LIT Fellows

Leadership in Teaching (LIT) Fellows

LIT Fellows implement a project during each academic year to support their peers' teaching development and improve learning outcomes for all students, as outlined in the Stanford IDEAL initiative. Please scroll down to learn more about each of the LIT fellows. 

• Pedagogy Program Lead: Sonia Martin (Mechanical Engineering), Ev Luisi Nichols (Biology)
• Lead LIT Fellows: Alexandra Stavrianidi, Will Yu, Mila Pamplona, Joseph Kelly, Caitlin Chan, and Emilia Cottignoli
• Wing-Sum Law (Department of Mechanical Engineering)
• Joseph Kelly (Department of Theoretical Chemistry)
• Andrew Lin (Department of Mathematics)
• Alexandra Stavrianidi (Department of Mathematics)
• Skyler St. Pierre (Department of Mechanical Engineering)
• Kristen Steudel (Department of Mechanical Engineering)
• Sonia Martin (Department of Mechanical Engineering)
• Cesar Mena (Department of Biology CMOB)
• Mikaela Wilson (Department of Biology CMOB)
• Siobhán L. Bridson (Department of Biology)
• Mila Pamplona (Department of Biology)
• Aya Mouallem (Department of Electrical Engineering)
• Pam Stark (Department of Physics)
• Kimia Saadatian (Department of Psychology)
• Caitlin Chan (Department of Art and Art History)
• Emilia Cottignoli (Department of Art and Art History)
• Akshita Rao (Department of Bioengineering)
• Andrew Perley (Department of Bioengineering)
• Will Yu (Department of Bioengineering)
• Micheal Duchesne (Department of Classics)
• Sinead Brennan-McMahon (Department of Classics)
   

Wing-Sum Law | Mechanical Engineering

Wing-Sum (she/they) is a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering researching shape-changing robotics and flexible mechanisms. Wing-Sum has been a course assistant for ME210: Introduction to Mechatronics and an instructor for ME220: Introduction to Sensors. She has also designed and taught the course Geometry in Art for the Hope House Scholars Program. In teaching, Wing-Sum focuses on meeting students where they are and tailoring content for individual goals. She has found that students succeed when given space to experiment and iterate, encouraging them to connect their pre-existing knowledge to more complex problems.

For her LIT project, she will further develop the STEM Mentor network, a series of workshops to support inclusive mentoring practices for STEM graduate students and postdocs working with undergraduate research mentees.

Joseph Kelly | Department of Theoretical Chemistry

Joseph (he/him) is a PhD student in theoretical chemistry. He served as a TA trainer in the chemistry department for two years, striving to create engaging learning experiences for students. Joseph’s passion for STEM outreach education led him to become a mentor and leader in FAST, a program that supports under-resourced high school students in San Jose. During the past year, he has been mentoring undergraduates, supporting them through research and career exploration. 

As a LIT fellow, Joseph will be using his teaching and mentoring experience to expand the STEM mentor network with particular attention to upholding values of inclusivity and diversity.

Andrew Lin | Mathematics

Andrew (he/him) is a PhD student working in probability theory. He has been teaching in instructor and TA positions throughout his undergraduate and graduate education, as well as contributing logistically to various other educational initiatives. Andrew believes it is important for teachers to be approachable for questions and conscious of how their actions may influence student experiences, and he is excited to explore strategies for increasing accessibility and empowering students to learn more actively.

For his LIT project, Andrew is focusing on tools and methods that facilitate inclusive teaching in math.

Alexandra Stavrianidi | Department of Mathematics

Alexandra is a PhD student in Mathematics. Alexandra is interested in inclusive teaching, diversifying academia and improving student experiences in math classrooms using evidence-based methods. Alexandra has received the Robert Osserman teaching award and the Centennial Teaching Assistant award. She is the lead organizer for SWIMM (Stanford Women in Math Mentoring), the Noetherian Ring, the Math TA mentoring program and the financial officer for GMOO (Graduate Mathematics Outreach Organization). She has been a mentor for the DRP, SURIM, FLI, and OASES programs and strongly believes in the value of mentorship in the retention of underrepresented students in STEM. 

As a LIT fellow, Alexandra is partnering with Andrew Lin to learn more about student experiences in Mathematics at Stanford and create resources to support mathematics teaching assistants.

Skyler St. Pierre | Mechanical Engineering

Skyler St. Pierre (they/he) is a Mechanical Engineering PhD candidate. They co-designed ME 233: Automated Model Discovery with their advisor, Ellen Kuhl, using skills learned from ENGR 312: Science and Engineering Course Design. Skyler is excited to continue to develop his teaching skills by helping to revise and lead ME 492 with Sonia and Kristen this upcoming year.

