2025 Dean’s Scholars Named
Penn Arts & Sciences has named 20 students from the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Liberal & Professional Studies, and the Graduate Division as this year’s Dean’s scholars.
The honor is presented annually to students who exhibit exceptional academic performance and intellectual promise. They will be recognized at the Stephen A. Levin Family Dean’s Forum on April 8.
COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
Andrea Barajas, C’25, Criminology and Sociology, submatriculation in Master of Science in Criminology
Andrea is a Criminology and Sociology double major and a submatriculant in the Master of Science in Criminology program. Her research exemplifies a deep commitment to juvenile justice, focusing on diversion programs and restorative justice. Andrea excels academically, earning top marks in advanced courses like Criminological Theory and Evidence-Based Crime Policy, and is conducting a master’s thesis about youth crime prevention. As President of the Penn Undergraduate Criminology Society, she mentors peers and fosters collaboration while pursuing impactful internships with nonprofits. With plans to pursue a PhD, Andrea aims to drive transformative research in juvenile justice.
Om Gandhi, C’25, Health & Societies and Neuroscience; Chemistry and Neuroscience & Healthcare Management minor; submatriculation in Bioengineering
Om is a Health & Societies and Neuroscience double major, minoring in Chemistry and Neuroscience & Healthcare Management, and submatriculating in Bioengineering. He blends biology, technology, and informatics in his work. As a Rhodes Scholar and researcher in a pediatric oncology lab, Om focuses on developing novel cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. His contributions include creating bioinformatics pipelines for gene expression analysis, advancing immunotherapy research, and co-authoring a manuscript under review at Nature. Om’s dedication to translational medicine, interdisciplinary innovation, and impactful mentorship exemplifies his commitment to improving pediatric cancer care and advancing medical science.
Daphne Glatter, C’25, Ancient History and English; Mathematics minor
Daphne is an English and Ancient History double major with a minor in Mathematics, known for her exceptional intellect, research, and creativity. A Penn Press Prize winner, she is completing an honors thesis on the Cotton Nero A.x manuscript, exploring its literary and historical enigmas. Daphne’s academic achievements include earning the highest distinction in graduate-level seminars on Derrida, Hegel, and medieval literature, and her research integrates diverse fields, from philology to ecocriticism. She also serves as a TA in Mathematics, writes for Bloomers, Penn’s women’s comedy troupe, and interned at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Cloisters. Daphne’s interdisciplinary brilliance and commitment to public education exemplify her remarkable scholarly potential.
Joy Gong, C’25, Physics; Mathematics minor; submatriculation in Physics and Astronomy
Joy is a Physics major and Mathematics minor, submatriculating in Physics and Astronomy, with a focus on cosmology and astrophysics research. Since her first year at Penn, she has contributed significantly to projects including modeling galaxies for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and investigating intergalactic dust effects on supernova distance measurements. Her findings were presented at the American Astronomical Society and are moving toward publication. Outside academics, Joy is chair of the Dance Arts Council, a mentor in Women in Physics, and has excelled as a TA for data science courses. With her technical skills, creativity, and leadership, Joy exemplifies the spirit of a Dean’s Scholar.
Adelaide Lyall, C’25, Sociology; Hispanic Studies minor
Adelaide is a Sociology major, a minor in Hispanic Studies, and a Benjamin Franklin Scholar, with a deep commitment to social justice and immigration research. Her honors thesis examines labor market outcomes and assimilation experiences of Somali asylum seekers in Maine, blending quantitative and qualitative methods, including 21 in-depth interviews and advanced data analysis. Adelaide’s work rivals graduate-level research, supported by her expertise in statistical methodologies, community engagement, and professional experience in immigration law. She has collaborated with faculty on diverse projects and interned with the ACLU’s analytics team, exemplifying her dedication to impactful scholarship and advocacy.
Tova Tachau, C’25, Biochemistry, Comparative Literature and Russian & East European Studies; submatriculation in Comparative Literature & Theory
Tova is a Biochemistry, Comparative Literature, and Russian & East European Studies triple major, and a submatriculant in Comparative Literature & Theory. A Phi Beta Kappa inductee, she balances her interdisciplinary passions with excellence, completing advanced research as a Wolf Humanities Center Fellow and presenting her work at multiple conferences. Tova’s academic journey includes an immersion program in Kyrgyzstan to refine her Russian language skills and an exploration of Marx’s Capital through scientific and humanities lenses. With a deep commitment to intellectual curiosity and cross-disciplinary synthesis, Tova exemplifies the caliber of a Dean’s Scholar.
