Current Graduate Teaching Consultants

Graduate Teaching Consultants 2025-2026

ADITYA SHAH

Aditya is a PhD candidate in the Chemical Engineering department, where he studies battery electrolytes in Jian Qin’s group. His teaching philosophy emphasizes deep conceptual understanding instead of procedural memorization, helping students develop problem-solving skills that transfer across contexts. Furthermore, he takes pride in cultivating an empathetic, learner-centered environment that customizes instruction to students’ interests and connects topics to real-world applications. He is grateful to have been recognized for his teaching efforts with the Chemical Engineering department’s Outstanding TA award and the university-wide Centennial TA award. Beyond the classroom, he is passionate about STEM outreach and develops pedagogical resources for Science Olympiad events through NASA's Universe of Learning program.

MPHO MOLEFE (Graduate Teaching Consultant Coordinator)

Mpho Molefe is a Ph.D. candidate in the English Department where she specializes in South African literature. She has acquired teaching experiences that include work as a teaching assistant for undergraduate and graduate courses in Stanford’s English Department; the development and facilitation of interactive humanities seminars (in-person and online) for international and American high school students; curriculum-based SAT preparation courses in Taiwan; and online English tutoring with elementary school students. As an educator and graduate teaching consultant, Mpho consistently explores inclusive and learner-centered pedagogical practices. In implementing these practices, she hopes that her students become more resilient, developing greater reflexivity towards themselves as learners and a firm conviction in their ability to grow.  

ALLYN WALLER

Allyn Waller is a fifth-year PhD Candidate in the Department of Classics, with a focus on Latin Historiography and Digital Humanities. Having taught Latin, Ancient Greek, history, and archaeology to students from 7th grade to graduate school, he enjoys working with students at all levels to develop their writing and communication skills. His experience in Digital Humanities emphasizes opening up access to the ancient world, both to underrepresented voices within the field and people outside the discipline. He is excited for the opportunity to support fellow Stanford graduate students in their teaching journeys.

CATIE CONNOLLY

Catie is a PhD candidate in Developmental and Psychological Sciences at the Graduate School of Education studying the teaching and acquisition of social-emotional skills in early childhood among socioeconomically and culturally diverse children. She has taught at Stanford and Columbia University on topics ranging from introductory psychology to developmental science to the philosophy of justice in the Western canon. She is always more than happy to talk about her love of the East Coast and New England, Russian literature, 70s and 80s music, and working in cozy libraries and coffee shops. 

ALEXIA AINSWORTH

Alexia Mandla Ainsworth is a PhD student in English. Her work centers on the reception of theatre in literature. As a student, she was lucky to have a broad spectrum of educational opportunities, from homeschooling and public high school classes to community college courses and undergraduate studies at a private liberal arts college. As a result, she is committed to learner-centered pedagogy that emphasizes the unique backgrounds and goals individual students bring to their classroom communities. Alexia has worked for elementary school, middle school, high school, and college students both in-person and online. She is committed to equity initiatives serving nontraditional and transfer students, as well as students from underrepresented backgrounds. Outside of teaching and research, Alexia also enjoys baking and discovering new outdoor study spaces at Stanford.

BELEICIA BULLOCK

Beleicia Bullock is a PhD candidate in the Computer Science Department and a member of the Human-Computer Interaction Group. Currently, Beleicia’s research focuses on developing methods to help designers and users develop more equitable social computing systems. As such, Beleicia loves teaching classes at the intersection of technology, society, and ethics, as well as helping students to explore connections between computer science and other disciplines. Beyond academia, Beleicia also loves sharing her passion for pop culture, cozy murder mysteries, traveling, and her latest TV show finds. 

CLARISSA GUTIERREZ

Clarissa Gutierrez is a PhD candidate in Developmental and Psychological Sciences at the Graduate School of Education, where she studies how families and schools shape the academic and psychological well-being of minoritized students. Building culturally affirming, identity-safe classrooms is at the heart of her teaching philosophy. Her experience navigating academia as a first-generation Latina combined with her interdisciplinary training in education fuels her commitment to equity-centered, culturally sustaining pedagogy. She has taught courses on intergroup dialogue, mindfulness, psychology, and research design. As an educator, she aims to foster belonging and invites students to bring their whole selves to the classroom.

MARIA NGUYEN (Graduate Teaching Consultant Coordinator)

Maria Nguyen is a PhD candidate in Cell, Molecular, and Organismal Biology. Their current research dives into understanding the function of proteins important for the evolution of complex organisms. Prior to graduate school, they found their love for teaching and education through a multitude of teaching experiences, which included creating tutoring programs and courses to serve historically under-represented communities, increasing diversity and inclusion in the sciences, and teaching fifth-grade students at an underserved elementary school in Chicago. Outside of research, Maria enjoys reading, writing, painting, eating delicious desserts, and spending time outdoors with their close friends and rescue doggo, Bear.

HANNAH BARTELS

Hannah Bartels is a PhD candidate in the Chemistry department where she is investigating structure-property relationships of magnetic halide perovskites. As a TA, she has experience ranging from teaching small labs to large lectures. In 2024 Hannah also joined the Chemistry Curriculum Transformation Project to introduce Chem 11, an on-ramping course to aid students with minimal background in chemistry in developing foundational STEM skills. Alongside curriculum development, she is the graduate student lead for STEMentors and Chem 31S, a peer mentoring program that provides students with academic and social/wellness support while taking introductory Chemistry courses. Through these teachings Hannah strives to make STEM accessible to all. 

HYE JEE KIM

Hye Jee Kim is a fourth year PhD student in Sociology. She strives to create inclusive learning environments and teach challenging topics in accessible ways. At Stanford, she has been a teaching assistant for Introduction to Data Analysis (SOC 180b) and instructor of record for The Art and Joy of Teaching, a workshop on pedagogy for first year sociology PhD students. Outside of sociology, she teaches with the Stanford Jail and Prison Education Program on topics ranging from speculative fiction to gerrymandering. She also serves as a Research Data Services consultant, providing 1-on-1 consultations and workshop support through Stanford Libraries.

WEAVERLY LEE

Weaverly is a PhD candidate in the Biology Department. For her thesis project, she is investigating novel therapeutic strategies for brain tumors. Weaverly obtained her B.S. in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of the Philippines, after which, she worked as a research assistant at the University College London. Weaverly has served as a TA for the Biology department and won the 2022 Norman K. Wessells award and 2023 Centennial Teaching Assistant award. Outside the lab, Weaverly is an avid scuba diver and volunteers at the California Academy of Sciences.

SADAF KADIR

Sadaf Kadir is a 4th year PhD Candidate in the Physics department working in particle physics and dark matter searches. She has taught physics and astronomy to students with all different levels of math and physics backgrounds and is passionate about making STEM fields more accessible to people from different backgrounds. As a teacher she likes to emphasize connecting with students to make physics less intimidating and displaying how disparate branches of science can intersect to help encourage deeper understanding. She looks forward to working with other people interested in improving their teaching.