Meet the Team

Prithi is a student at Ardrey Kell High School interested in specializing in chemical genetics and biochemistry. Prior to her role as an Executive Director of Programs & Strategy, Prithi served as BioMedizone's Co-Director of Human Resources. Prithi hopes to establish her own university-affiliated research laboratory in the future.

Tania is a life sciences student at McMaster University specializing in Biology, Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior (BioPNB), with a strong interest in healthcare, research, and scientific innovation. Previously, she served as BioMedizone's Co-Director of Human Resources and aspires to contribute to medicine through healthcare leadership, research, and patient-centered innovation.

Geethika is a student in the Academy of Healthcare Sciences at Morris County School of Technology and serves as the Executive Director of Innovation, previously holding roles of Director of Software and Finance. She hopes to expand opportunities for student research and internships through initiatives like the Junior Lab.

Sahasra Vennam

Associate Director, Biovera Outreach

sahasravennam@biomedizone.org

Tanya Prashanth

Associate Director, Website Administration

tanyaprashanth@biomedizone.org

Zuha Ajlan, MSc 

Advisory Board Member

Zuha Ajlan is a neuroscientist and STEM education advocate. She will be pursuing her PhD in 2024 where she hopes to develop immunotherapies. Zuha Ajlan is the founder of Shadow A Scientist — an international nonprofit organization. Zuha has also mentored over 30 Biomedicine students, presented research at prestigious conferences like the Neurology World Congress 2023, and spoken on panels addressing climate change with organizations such as Golden Key International and Climate Cardinals.

Lauren Schnitkey, BS

Advisory Board Member

Lauren Schnitkey is a Ph.D. candidate in Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University, where she investigates molecular signaling cascades involved in heart development. She is deeply committed to education and mentorship, actively guiding high school and college students interested in biomedical research. Lauren aspires to establish her own research lab as a principal investigator, leading innovative studies in cardiovascular development and disease.

Bitsar Banda, MSc

Advisory Board Member

Bitsar Wezzy Banda is a Medical Scientist and Clinical Pathologist at Trumeds Medical Laboratory with a strong background in

medical biosciences, biotechnology, bioinformatics, translational biology, and clinical research. As a PhD aspirant, Bitsar aims to advance research in glioblastoma and translational cancer biology, with the long-term vision of establishing an innovative research laboratory dedicated to improving patient outcomes through scientific discovery.

Manoj Ghosh, BHMS, MPH

Advisory Board Member

Manoj Ghosh, BHMS (National Institute of Homoeopathy, GoI), MPH (Institute of Public Health Kalyani, GoWB), is a PhD Scholar (National Scholar, UGC-NET SRF) at MAHE, Manipal. His academic and research experience includes work as JRF (Hom.) at CRU-Siliguri, Central Council for Research in Homeopathy, GoI, and Assistant Professor in Hospital Management at NSHM Knowledge Campus, Durgapur, with research interests at the intersection of public health, technology, Yoga, Mindfulness, and Integrative Medicine. He has contributed to public health initiatives across public and private sectors and has experience in academic mentoring, research supervision, and supporting scholars in research activities 

Anushka Sarkar, MSc

Advisory Board Member

Anushka is a neuroscientist working at the intersection of systems neuroscience and neuroengineering, with a focus on how hippocampal-cortical interactions give rise to memory, cognition, and perception across the lifespan. She currently holds joint Research Assistant positions at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, The Netherlands and the University of Nottingham, UK, where her work spans sleep-dependent oscillatory coordination in Alzheimer's models and population-level analyses of neural circuit resilience. Her research draws on both experimental and computational neuroscience.  In 2027, she plans to begin her doctoral studies in neuroscience. 

She is also equally committed to building a more equitable and connected neuroscience community. As an integral part of Women in Neuroscience UK and through her work with FENS-ALBA, WWN and other organizations, she champions the women and underrepresented in neuroscience building careers in the field, and has personally mentored early-career researchers in life sciences. Her work has been recognized with the Women in Memory Research Award, IBRO Speaker Support Award among other honors.

Njeodo Vigny, MSc

Advisory Board Member

Njeodo Vigny is a SampleManager LIMS implementer at Groupe Kedibuild and a part-time clinical laboratory science instructor at Université de la Côte, with expertise in Chemical Pathology and evidence synthesis, and has led the SONARA LIMS project for over a year under the technical supervision of Serkan Gumuspala at Integron. He has authored and co-authored more than eight scientific publications, presented research at scientific conferences, and led the Shadow A Scientist Cameroon Chapter, advancing scientific mentorship and supporting the development of young scientists. As a PhD candidate in Chemical Pathology at the University of Buea in Cameroon, with an M.Sc. in Chemical Pathology, his research interests span HIV, cardiovascular disease, pharmacotherapy, oxidative stress, and renal biomarkers.