For their LIT project, Skyler, Sonia, and Kristen will implement strategies that support ME teaching assistance training.

Kristen Steudel | Mechanical Engineering

Kristen is a mechanical engineering PhD candidate in the Neuromuscular Biomechanics Lab. She is passionate about teaching in ways that are accessible to everyone. She began a reading program when she was seventeen for children in her local community and has since tutored high school students. She will be teaching a class for mechanical engineering teacher assistants to learn teaching strategies this year.

For her LIT project, Kristen will lead a training course for mechanical engineering teaching assistants.

Sonia Martin | Department of Mechanical Engineering

Sonia Martin (she/her) is a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering. Her research is in the field of energy systems; specifically in grid-scale battery modeling and electric vehicle charging optimization.

As a LIT fellow and lead fellow, she will work toward adapting the mechanical engineering teaching and course assistant training program to provide both practical skills as well as tools to educate students from a variety of engineering backgrounds. Especially in a field as diverse as mechanical engineering, her goal is to create a training program that equips TAs for inclusive teaching across lecture, lab, and project courses.

Cesar Mena | Cellular and Molecular Biology 

Cesar is a first year PhD student in the Biology CMOB program at Stanford University. During his undergraduate years at UC Berkeley, he enjoyed his time teaching science classes at Malcolm X Elementary, Berkeley High School, and UC Berkeley. Currently, he is interested in learning about and teaching biochemistry, animal behavior, and neurobiology. He hopes to encourage underrepresented students to find a passion for science and teaching during his time in the BioBUDS program.

As a LIT fellow, Cesar will use BioBUDS's strength as an informal collective to welcome more underrepresented students to the program. 

Mikaela Wilson | Cellular and Molecular Biology

Mikaela Wilson (she/her) is a PhD student in the department of Biology. She works in the lab of Dr. Tom Clandinin, studying the function of sleep in the brain and drivers of behavior. Mikaela believes that science should be accessible to help facilitate having an appreciation and mutual respect for the complex natural world we live in. Mikaela co-facilitates bioBUDS (Building Up Developing Scientists) with the rest of the incredible teaching team. As a LIT Fellow, she aims to improve her pedagogy in the hopes of contributing to promoting curiosity and sharing knowledge.

As a LIT Fellow, Mikaela will further invest into her pedagogical skills to inspire curiosity within students and the greater community. 

Siobhán L. Bridson | Biology

Siobhán Bridson (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the Bergmann Lab in Biology. She is interested in understanding the mechanisms that govern tissue patterns across land plant evolution. Using the stomatal lineage as a model system, she currently studies the molecular mechanisms that detect and respond to variation in plant cell size. Siobhán believes that scientists must make their research accessible through teaching, and that strong mentor relationships are crucial for inclusive training.

As a LIT Fellow, Siobhán will help students to engage and nurture strong mentor relationships as a means of supporting the bioBUDS teaching team. 

Ev Luisi Nichols | Department of Biology

Pedagogy Program Lead

Mila Pamplona | Department of Biology

Aya Mouallem | Electrical Engineering

Aya Mouallem (she/her) is a PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering. As a member of the Designing Education Lab, her research focuses on improving the accessibility of engineering education to learners with disabilities. She is currently developing affordances to support blind and low-vision learners in electrical engineering courses. Aya has previously taught courses welcoming undergraduate and graduate students, covering topics such as engineering education, electronics, and digital design for accessibility. Outside the United States, she has taught in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, where she co-founded an award-winning initiative, All Girls Code, immersing hundreds of young girls in STEM programming.

As a LIT fellow, Aya will present the course Improving the Accessibility of Electronics-Based Engineering Education to Blind and Low-Vision Learners.

Pam Stark | Physics

Pam is a Physics PhD student studying experimental astroparticle physics. Her research focuses on developing quantum sensing techniques for experiments searching for wave-like axion dark matter. For her LIT project, she will be developing a pedagogy curriculum for graduate TAs staffing active learning physics courses. Her primary goal is to provide TAs with the skills to effectively handle the challenges of active learning and support building inclusive introductory physics classrooms.

As a LIT Fellow, Pam will lead a pedagogy workshop for active learning TAs.

Kimia Saadatian | Psychology

Kimia Saadatian (she/they) is a PhD student in the Department of Psychology. Trained as an interdisciplinary social psychologist, Kimia studies the interplay of power, prejudice, and punitive defaults. Their research focuses on developing evidence-based tools and psychological interventions to reduce punitive attitudes and establish restorative practices in education and criminal justice. Kimia’s passions for studying and practicing inclusivity and equity were inspired by their experience as a neurodivergent student living in different countries and cultural contexts.

