Yale Center for Teaching and Learning

Graduate Writing Fellows

DRAADM Administration

Rebecca Adelsheim is a doctoral candidate in Dramaturgy & Dramatic Criticism at the School of Drama. Their research focuses on contemporary queer playwrights, queer history and the archive, and lesbian aesthetics. Rebecca is the associate editor for Theater Magazine and has served as a dramaturg on projects including their co-adaptation of Sarah Waters’ AFFINITY and a number of new plays. Before coming to Yale, Rebecca freelanced as a new play dramaturg and editor and produced for theater companies including Steppenwolf, Baltimore Center Stage, 2nd Story, and Victory Gardens Theater. Rebecca received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2013 and is thrilled to work with academic and creative writers in the humanities at all stages of their work!

 

FASEAS Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Anjali is a third year PhD student in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. Her research focuses on developing noninvasive wearable sensors for understanding and monitoring human motion patterns in everyday settings. Before coming to Yale, she completed her B.S. in biomedical engineering with a minor in materials science and engineering at Boston University. Anjali has experience writing scientific manuscripts and fellowship applications and is a NSF GRFP fellow.  She looks forward to helping students at any stage in their academic writing.

 

History of Science and Medicine

Kamil Ahsan is a 4th-year doctoral student in History of Science and Medicine (HSHM) with a prior Ph.D. in Developmental Biology from the University of Chicago. Although my interests best fit under the umbrella of the environmental humanities, I’m an interdisciplinary scholar whose interests sit at the intersection of energy and labor history, intellectual history, literary theory, STS, and history of science. I’m the Chief Editor of South Asian Avant-Garde, as well as an essayist and critic. My work has appeared in NPR, The Nation, the LA Review of Books, Dissent, and The Baffler, among others.

As an interdisciplinary scholar, he works at the intersection of the public humanities, environmental history, intellectual history, history of science, energy and labor history, and literary criticism. His dissertation focuses on the specific historical contexts of reefs in regions—specifically Sri Lanka, Belize, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Philippines—that are, to varying degrees, truly peripheral to “global” reef science. It observes many actors, from fisheries, indigenous peoples, fossil fuel companies, and environmentalists, among others, to see how they have operated in tension and purpose with each other over the long 20th century to the present. He is the Chief Editor of the literary magazine South Asian Avant-Garde (SAAG), as well as an essayist and critic. His work has appeared in NPR, The Nation, L.A. Review of Books, The Baffler, Dissent, The Boston-Globe, among others.

 

FASHIS History

Zander is a fourth year student in the History Department. His dissertation focuses on political thought, law, empire, and reception of the classics in early modern Europe. He holds a BA in Religious Studies and Economics from Clemson University as well as a MAR in History of Christianity from Yale Divinity School. What he enjoys most about history and academic writing is the challenge of transforming a chaotic mess of research into a compelling story. He is excited to work with students on an article draft, term paper, prospectus, or dissertation in any area of the humanities.

 

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MEDMBB MB and B

Elizabeth is a 4th year PhD candidate in the Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry Department. Her current work focuses on defining noncanonical roles for DNA damage repair proteins in mitosis. Before starting at Yale, she received a B.S. in Biology from Wake Forest University. She has experience preparing NIH and NSF fellowship applications, and is excited to help others refine their work and grow as writers.

 

MEDSPH School of Public Health

Kelsie is a 5th year PhD Candidate in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at Yale School of Public Health. Her research focuses on Legionnaires’ disease and environmental risk factors related to trends in infectious disease. She was previously a co-editor in chief of Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine where she has also worked as their Podcast Coordinator. She has experience editing manuscripts that include statistical methods, large datasets, and complex study designs to improve clarity. She is excited to return for a second year as a GWL Fellow.

 

FASANT Anthropology

Carlye is a 5th year PhD Candidate in the Anthropology Department. Her research focuses on environmental exposures and maternal and infant health, and she holds a BA in Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis. Carlye enjoys helping others through all stages of the writing process, from outlines and ideas to the finishing touches of a piece, although she particularly likes working with grant applications. 

FASPSY Psychology

Vlad Chituc is a 6th year PhD student in Social Psychology studying psychological measurement and moral judgment. He grew up in a small town in rural, upstate New York before graduating from Yale in 2012, where he learned how to become a better writer and how better writing could be taught. He spent the next five years at Duke University in Durham, NC, where he studied behavioral economics and dishonesty while also pursuing freelance nonfiction writing. He wrote pieces about research in the social sciences for outlets like The New York Times, The New Republic, New Scientist, and The Daily Beast.