Eric Yuhua Tao, C’25, Cognitive Science, Mathematics, Logic Information & Computation, and Linguistics; Physics and Computational Neuroscience minor; submatriculation in Mathematics
Eric is a Cognitive Science; Mathematics; Logic, Information, and Computation; and Linguistics quadruple major at Penn, minoring in Physics and Computational Neuroscience. Eric is also a submatriculant in Mathematics. From developing computational models in linguistics to advancing bird song detection in behavioral neuroscience, Eric excels across diverse domains. Eric’s work has contributed to publications, conference presentations, and cutting-edge research on social dynamics and vocal communication. A standout in graduate-level courses, Eric combines intellectual brilliance with collaborative leadership, whether as a lab researcher,
teaching assistant, or discussion leader. Eric’s academic achievements and innovative contributions exemplify the highest caliber of a Dean’s Scholar.
Joey Wu, C’25, VIPER, Earth and Environmental Science, and Bioengineering
Joey is a dual-degree student in the VIPER program, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Earth and Environmental Science and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Bioengineering. A dedicated environmental leader and researcher, Joey’s work spans biomineralization for carbon capture, microplastic reduction, and water treatment innovations. He is the founder of Waterroots, a global nonprofit with members across 25 countries focused on water and climate education and has been recognized as a Udall Scholar, Global Youth Ambassador, and Thouron Scholar. Joey exemplifies innovation, adaptability, and leadership, making him a standout Dean’s Scholar candidate.
Eugenia Xu, C’25, History; Digital Humanities minor
Eugenia is a History major and Digital Humanities minor with a passion for textile histories and an impressive range of interdisciplinary skills. Eugenia’s honors thesis examines Dutch East India Company shipping logs, challenging conventional historiography by revealing European dependence on local Asian merchants. Eugenia’s research, supported by fluency in English, Mandarin, Spanish, and Dutch, includes paleography of early modern Dutch and a funded trip to the Dutch National Archives. Eugenia has also co-authored the Optical Character Recognition code for South Asian languages and contributed to lab research tracking cotton origins in pre-colonial South Asia. Combining expertise in humanities and digital methods with hands-on experience as a costume designer, Eugenia exemplifies academic innovation and leadership.
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL & PROFESSIONAL STUDIES – UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
Cindy Srnka, Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences
Cindy is a Bread Upon the Waters scholarship recipient, who completed an Individualized Studies major with a concentration in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and Art History. She has been involved with the Penn Museum since her first semester, contributing to archaeological projects and working as a field team member for the Bat Archaeological Project in Oman, and the Lagash Archaeological Project in Iraq. Cindy was one of three students selected by the Student Exhibition Program to work closely with Sarah Linn and Anne Tiballi from Academic Engagement, curatorial adviser Douglas Smit, and the Exhibitions team to create an exhibition focusing on the 50th anniversary of the 1972 United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Convention, “Heritage in Our Hands: UNESCO 50 Years Later,” at the Penn Museum in 2022.
PROFESSIONAL MASTER'S PROGRAMS
Desra Arriyadi, Master of Environmental Studies
Desra is pursuing a Master of Environmental Studies with a concentration in Resource Management, funded by the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education scholarship. His research focuses on forest and peatland ecosystems, with an emphasis on carbon and hydrological cycles, reducing deforestation and peatland degradation, and community-driven conservation strategies. He has interned with the UNFCCC, where he contributed research to a COP29 session related to deforestation in developing countries. Desra has also presented his research at the International Peatland Congress 2024 in China, where he was recognized with the Best Student Oral Presentation Award.
GRADUATE DIVISIONS - DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
Vivian Bi, Anthropology
Vivian is a third-year PhD Candidate in Anthropology who investigates the relationships between governance, migration, and ecology. Vivian’s dissertation explores the ways that utopian communities have attempted to reverse Chinese migration trends and attract residents to rural villages that advance alternate forms of governance and environmentally sustainable living practices. At Penn, Vivian has served as a coordinator for EnviroLab, organizing a campus working group and a two-day graduate conference in Environmental Anthropology. In Fall 2024, she co-founded Upstream, a publishing collective focused on “noticing, questioning, and mapping the dynamic ecologies between people, the built environment, and our nonhuman relatives.”
Sophia Cocozza, Music
Sophia is a third-year PhD candidate in Music Studies. Sophia’s current research explores sound art, with a dissertation project that focuses on avantgarde installation art practices, particularly in New York, Los Angeles, Rome, and Milan. Her work stands out for its emphasis on sound as a central element in installation art. Sophia’s research sits at the cross-disciplinary intersections of sound, performance, and materiality, with particular attention to issues of gender and disability. It also intersects with museum studies and builds on her experience working in galleries and public art spheres. Her concentration in museum work has developed in tandem with training in early music as well as extensive archival work. Sophia considers how notation, gesture, touch, and community voicing inform interpretations of sound by artists of various backgrounds. Sophia regularly translates her scholarly interests to activities on campus, playing a crucial role in exhibitions presented in conjunction with the “Music in the Pavilion” concert series in the Kislak Center and serving as a guide at the Institute of Contemporary Art.
