Riley is the 2025-2026 President of the Advanced Degree Consulting Club. She is a PhD Candidate in Neuroscience at USC whose research involves neuroimaging analysis at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Before ADCC, Riley served as the President of USC's Neuroscience Graduate Forum. Her consulting experience includes participating in the IXL Consulting Accelerator Competition, where her team took first place. She also works as a consulting associate and internal advisor for Biotech Connections Los Angeles- Consulting. Riley's long-term career goals are to enter management consulting. She seeks to utilize scientific problem solving skills in combination with business innovation to bring high-impact solutions to real-world concerns.
relmer@usc.edu
Leah is a PhD candidate in Programs in Biomedical and Biological Sciences (PIBBS) at USC, where she investigates the gene regulatory networks that distinguish regenerative from non-regenerative organs in the inner ear. Her research combines epigenetic tools, bioinformatics, and viral gene delivery systems to uncover pathways that could lead to new therapies for hearing loss. Outside the lab, Leah is passionate about building community and creating impact through leadership. As a former President of the USC School of Medicine Graduate Student Association, she revived a previously dormant organization and led a team of ten executive board members to support graduate students academically, professionally, and socially. She organized ten events that served over 1,000 students - from securing $15,000 in university funding to bringing in industry professionals for career panels on both benchwork and non-benchwork paths. Now serving as the Vice President of the Advanced Degree Consulting club, Leah is excited to expand the club's presence and help fellow graduate students explore consulting. She brings a collaborative mindset, a track record of execution, and a strong belief in the power of strategic innovation and teamwork to drive meaningful change.
yeeunk@usc.edu
Stuti Chakraborty is currently a PhD student at USC. She studies the role of the brain’s vascular neurobiology in predicting recovery after stroke, using computational neuroimaging and informatics. For her efforts in primary health advocacy, she represented the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth to at the Global Conference on Primary Healthcare, organized by the WHO. She trained as a clinical occupational therapist and graduated with high academic honor from one of India’s leading medical institutions. Since starting graduate school, she has been actively working at the intersection of science, business advocacy and entrepreneurship. She co-founded a youth-led initiative to raise awareness about the brain sciences and opportunities in STEM fields, increasing accessibility for young women and girls. Her policy paper addressing the divide in accessibility to Assistive Technologies for people with disabilities was presented at the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development. She was named a Young Indian Innovator by Dais India, in 2021, and won 2nd place in the nation-wide clinical neurology case prize organized by Brain Awareness Week and the International Brain Research Organization. Recently, her team won 2nd place at the TechStars and USC startup weekend and 3rd place at the Southeast Business and Consulting Case Competition.
stuticha@usc.edu
I am a third-year PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering at USC, working in the Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering under Prof. Megan McCain. My research focuses on understanding how mechanical stretch alters uterine contractility, with applications in maternal health. I am excited to pursue a career in life science consulting, where I hope to apply my analytical skills to solve impactful real-world problems.
peshina@usc.edu
Dr. Radhika Joshi is a dental surgeon with a postgraduate diploma in Clinical Research and Pharmacovigilance and a master’s degree in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. She brings over seven years of experience across clinical practice, medical affairs, and translational research. Radhika has worked with leading pharmaceutical companies such as Cipla and Pfizer, where she served as a medical advisor for cardiometabolic, neuropsychiatry, and anti-infective therapy areas. In these roles, she led cross-functional initiatives involving evidence generation, stakeholder engagement, product strategy, and digital medical innovation. Her cross-functional collaboration and problem-solving skills naturally align with her strong interest in life sciences consulting. As a USC Student Ambassador for the Trojan Outreach Program, she contributed to university advancement efforts by supporting fundraising initiatives and strengthening alumni and donor engagement. She recently completed her master’s in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at USC, where her thesis focused on developing medulloblastoma organoids from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and conducting drug screening to investigate treatment resistance. In Fall 2025, she will begin her PhD in Cancer Biology and Genomics through USC’s PIBBS program, continuing her exploration of regenerative medicine, oncology, and its strategic applications in science and healthcare innovation.
joshirad@usc.edu
Laura is a second-year PhD candidate in Infectious Diseases, Immunology, and Pathogenesis at USC, where she conducts research in Dr. Bingfei Yu’s lab. Her work centers on mapping T cell receptors (TCRs) to their peptide–major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) ligands to identify neoantigens and tumor-reactive TCRs. She is passionate about developing novel technologies that bridge fundamental immunology with translational applications in cancer and infectious disease. New to the consulting space, Laura is eager to explore life science consulting as a way to apply her scientific expertise to real-world challenges. As Director of Communications, she will support ADCC’s mission by managing the club’s digital outreach and helping connect fellow graduate students with opportunities to explore careers in consulting and strategy.
nuoyayan@usc.edu
