Faculty & Staff
Francesca Arnoldy
StoryListening Investigator
Founding Program Director, UVM End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate Program
Interests: Reading, nature walks with my pup, making memories with loved ones, genuine conversations, and all things doula
Life Advice: My motivational mantra: “You’ll never have more time than right now!”
Kirsten Bonson, PhD
Data Manager
Research Specialist, Department of Electrical & Biomedical Engineering
Interests: travel, kayaking, baking, indie games, learning new things, and spoiling my dogs rotten.
Life Advice: “Do not let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Will Rogers
Katharine L. Cheung, MD, PhD
Telemedicine Investigator
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Nephrology ; Center of Aging
Interests: Hiking, kayaking, cooking, gardening
Life Advice:”Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.” -W.B. Yeats
Bob Gramling, MD, DSc
Head of the VCL
Professor & Vice Chair of Family Medicine, Larner College of Medicine
Interests: Laughing, hiking, biking, writing, dancing, sharing big ideas, iaido
Life Advice: “Watch for a second arrow”
Emily Manetta, PhD
Professor of Linguistics
Interests: travel, child-wrangling, soccer, doing linguistics, open water swimming, long conversations
Life Advice: ” A word after a word after a word is power.” – Margaret Atwood
Maija Reblin, PhD
Health Psychology Investigator
Associate Professor of Family Medicine, Larner College of Medicine”
Interests: Running, rowing, playing outside, beach reads, exploring mechanisms in social contexts, dogs & friends.
Life Advice: “ Spend your time with people who make you better.”
Donna Rizzo, PhD
Machine Learning Investigator
Professor and Dorothean Chair, School of Engineering
Interests: Machine-Learning and developing computational tools to improve the understanding of human-induced changes on natural systems and the way we make decisions about natural resources and multi-scale environmental problems.
Life Advice: “Learn a lot and have fun!“
Elise Tarbi, PhD, MBE, APRN
Associate Director of the VCL
Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing
Interests: Puns, poetry, and high-quality communication, climbing mountains, the phases of the moon, cleaning up legos and my blind cat.
Life Advice: “Always find a reason to celebrate (and remember to pack a snack).”
Students
Nabil Balach
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Linguistics
Interests: I started playing Rugby this year, which I love, plus I enjoy going to the gym. It’s tougher in a dorm, but I also like to cook and i like to eat even more.
Life Advice: “Life is like a sandwich, no matter which way you flip it the bread comes first.”
Ian Bhatia
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Psychological sciences
Interests: Hiking, skiing, playing the drums, and listening to music
Life Advice: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Beuller
Suzannah Buehler
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Political Science and Sociology
Interests: Swimming, rock climbing, finding new recipes, and the NYT Crossword
Life Advice: “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
Milo Clary
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Computer Science and Library & Information Science, Simmons College
Interests: Weird films, good food, puppets, queer folk music, long drives, books (duh), and community events like theater, art, film, and music festivals
Life advice: “You can’t get it wrong cause getting it wrong is part of it.”
Maggie Demeo
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Biological Sciences
Interests: Hiking, skiing, listening to music, reading, and yoga
Life Advice: “Stop comparing yourself to other people, your journey is not supposed to look like theirs.”
Cailin Gramling, MSc
Ph.D. Student- Complex Systems & Data Science
Data Scientist
Interests: Dance, statistics, debate, coffee
Katie Grenon
Ph.D. Student – Interprofessional Health Sciences
Communication Pathologist
Interests: Cognition, context, and consilience. Also, weeding, splitting wood, flat skiing, trail running, and belting it out in the car.
Life Advice: “Success is just linked recoveries.”
Julia Hart
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Sustainability, Ecology and Policy with a concentration in Cultural Ecology and Healing Plant Medicine
Interests: Being in nature, roller-skating, reading, art, very long road trips, drinking tea, being in the sun, and traveling
Life Advice: “We have been to the moon, we have charted the depths of the ocean and the heart of the atom, but we have a fear of looking inward to ourselves because we sense that is where all the contradictions flow together.” – Terence McKenna
Stasha Medeiros
Ph.D. Student – Interprofessional Health Sciences
Neuroscientist
Interests: Soccer, traveling, hiking, snowboarding, and dancing
Life advice: “Try to approach opportunities with an open mind – you never know what doors might open!”
Susanna Schuler
Medical Student
Interests: Community gardening, crosswords, audiobooks and podcasts, cooking, camping, and doughnuts.
Life advice: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman
Student Alumni
Natalie Ambrose
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Professional Nursing
Interests: Crocheting, cooking, watching trashy reality TV, spending time with loved ones, and calling my mom.
Life Advice: “Don’t miss out on your life trying to get it together.”
