopkins University. She's originally from St. Louis, Missouri. She currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Youth Neuroscience Association Journal where she is in charge of ensuring monthly IYNA issues are released on time and uphold the IYNA standard. In her free time, she enjoys reading and hanging out with friends.

Ashvin is a third-year student at the University of Chicago studying neuroscience. He is involved in neuroscience research across labs at Boston Children's Hospital, MIT, and the University of Chicago. He also enjoys community and STEM outreach, and serves as the Co-President of UChicago UNICEF and the President of the University Blood Initiative (UChicago Chapter). Ashvin enjoys volunteering, serving as a playroom volunteer at the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital, a Crisis Text Line volunteer, a first responder volunteer on the University of Chicago Emergency Services team, and a volunteer at the Legacy Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at Boca Raton.

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[biography coming soon]

Sarah is a high school senior in Los Angeles, and she is passionate about the overlap between art and neuroscience. Sarah works on project execution and marketing within the IYNA, including the Youth Neuroscience summer program. Currently, she serves as the president of her school's Neuroscience Club and as the program leader for an art therapy recovery program at a hospital in Downtown Los Angeles. Additionally, she runs her own curated vintage and art business. In her free time, she enjoys playing and collecting electric guitars and vinyl records.

Ryan is a senior at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA). At IYNA, he aims to distribute neuroscience resources at no cost whenever possible. In IYNA, he is responsible for renovating the website to reduce costs, assisting in organizing the neuroscience summer program, and communicating with IYNA student chapters. He also enjoys exploring the fields of cognitive neuroscience and episodic memory using computational neuroscience.

Irene is a high school junior from Vancouver, BC, Canada. She is most intrigued by neurodegenerative disorders and the integration of A.I into science. Through her work in the IYNA, she hopes to inspire others to further explore the fascinating and ever-growing field of neuroscience. With a background in the arts, Irene is also a competitive company dancer, with her favourite styles being lyrical and ballet. In her free time, she can be found baking or going on outdoor adventures with her dog and family.

Irene is a high school junior from Vancouver, BC, Canada. She is most intrigued by neurodegenerative disorders and the integration of A.I into science. Through her work in the IYNA, she hopes to inspire others to further explore the fascinating and ever-growing field of neuroscience. With a background in the arts, Irene is also a competitive company dancer, with her favourite styles being lyrical and ballet. In her free time, she can be found baking or going on outdoor adventures with her dog and family.

Soneesh is a sophomore at South Forsyth High School. He is passionate about research, clinical neuroscience, public health policy, being an innovative leader, and creating impact on people. He hopes to one day become a neurologist, neurosurgoen, or general surgeon. Furthermore, his passion for neuroscience goes beyond studying it, which is why he joined the IYNA, to help increase the access of neuroscience education.

Eesha is a high school junior in New Jersey. She is currently the Fundraising Lead for the IYNA, through which she organizes fundraisers and works with the grant team to increase fundraising to further promote IYNA's mission.