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Current GSA Executive Officers

GSA Executive Officers: Fall 2022 and Spring 2023


President

Edgar Perez-Lopez

Email: eperez-lopez@ucmerced.edu

Office Hours: Friday 11:00am-12:00pm, Grad Pad (SSB 350)

Edgar Perez-Lopez is a a 5th year PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering. His research focus is in low temperature plasma applications in food, energy, and water systems. He served in GSA as Undocumented Affairs Officer 2021-2022 and is excited to serve the graduate student body as president. In addition to GSA involvement, Edgar has been involved in the Graduate Dean's Advisory Council on Diversity the past 3 years. 


Internal Vice President

Lorenzo Booth

Email: lbooth@ucmerced.edu

Office Hours: By appointment

Lorenzo is a Ph.D candidate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, researching path-planning strategies for robots tasked with surveying environmental fields. His background is in Environmental Engineering, where he specialized in spatial analysis and the modeling of water systems. As Internal Vice President, Lorenzo facilitates meetings of the Delegate Assembly. He aims to streamline processes and help make the operation and stewardship of the GSA simple and sustainable for future generations of graduate students. 


External Vice President

Arabi Seshappan

Email: aseshappan@ucmerced.edu

Office Hours: By appointment


Academic Affairs Officer (Vacant)

 


 

Internal Communications Officer

Md. Mehdi Masud

Email: mmasud@ucmerced.edu

Office Hours: By appointment

Mehdi is a 5th year Ph.D. candidate in Physics, studying computational condensed matter physics. His research focus is on materials electronic and spectroscopic properties at extreme (high energy density) conditions – which is particularly helpful for fusion research as well as for fundamental ideas on this topic. As an Internal Communications Officer, Mehdi is working to build up strong communications withing the GSA EC members, taking meeting minutes, updating GSA website as well as performing other duties as assigned in the ‘GSA-by-laws handbook’ to make the GSA helpful for all the UC Merced graduate students. 


Treasurer

Aneelman Brar

Email: abrar9@ucmerced.edu

Office Hours: By appointment

Aneelman is 5th year Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry. Her research focuses on the synthesis of organometallic complexes and employing them as catalyst for various organic transformations. As a Treasurer, she will be taking care of GSA budget for the academic year of 2022-2023. She will be the person of contact for GSO funds and GSA sponsored events. 


Public Relations/Community Outreach Officer

Destina Bermejo Navarro

Email: dbermejo@ucmerced.edu

Office Hours: By appointment

Destina is a second-year Ph.D. student in Sociology, studying Latin American Indigeneity in diaspora, (im)migration and displacement, and language. Destina’s role as the Public Relations and Community Outreach Officer for the 2022-2023 academic schoolyear include: informing the graduate and professional student community in Merced of campus and local issues, overseeing the planning of events hosted by GSA, collaborating and coordinating with campus departments, and actively engaging graduate and professional student community in volunteer activities. 


International Affairs Officer

Mohit Saraswat

Email: msaraswat@ucmerced.edu

Office Hours: By appointment

Mohit is a second-year Ph.D. student in Chemistry. His research interests include nano-fluidics and ion-transport through 2D nano-materials. As an international affairs officer, he will be the first point of contact for all matters concerning international graduate and professional students on campus. He will be working closely with the Office of International Affairs to monitor any issues and ensuring that the international student body is well informed of those developments.

 


Climate, Diversity and Equity Officer

Koto Babaguchi

Email: kbabaguchi@ucmerced.edu

Office Hours: By appointment

Koto is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry. Her research area is organic and organometallic chemistry, specifically organocatalysis and transition metal catalysis. As the Climate, Diversity, and Equity officer, Koto works to foster an inclusive campus climate and serve with existing campus committees to ensure that underrepresented graduate and professional students are well. She thrives on promoting mental health access and community-serving events.   


Solidarity Officer

Jarrod Brown

Email: jbrown61@ucmerced.edu

Office Hours: By appointment

Jarrod is a second-year Ph.D. student in Sociology. His research areas are race and ethnicity, sociology of education, and inequality. As the solidarity officer, Jarrod directs students to the correct UC Merced resources to resolve their problems and concerns while maintaining confidentiality. In addition, he maintains a working relationship with UC Merced’s UAW 2865 officers.  


Legislative Affairs Officer (Vacant)

 

 


 

Social Media and Graphics Design Officer

Maia Powell

Email: mpowell2@ucmerced.edu

Office Hours: By appointment

Maia is a fifth year Ph.D. candidate in Applied Mathematics. Her research involves studying the nature of online disagreement and structural differences between different types of speech, as well as the spread of misinformation online. As the Social Media & Graphic Design Officer, she maintains social media accounts and assists necessary collaborators with graphic design needs.  


Undocumented Affairs Officer

Yulissa Perez Rojas

Email: yperezrojas@ucmerced.edu

Office Hours: By appointment

Yulissa is a fourth year Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Systems, investigating soil emissions caused by episodic drying-wetting events. As the Undocumented Affairs Officer, Yulissa’s role is to assure that undocumented graduate and professional students are well-informed, fairly treated, and able to equally participate at UC Merced. In addition, to building and fostering a safe community among undocumented graduate, undergraduate, and professional students.