 

 

 

MEDMBB MB and B

Ellen is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry department. Her research focuses on understanding how biochemical mechanisms are disrupted in neurodevelopmental disorders. Before matriculating at Yale, she received her B.A. in Biochemistry from Kenyon College in Ohio. She is the recipient of an NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein F31 pre-doctoral fellowship, and enjoys working with students on all types of scientific writing.

 

MEDMBB MB and B

Daisy Duan is a 4th year Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry PhD student in the Koleske Lab. It was not until attending high school and taking physical sciences classes Daisy was fascinated with how biology and physics concepts could be combined to help us understand biological phenomena. Upon graduating from Johns Hopkins with degrees in Biophysics and Applied Math & Stats, she became the first in her family to not only finish high school but college. Now at Yale, Daisy is currently focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which nonreceptor tyrosine kinase Abl2 impacts microtubule dynamics in vitro and in cells. Outside of the lab, Daisy loves to explore new cities, discover new music, and cook with friends in her spare time.

 

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FASMUS Music Department

Taryn Dubois is a 4th year PhD student in Historical Musicology. Her research focuses on discourses of nation building and modernization as they appear and sound in late nineteenth-century Italian ballets. A proud Canadian, she completed her Bachelor of Music in trumpet at Brandon University, and her MA at the University of Toronto. Taryn enjoys working through writing at all stages, and continually learning about different styles of research and writing.

 

FASHIS History

Breeanna is a fourth-year doctoral student in the History of Science and Medicine Program. Prior to Yale, she received her A.B. in History and African and African American Studies from Harvard College. She also earned her teacher licensure from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2015. Her doctoral research emphasizes the role of ancestral spirits in histories of regional pharmacopeia and bioprospecting by recognizing them as active and independent political agents in the cross-cultural negotiations of health, healing, and illness in the Western Indian Ocean. Her methodologies include ethnography, archival research, oral history, and ethnobotany, and she works across the disciplines of anthropology, history, and science and technology studies. She is eager to work with writers at all stages in their academic writing, with a special interest in grant and fellowship applications.

 

 

FASPSC Political Science

Morgan Galloway is a 7th year doctoral candidate in the Political Science department. Her work focuses on memory and state violence, paying particular attention to the role of individual agency in the memorialization process. Her work is interdisciplinary; it joins disciplines within the humanities and social sciences. As a Graduate Writing Lab Fellow, Morgan looks forward to helping graduate students write more clearly and concisely while maintaining their own individual voice.

 

FASCHM Chemistry

Randy Hamchand is a 5th year Ph. D. student in the Chemistry Department. His research focuses on the biochemical elucidation of novel small-molecule signals implicated in human-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions. He attended the University of Connecticut for his undergraduate and masters studies where he obtained an M.S. in Chemistry and a B.S in Biological Sciences. Randy has several years of tutoring experience and enjoys learning about fields outside of his own.

 

MEDGEN Genetics

Cecelia is a 5th year PhD candidate in Genetics. Her research focuses on non-coding RNA and ribosome biogensis. Before graduate school, Cecelia studied Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Art History at Rollins College in Florida where she studied viral microRNAs. Cecelia is a current NSF GRFP Fellow and a previous NASA CTSGC Graduate Fellow. She is excited to work with students on their grant and fellowship applications, as well as any other piece of writing.

 

FASENG English

Anna is a seventh-year Ph.D. candidate in the English department. Her research focuses on representations of climate change and environmental crisis in twentieth-century American literature, with a particular interest in questions about memory, place, colonialism, and affect. Prior to graduate school, she studied painting and drawing, and she is passionate about visual arts, visual culture, and interdisciplinary collaborations. At Yale, Anna has taught courses in academic and creative nonfiction writing, and she has served as the co-chief editor of Palimpsest: Yale Graduate Literary and Arts Magazine. She looks forward to supporting graduate students with presentation skills and a range of writing projects at any stage of the process.

 

FASAMS American Studies

Minh is a third year in American Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Their research examines everyday material cultures of militarisms, transpacific empire, and decay studies. Prior to the doctoral program, they completed an undergraduate degree at Yale College, where they studied English and worked at the Writing Center. Minh would be thrilled to work with colleagues on writing projects of various disciplines and genres.