Kimia will use her resources as a LIT Fellow to lead psychology TA programs and workshops.

Emilia Cottignoli | Art & Art History

Emilia is a PhD student in the Art & Art History Department with a focus on Early Christian and Byzantine art and architecture. She is interested in aesthetics, light, water, the sea, reflections, mirrors, and gender. 

For her LIT project, she will be collaborating with Caitlin Chan and hosting workshops on teaching with images in image-based fields of study. The primary goal of the workshop series is to develop a practical set of pedagogical strategies for discussing difficult images with both care and rigor.

Caitlin Chan | Art & Art History

Caitlin Chan (she/her) is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Art and Art History, with a minor in Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She specializes in modern and contemporary art, with a current focus on contingent histories, grace in Minimalist form, and absence. In her pedagogical work, Caitlin is particularly attentive to the unsaid politics of projecting an image in the classroom for discussion. 

For her LIT project, Caitlin is working with Emilia Cottignoli to develop a workshop series on teaching with images. With this series, they hope to produce a practical set of pedagogical strategies for teaching and discussing difficult images with care and rigor.

Andrew Perley | Department of Bioengineering

Andrew Perley (he/him) is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Bioengineering. He works in Todd Coleman’s lab with a focus on signal processing and understanding the electrophysiological mechanisms of the gut and the brain. He has always had a passion for helping others learn from a young age and continues to strive to learn new ways to provide learners with equitable opportunity. Andrew strongly believes that it is our job as educators to help students find confidence in their ability to learn and build community with others. In pursuit of building more inclusive and equitable systems in education, he strives to learn new ways to affect how we implement education at the department and school level.

As a LIT fellow Andrew serves as co-coordinator for the Bioengineering TA program and co-instructor for Bioengineering’s inclusive pedagogy class (BioE296).

Will Yu | Department of Bioengineering

Will Yu (he/him) is a Ph.D. Student in the Department of Bioengineering. He works in Nidhi Bhutani’s lab studying mechanotransduction pathways of aging, senescence, and osteoarthritis. Will is passionate about making science more accessible, engaging, and fun for anyone to take part in. Prior to Stanford, Will taught math and physics for students grades 9-12 at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA from 2018-2021 where he designed novel curriculum to address diversity in STEM higher education. He also uses his platform of 13,000 followers on Twitch.tv to host livestreamed conversations on topics like exciting new science discoveries or social justice and educational reform.

As a LIT fellow, Will serves as a co-instructor for BIOE296 Equitable and Effective Teaching in Bioengineering, and is excited to continue mentoring high school and undergraduate students in a research setting.

Akshita Rao | Department of Bioengineering

Akshita Rao (she/her) is a PhD student in the Bioengineering Department. Her research focuses on developing statistical models using non-invasive bio-measurements to help clinicians diagnose and track the severity of different neuro-related diseases, such as traumatic brain injury and facial paralysis. She was motivated to be a TA for BioE 296, Promoting Effective and Equitable Teaching in Bioengineering, after taking the course last spring quarter. The course explores best practices of inclusive pedagogy while introducing methods fundamental to communication, mentorship and community-building through guided discussions and workshops. 

As a LIT fellow, Akshita aims to continue promoting inclusive teaching strategies to foster a community of belonging and equity within engineering classrooms.

Micheal Duchesne | Department of Classics

Micheal Duchesne is a PhD student in Classics. His research focuses on enslavement, the experiences of the enslaved, and the construction of ethnic identities. His hope is to stress the humanity of people who have had it denied from them historically. His experiences both growing up in an impoverished community and working as an instructor there shaped his desire to work towards inclusion and removing the veil of invisibility surrounding people in similar conditions.

This year, he joins Classics LIT fellow Rachel Dubit in developing an upper-level graduate pedagogy class focused on inclusive, diverse, equitable, anti-Racist, and accessible course planning. This project is a continuation of the Classics department's involvement in the IDEAL pedagogy initiative.

Sinead Brennan-McMahon | Department of Classics

As a LIT fellow, Sinead supports continuation of the Classics department's involvement in the IDEAL pedagogy initiative. Sinead and Michael have since converted the course to Canvas and partnered with the existing pedagogy course instructor to supplement Classics pedagogy education with more equity-driven frameworks. This year, Micheal and Sinead will also facilitate workshops specifically devoted to supporting neurodiverse students in Classics and class-conscious pedagogy.