Bridger Banco
Environmental Engineering
Interests: Hiking and backpacking, paddling, fishing, dogs, skiing, and birding
Life Advice: “Be kind to others and others will be kind to you. Also, always have fun!”
Bradford Demarest, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Interests: Language, science, machine learning, interdisciplinarity, hiking, music, cooking, biking, games. Interstitial stuff. Analogies. Collaboration.
Life Advice: Practice compassion toward yourself and other people. Lift with your legs, not your back. Drink water. Take walks. Do new things.
Isabel Brown
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Film
Interests: Music, rock climbing, film, creativity, community
Life Advice: “Rock and roll is fun but if you ever hear someone
Say you are huge, look at the moon, look at the star, look at the sun
Look at the ocean and the desert and the mountains and the sky
Say I am just a speck of dust inside a giant’s eye” – Kimya Dawson
Larry Clarfeld, PhD
Computer Science
Interests: My interests outside of academia include field ecology, birding, hiking, camping, playing guitar and spending time with my family.
Advik Dewoolkar
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Interests: Hiking, snowboarding, tea, and popular culture
Life Advice: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. That’s why they call it the present.” – Oogway
Brigitte Durieux
Biochemistry and French
Interests: Music, language, painting, hellbenders, space, stand-up, comedy, and trees.
Life Advice: “Enjoy all that you can”
Katie Flynn
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Neuroscience
Interests: Skiing, hiking, piano, medicine, music
Life Advice: “Take a moment once and a while to look back and see how much you’ve accomplished”
Laura Hirsch
Chemistry
Interests: Cycling, Irish Dancing, gardening, hiking and chemistry poetry
Life Advice: “If the grass is greener on the other side, there is probably more manure there“
Ali Javed, PhD
Computer Science
Interests: Food, traveling and fitness
Life Advice: “Persistence, determination and patience.”
Josie Leit
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Neuroscience
Interests: Activism, community, long walks, art history, food, travel
Life advice: “Follow your childhood passions”
Hope Linge
Summer Research Internship
Quaker Valley High School
Interests: Skiing, swimming, hikes with friends, playing the piano
Life Advice: “Be strong, trust yourself, love yourself, conquer your fears. Just go after what you want, and act fast because life just isn’t that long” -Pam Halpert, The Office
Viktoria Manukyan, MS
Product Engineer at Global Foundries
UVM Complex Systems Master’s Degree 2018
Interests: Big Data, Machine Learning, SUP Yoga and Dancing
Life Advice: “Being confident and believing in your own self-worth will make everything possible“
Lucia Marsiglio
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Anthropology
Interests: Skiing, movies, music, writing, coffee, and the human condition.
Life advice: “Enjoy life! And get an education!” – Pasqualina Ciccarello, my great-grandmother
Jeremy Matt, PhD
Computer Science
Interests: Machine learning and computational methods, mountain biking, hiking, blacksmithing, telemark skiing, woodworking, and reading
Life advice: My mom’s response when I resisted getting off the couch to go do something (a bike ride, a school assignment, a cross-country ski, etc): “Tough”
PS: My kids HATE that response as much as I used to
Aidan May
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Biochemistry
Interests: Running, biking, origami, nonfiction, and bagels
Life advice: “Just breathe”
Nina Pastore
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: English Writing
Interests: Skiing, rowing, poetry, listening
Life advice: “Spend less time on social media!”
Max Perrotto
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Data Science
Interests: Music, Cooking, Snowboarding, Community Activism, Jeopardy
Life advice: “There’s always more than meets the eye, so pay attention to everything, big and small.”
Zac Pollack
Summer Research Assistant
Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School
Interests: Computer science, music, travel, baking, learning languages, photography, and board games.
Life advice: “The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.”
― Frank Herbert, Dune
Lindsay Ross
Computer Science
Interests: Cooking, running, singing, crafting
Life Advice: “If you are not doing what you love, you are wasting your time.” –Billy Joel
Aidan Ryan
Civil Engineering
Interests: Playing guitar, anything outdoors, and of course diner breakfasts
Life Advice: “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” – Steve Prefontaine
Luke Stoughton Nawrocki
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Music Technology and Business
Interests: Early childhood education, technology, music, the outdoors, science, water, gratitude, skiing, creativity, and friends
Life advice: “Be kind and live the way that makes you happy!”
Jack Straton
Statistics
Tej Thambi
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Computer Science and Linguistics
Interests: Guitar, chess, basketball, volleyball
Life advice: “Live, Laugh, Love”
Joseph Wills
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Computer Science
Interests: research wise: natural language processing, human computer interaction. in general: filmmaking, books about space, and Frasier
Life Advice: Be yourself.
Ann Wong
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Biology
Interests: Skiing, surfing, playing the piano, and drinking tea