 

NURADM Administrative Units

Brianna is a 4th year Nursing PhD candidate and a Psychiatric-Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist. Her research and clinical practice focus on psychosocial trauma and resilience in young people who are marginalized. For her dissertation work, she is conducting a mixed methods study exploring the intersection of structural violence, mental health, and positive adaptation experienced by emerging adults who have aged out of foster care.  She holds BScN and MScN degrees from Western University in Canada, where she first developed a passion for youth-engaged, trauma-informed, and equity-oriented care.  Brianna particularly enjoys critical writing and public speaking, but is looking forward to supporting students from all disciplines with varying interests and levels of experience.

 

ACACWS College Work Study

Margaret is an MAR student at the Divinity School, studying Religion and Literature with a focus on the intersections between social justice, religion and the arts. She has a BA in English from Yale and an MA in English Teaching from Brooklyn College. Before returning to Yale, she taught English at the middle and high school level for twelve years in Brooklyn, NY. She also taught English in Wuhan, China. She has experience working with ESL writers, and is excited to work with graduate students on writing projects of all kinds in the humanities or social sciences.

 

FASHOA History of Art

Elizabeth Keto is a third-year PhD student in the History of Art. Her research focuses on American art, and her interests include landscape, ecology, and empire in the nineteenth-century United States. Elizabeth graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College (2018) with a degree in History of Art and Architecture. She was the recipient of a 2018 Marshall Scholarship, and she holds master’s degrees in the history of art and in curating from The Courtauld Institute of Art in London. She looks forward to working with students on all types of writing projects in the humanities.

 

ENVOTH Other

Jennifer is a 2nd year Ph.D. student in the School of the Environment and Center for Industrial Ecology. Her research focuses on utilizing life cycle assessment to characterize carbon removal technologies. Before coming to Yale, Jennifer received her B.A. at Rice University in Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences and worked as a Baccalaureate Fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute in Washington, D.C.. She has experience in academic and non-academic writing and communication, and looks forward to working with fellow graduate students on a variety of writing projects. Jennifer is also a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, and would be happy to help students on their applications!

 

FASHIS History

Eva is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in History. Her research explores colonial British America and the wider early modern Atlantic World, with a focus on political economy. She is also interested in the integration of network analysis, spatial analysis, and other digital methodologies in humanities projects. Eva received her B.A. in History from Yale College in 2017. Before returning to New Haven for graduate studies, she worked as an education policy researcher and freelance editor. She looks forward to supporting humanities and social science students at any stage in the writing process. 

 

Religious Studies

Joseph (Sang Wuk) Lee is a 4th year PhD student in religious studies. Their/his research focuses on the history of ancient Christianity, critical disability and race theories, ancient medicine, and archaeology. They/he holds a Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School. Joseph has several years of experience teaching English in South Korea and enjoys discussing students’ works and learning about their own research.

 

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Jacqueline is a sixth-year Ph.D. student in Latin American History. Her research focuses on Belize in the eighteenth century. Jacqueline received a B.A. from the Gallatin School at New York University and an M.A./M.Sc. in International/World History from Columbia University and the London School of Economics. She also has professional experience as a museum educator and a freelance editor. She especially enjoys supporting writers with the brainstorming stages of their work and offering strategies for improving writers’ relationships with their work.

 

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FASPHI Philosophy Department

Moya is a 5th year PhD student in the philosophy department. They study ethics and feminist philosophy. They’re a total language nerd, and they love working in the Graduate Writing Lab. When they’re not studying philosophy, Moya enjoys practicing yoga and baking bread.

 

 

Anne is a doctoral candidate studying Political Theory. Her research examines the political, social, and ethical dimensions of 20th century U.S. educational planning, policy, and statecraft. Prior to graduate school, Anne worked as an education policy researcher and consultant at the American Institutes for Research. She holds an M.Phil. in Political Thought and Intellectual History from the University of Cambridge, and a B.A. in Philosophy from the Gallatin School at NYU. Anne looks forward to helping graduate students articulate their ideas through clear and engaging writing.

FASAAS African American Studies Dept

Jeania Ree Moore is a 3rd year Ph.D. student in African American Studies and Religious Studies. Her research uses religion and theology to analyze intersections in African American history and culture, such as romance novels and race, and racialization and animalization. She holds an M.Phil. in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar, an M.Div. from Emory University as a Woodruff Scholar, and a B.A. in Humanities from Yale. Prior to returning to Yale for doctoral studies, Jeania Ree worked in legislative advocacy in Washington, D.C., where she was also a contributing writer for Sojourners magazine and authored a bimonthly column. Jeania Ree has experience with writing for academic and public audiences, and enjoys working with students on a range of projects—research paper, cover letter, sermon, fellowship application, op-ed, and more.

