Our Team - Cloned

VP, Late Night Science

Vanessa is a PhD candidate in the Neurobiology & Behavior Program at Columbia, where her research focuses on face perception processing in psychiatric populations. Vanessa has been a member of CUNO since 2023 where she has been involved in all aspects of CUNO from Saturday Science, Classroom Visits, and CUNO in Español, to more recently as the Social Media/Public Relations Executive for Late Night Science. She is passionate about science outreach towards all levels of education and hopes to inspire science interest and curiosity to all folks!

VP, Saturday Science

Nikko is a Columbia MD/PhD student studying olfactory receptor biology in the Lomvardas lab. He began volunteering with Saturday Science in 2024 and became Co-Vice President in 2026. He is passionate about sharing the excitement of science through training new lab members, presenting his work to the public, or designing activities for Saturday Science events.

VP, Classroom Visits

Julia Martocchio is a second-year master's student in Neuroscience and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she explores reading and language. Julia is interested in how educational experiences can mitigate adversity and related mental health outcomes. Drawing from her background in psychology, special education, and disability studies, she is excited to bring inclusive, hands-on neuroscience education to K–12 students across New York City in this role!

VP, Curriculum

John is a PhD student in the Neurobiology & Behavior program at Columbia. He runs the Events team as part of Late Night Science because he wants to show people what life in science is really like. John also enjoys going to concerts and eating pretzels.

VP, Communications and Curriculum

Darleene is a second-year MPH student in the Population Family Health department at Columbia's Mailman School of public health, where she is pursuing a certificate in Chronic Disease Epidemiology. Darleene has spent the last year engaging with Saturday Science and has fell in love with CUNO's mission and impact. She is incredible excited to continue bringing hands-on science exploration and education to the New York City youth and families! Darleene maintains the CUNO website, quarterly newsletters, Instagram, and the CUNO Virtual Educational Resource Database. 

VP, Late Night Science 

Daphne is a 4th year PhD student in Columbia’s Neurobiology & Behavior program. She studies how neurons in our brains are able to clear out cellular waste in order to protect themselves from damage. Daphne joined CUNO in 2023, volunteering for the Late Night Science and the Saturday Science outreach programs. Starting in 2026, Daphne is vice president of media for Late Night Science, helping create entertaining and educational videos that help Columbia scientists reach a broader audience with their research.

VP, Late Night Science

Carina is a PhD student in the Neurobiology and Behavior program at Columbia, where she studies the genetic, cellular, and molecular mechanisms of bipolar disorder. Carina leads the events branch of Late Night Science. She is passionate about making science accessible and fun to all audiences and communities. In her free time she enjoys thrifting, cooking, and embroidery.

President

Arnav is a third-year PhD student in the Neurobiology & Behavior program at Columbia, currently working with Lea Duncker on how RNNs deal with noise. Arnav is Vice President of Saturday Science along with Aidan, and also helps out with the Late Night Science media team. Outside of science, Arnav enjoys hanging out with animals, learning languages, and staring wistfully over large bodies of water.

VP, Spanish Programming

Amanda is a PhD student in the Neurobiology and Behavior Program at Columbia. She joined CUNO in 2021 and is now Vice President of CUNO Spanish. Amanda looks forward to engaging with Spanish-speaking communities in NYC and developing fun brain science activities that transcend language barriers.

Amanda es una estudiante doctoral en el programa de Neurobiología y Comportamiento en Columbia. Se unió a CUNO en 2021 y ahora es Vice Presidenta de CUNO en Español. Amanda espera poder compartir con las comunidades hispanohablantes en NYC y desarrollar actividades divertidas sobre el cerebro que trasciendan barreras de lenguaje.

VP, Saturday Science