Alyssa M. Hernandez, Psychology
Alyssa is a third-year graduate student in clinical psychology, focusing on access to and quality of behavioral and mental health services for neurodiverse children from underserved communities. Her research explores how families cope with neurodiverse children’s needs, building partnerships with frontline workers and agency leaders. She is also interested in applying development economics to improve support services, such as non-contingent cash transfers. Alyssa has published a paper in Frontiers in Psychiatry on the impact of family demographics on early intervention practices. At Penn, she founded a DEI group for clinical psychology, addressing curricular issues and offering peer consultation.
Joyce Jaeyun Kim, Sociology
Joyce is a third-year PhD student pursuing a joint degree in Sociology and Higher Education. Her research examines race, class, and gender inequalities in the college-to-career transition. In her dissertation, Joyce compares how students from different racial and class backgrounds navigate preprofessional activities and how institutional cultures shape career plans. She published an article in Social Problems that analyzes how the intersection of race and class shaped the way college students thought about the moral dimension of their career choices. Joyce’s work has been awarded outstanding graduate paper awards from the American Sociological Association, the Society for the Study of Social Problems, and the Sociology of Education Association. She serves as a Netter Center Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement Fellow and was recognized for her dedication to undergraduate teaching and mentorship as a 2024 recipient of the Penn Prize in Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students.
Matthew Ray Mena, Chemistry
Matthew is a fourth-year doctoral student and research assistant in the Mindiola research group. His project involves the synthesis of complex systems of multiple titanium metal ions meant to mimic the metal centers in enzymes that perform some of nature’s most challenging chemistry, like splitting nitrogen gas to generate ammonia. Matthew has established synthetic routes for the isolation of the heavier terminal pnictides of titanium and zirconium and has probed their reactivity toward inert molecules and strong bonds. His collaborative research efforts have resulted in publications in outstanding journals such as the Journal of the American Chemical Society and Inorganic Chemistry. Matthew has also devoted his time to training undergraduates, served as a summer mentor for two high-school students, and volunteered for Big Brothers Big Sisters in Philadelphia.
James Paul Mesiti, Spanish and Portuguese
James is a third-year PhD student in Spanish and Portuguese whose research explores how poetic thought can be expressed across different mediums and art forms. His research focuses on the evolution of Surrealism in Spain, examining its transformation from an avant-garde movement in the 1920s and 1930s into an enduring artistic and literary tradition in Spain. In his dissertation, James engages deeply with transdisciplinary methodologies, demonstrating how poetic thought traverses diverse mediums and art forms. James is an accomplished poet whose second poetry collection, petal/transport was recently published (Arteidolia Press, 2024), following the success of his first book, Algo de nadie (Valparaíso Ediciones, 2021). James combines creative output with academic engagement, contributing a forthcoming book review to the Journal of Modern Literature and organizing a graduate conference on “Motion, Medium, Message.” He is a recipient of an annual graduate student teaching prize awarded in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
David Mulder, History of Art
David is a fifth-year PhD candidate in the History of Art with a concentration in the art of ancient Western Asia. His dissertation focuses on the motif of human-animal combat on cylinder seals of the Early Dynastic period in Mesopotamia (ca. 2900-2350 BCE), exploring how these images frame human-animal relationships and their significance in early Sumerian city-states. He has participated in archaeological fieldwork at the site of Tell al-Hiba (ancient Lagash) in Iraq and has been involved in research and text writing for the renovated Eastern Mediterranean gallery at the Penn Museum. He has also published two articles in Expedition, the museum magazine. David has shared his scholarship in a variety of academic venues, presenting his work at numerous conferences and symposia, including a workshop on seal use at the Musée du Louvre, the Barnes Foundation Graduate Student Symposium, and the 13th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East in Copenhagen.
Jacquline Wallis, Philosophy
Jacqueline (Jacqui) is a fifth-year PhD candidate in Philosophy, focusing on addressing the “translatability crisis” in biomedical research—where treatments successful in animals fail in human trials. Using philosophy of science and her lab technician experience, she develops interventions to improve how experimental systems model human health and disease. Her work skillfully combines philosophy of science with biomedical concerns. In addition to publishing scholarly articles, Jacqui has earned the SAS Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching. She has also coached high school Ethics Bowl teams, worked with elementary students on philosophy through comics, and served as the Philosopher in Residence at a local high school.
Caroline Wechsler, History and Sociology of Science
Caroline is a third-year PhD student in the Department of History and Sociology of Science and a fifth-year combined MD/PhD student. Caroline’s research examines the changing role and status of medical genetics in the 20th century. Using archival sources, oral histories, and ethnographic interviews, she interrogates how and when diseases become “genetic” and the stakes of that transformation. Caroline is a committed and enthusiastic teacher, receiving the Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students in 2024. She was awarded the Perelman School of Medicine History of Medicine Prize in 2023 and the Stallybrass Prize in the History of Material Texts in 2024. Caroline aims to bring together scholarship from history of medicine and science, disability studies, and medical anthropology, and seeks to gather insights from clinical practice and deep historical work to improve patient care.