FASHIS History

Jacob Morrow-Spitzer is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Department of History, and is also an affiliate of the Yale Judaic Studies Program. His research focuses on the intersection between modern Jewish history, American race, and political history. He received his B.A. in History and Jewish Studies from Tulane University, and worked as a peer tutor at the Tulane Academic Success Center throughout his undergraduate years. Before starting at Yale, he worked in the non-profit and public-facing research world. Jacob has experience editing personal statements, journal articles, conference talks, fellowship applications, book reviews, public-facing scholarship, encyclopedia entries, and many, many course papers.

 

MEDCEL Cell Biology

Layla Nassar is a fifth-year PhD student in the Department of Cell Biology. Her research investigates why a subcellular organelle called the lysosome moves and how lysosome movement is related to the metabolism of specific amino acids. Layla holds a MPhil from Yale University in Cell Biology as well as a BS in Neuroscience and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from University of Miami. She is a recipient of a 2018 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. One of Layla’s greatest joys since starting her PhD has been in communicating research through writing, and she hopes to help others find the magic in meeting their writing goals.

 

FASHIS History

Libby O’Neil is a 3rd year PhD student in the History of Science and Medicine (HSHM). Her research focuses on the history of systems thinking and cybernetics in the behavioral sciences in the 20th century. Before coming to Yale, she received a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Kansas, and an MA in Liberal Studies from Reed College in 2019. Libby has experience writing in a variety of academic and professional settings, and enjoys helping students communicate their ideas to new audiences.

 

MEDDEA YSM Dean

Sakura is a 4th year MD/PhD student in the department of anthropology. Her research focuses on female reproductive ecology in Samoa. Prior to starting at Yale, she pursued a MPhil in applied biological anthropology at the University of Cambirdge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. She also holds a B.A. in anthropology and biology from Washington University in St. Louis. She has experience writing abstracts, scientific mansucripts, and fellowship/grant applications. She looks forward to working with students from diverse discplines at any stage of the writing process!

MEDGEN Genetics

Yanixa is a 5th year PhD student in Genetics and a recipient of a NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA F31 pre-doctoral fellowship. Her thesis work focuses on dissecting molecular and phenotypical differences of KRAS variants in cancer. Yanixa obtained her BS in Biology with an emphasis in Genetics and Biomedicine from the University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla. Her passion for providing equal access to health care and education, outreach and mentoring has driven her involvement with student-led initiatives focused on increasing diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. As a GWL Fellow, she looks forward to helping fellow graduate students navigate the fellowship application process.

 

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FASRST Religious Studies

Naila is a PhD cadidate in Religious Studies, with a specialization in ancient Judaism and Late Antiquity. Her research centers on the intersection of historiography, exegesis and ancient language politics during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods. She is interested in competing conceptions of primeval language, ancient idenity construction, and the transmission and reception of ideas and texts beyond antiquity. She also seeks to bring the field of biblical and early Jewish studies in conversation with late antiquity and early Islam. She received her MA in ancient Judaism from Yale Divinity School and her BA in Near Eastern History from the University of Connecticut. She has experience working with various genres and is excited to assist students with any writing projects at any stage for academic or general audiences in the Humanities and social sciences.

 

FASPSY Psychology

Madeline “Gracie” Reinecke is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Psychology Department, where she studies moral cognition (e.g., how children and adults evaluate moral standing). Before coming to Yale, Gracie earned her BSc in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She’s excited to help others – especially within the social sciences – develop their writing, data visualization, and presentation skills.

FASENG English

Sophie Richardson is a seventh-year Ph.D. student in the English department. Her primary research interests are centered around English Early Modern drama, lyric, and culture, and her current work is on literary representations of surfaces in a selection of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English texts. Prior to attending Yale, she received her B.A. in comparative literature from Oberlin College, and she welcomes opportunities to revisit French and German from her more multi-lingual college days. She loves clear and compelling writing across the disciplines and looks forward to working with others to promote engaging written work, oral presentations, and classroom techniques.

 

ACACWS College Work Study

Talia is a third-year JD student with research interests in constitutional history, critical theory, and federal Indian law. They work as a student attorney in the Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic and have served as an Articles Editor on the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism. Talia also maintains an interdisciplinary art practice and worked as a dance artist in Melbourne, Australia before coming to Yale. They hold an A.B. in Latin American History and Literature from Harvard, with a secondary in African American Studies. As a Graduate Writing Lab Fellow, they look forward to working with law students as well as graduate students in the humanities and social sciences from across the university.

