2021 Team

Co-Chairs

Aurora Zhang is a second-year in the SES PhD program. She is currently working with IDSS’s Systemic Racism & Computation initiative to study racial disparities in evictions and homeownership. She is broadly interested in fair machine learning, computational sociology, and causal inference in policymaking, especially in the context of urban studies. In the past, she worked at Analysis Group in economic consulting and collaborated with the Los Angeles Legal Aid Foundation to map the spatial structure of rent burden in Los Angeles. She graduated from Pomona College with a B.A. in mathematics in 2019.

Saba is a masters student in MIT's Technology & Policy Program. She is doing research with Professor Munther Dahleh on Demand Response. Saba intends to do a dual masters in Computer Science and is passionate about using data and computational methods to solve real-world problems. Saba earned her BA from Dartmouth College with majors in Physics, Math modified with Computer Science, and French modified with Sociology. In her free time, she enjoys staying active and engaging with her community.

Executive Committee

Lan Ha is an incoming master’s student in the Technology and Policy Program. She will be working at the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR) at MIT. Prior to graduate school, Lan was a research assistant at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. At the Boston Fed, she contributed to research on assessing funding inequality among Connecticut school districts, predicting state tax revenue losses due to COVID-19, and analyzing tax-setting behaviors among Massachusetts municipalities. Lan holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Mount Holyoke College.

Will is a 2022 M.S. Candidate in MIT’s Technology and Policy Program, with research on climate and health metrics under the Research to Policy Engagement Initiative. Prior to MIT, Will earned a B.A. in Geosciences from Princeton University and worked at Climate Central, a climate change research and communications NGO. He is especially excited to be connecting students with policy issues, having completed a state government fellowship in Massachusetts and led community research partnerships in multiple other states.

Jorge Sandoval is a first-year graduate student in MIT’s Technology & Policy Program studying the impact of science policies in the innovation of advanced technologies. He has a background in material science and graduate studies in nanotechnology and organic electronics from Costa Rica, Belgium and Germany, respectively. His academic experience comprise diverse fields from medical devices and magnetoelectronics to biosensors and solar cells.

Challenge Directors

Christina is a first-year graduate student in MIT’s Technology & Policy Program. She received her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Yale University. After her undergraduate studies, she worked as Scoville Fellow at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) covering energy systems transitions and nuclear policy issues. Most recently, she was an air quality consultant at Ramboll, where she conducted life cycle emission analyses to assess environmental and equity concerns from vehicle emissions.

Allie is a first year graduate student in MIT’S Technology and Policy Program. She is studying and researching equitable energy and climate policy. Prior to her graduate studies, Allie was an energy consultant at Guidehouse, where she worked on energy efficiency and renewable energy development at the state and utility levels. Allie earned a BS in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Energy Studies from MIT.

Sukhi is an incoming graduate student in MIT’s Technology and Policy Program. Previously, Sukhi worked at Facebook where she focused on local news distribution and public safety. She is studying Internet Policy, planning to focus on privacy and data ownership. She earned her Bachelors in Computer Science from Stanford University. In her free time, she likes cooking for friends and exploring on her bike.

Alexa is an incoming graduate student at MIT’s Technology and Policy Program. She is currently studying climate change modeling and energy policy. Previously, Alexa worked at BlackRock, where she supported their end-to-end investment platform, Aladdin, and specialized in data integrity. She earned her undergraduate degree in Mathematical Economics from Colgate University.

Philipp is a first-year graduate student in MIT’s Technology and Policy Program. His research interest spans the intersection of computational social sciences, with specific dedication towards humanitarian action. Prior to his studies at MIT, Philipp worked in the UN Executive Office of the Secretary-General on the
organization’s data strategy and for the International Organization for Migration on supply chain management strategies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Management from Kühne Logistics University.