 

FASPSC Political Science

Chetana is a third year student in the Political Science department. She is broadly interested in state formation processes, gender politics and political violence. Her research project looks at the state’s role in fostering systems of sexual labour and the violence associated with it. Her work draws insights from various disciplines, ranging from anthropology to economics. Outside of research, she enjoys reading contemporary fiction and dedicating a decent chunk of time to TV shows (current obsession: Bad Sisters). As a Fellow, she is excited to work with graduates on their writing projects, and help them discover their writing styles.

 

FASAST Astronomy

Zili Shen is a fourth year Ph.D. student in Astronomy. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BSA in physics and astronomy and a certificate in the philosophy of science. Her research focuses on faint and diffuse galaxies. She has multiple first-author peer-reviewed scientific articles and has won prizes for conference talks and presentations. Zili is an author for the astronomy blog Astrobites, and she is a speaker for Astronomy on Tap. She looks forward to working with students on scientific writing.

 

Hana Stankova
FASSLA Slavic Languages and Literatures

Hana is a 4th year student in the Slavic Languages and Literatures department and received her BA in History and Literature with a focus on Russia from Harvard College in 2017. Her research focuses on the Russian Empire’s 19th century colonization of Central Asia through the lens of travel writing and exhibitions. Before coming to Yale, she worked as an English teacher in Paris and in Jinyun, a town in Zhejiang Province, China. She has experience working with students on developing their ideas and editing drafts through the Harvard College Writing Center, where she tutored undergraduates and graduate students in all disciplines. She also has experience working with ESL students.

 

Jennifer Strtak
Renaissance Studies

Jennifer Strtak is a PhD candidate in the Department of History and Program in Early Modern Studies. Her research engages the carriage as an investigative tool to explore how the development of transportation reconfigured built environments, daily life, and movement regulation in Paris between 1600-1800. Her research has been generously supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada-Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada as well as the Fox International Fellowship Program.
 
Prior to coming to Yale, Strtak obtained an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College, University of Toronto, and a Master of Philosophy from Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge. In 2021 she was the co-recipient of the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning’s Teaching Innovation Project (TIP) grant for her contribution in the creation of a Certificate Program in Early Modern Studies for Yale College, which promotes the practical application of humanistic study to everyday life.
 
She looks forward to working with graduate students and helping them to achieve success in their written work, oral presentations, and teaching programs.

 

MEDOED Other Education Programs

Sofia is a 4th year Ph.D. candidate in the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program. She is currently investigating the molecular mechanisms of Batten Disease, a devastating form of pediatric neurodegeneration. Before beginning her studies at Yale, Sofia earned a BSc in Biology from Haverford College and worked at NASA on the BioSentinel Mission. Sofia has experience with scientific manuscripts, successful fellowship applications, personal statements, and creating accessible and engaging slide decks. She is as passionate about reading good fiction as she is about writing for the sciences.

 

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FASMED Medieval Studies

Chihiro Larissa Tsukamoto is a 6th year PhD candidate writing their dissertation on how music was used for healing during the Ancient Greek, Byzantine, Abbasid, and Mamluk periods. At Yale, Larissa has been a Health & Wellness Fellow at the McDougal Center, a board member of the Good Life Center, a founding member of the Yale Health Student Advisory Council, and a volunteer therapeutic musician at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Prior to coming to Yale, Larissa received a B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University and an M.A. in Medieval Icelandic Studies from the University of Iceland. Outside of their PhD work, Larissa is a polyglot who loves learning languages and is an actively performing classical musician. Larissa has over a decade of experience being a professional editor and would be thrilled to speak to writers about productivity tips, overcoming writer’s block, and developing one’s own personal writing style.

 

FASENG English

Ciru is a 4th year PhD candidate in the English Language & Literature department. Her research focuses on meter in West Indian poetry at midcentury. Largely, she delights in the humor and mischief of several women poets. She is very familiar with a broad range of critical theory, literary and otherwise. Moreover, Ciru is a dedicated peer reviewer and editor with a firm grasp of the elements of good, clear writing.

 

MEDSPH School of Public Health

Jingyuan is a third-year PhD student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Yale School of Public Health. Her current research interests center around early origins of neuropsychiatric disorders and possible transmission of disease risk across multiple generations. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of California, San Diego and a master’s in social and behavioral sciences from Yale. She has experience with many forms of writing particularly in the sciences and social sciences and she looks forward to working with scholars at all stages of their writing.