Our Team

Yannik is a Master of Finance candidate at MIT. He holds a B.Sc. in Business Administration from Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and was a Visiting Student at Harvard University. He worked at several investment banks and interned at the European Parliament. Yannik combined his professional and extracurricular interests when he founded the initiative FS Economy & Politics. He enjoys running, skiing and playing soccer.

Lars is a Bachelor’s candidate in Business Administration at the University of St. Gallen. He currently spends his fifth semester at Harvard College and works as a Research Assistant at Harvard Business School. In his next term, he will study at Copenhagen Business School before finishing his studies with his thesis about the usage of AI in a Customer Journey. Last summer, his internship with one of the few German Unicorns sparked his passion for start-ups and Venture Capital. Lars spends his free time by heading out on the Charles River together with the Sailing Club. As a passionate traveler, he is already planning his next road trip through Europe with his old VW-Bulli.

Sebastian is a first year master’s student of Molecular Biotechnology at Heidelberg University, where he also obtained his BSc in the same major. Having worked at the Heidelberg University Hospital and the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, he now joined the Center for Systems Biology at the Massachusetts General Hospital to do research on the evolution of colorectal cancer. Apart from his interest in translational research and entrepreneurship, Sebastian enjoys sports and travelling.

Rahel Dette is a Master of Public Policy 2019 Candidate and McCloy Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. She has been working on the role of technology in conflict settings, most recently advising the German development ministry on topics such as cyber security capacity building. She is a non-resident fellow at the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin, and affiliate at digitalHKS as well as the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.  

Steffen is a Mid-Career Master candidate at Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to HKS, Steffen worked in management positions for Sony around the world in Japan, the US and his home country Germany. He is very passionate about the potential of digital technology to improve people’s lives. In his free time, he enjoys time with his family and friends from all over the world.

Daniel Heid is a graduate student in Molecular Biotechnology at University of Heidelberg. He is conducting pancreatic cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and is a fellow of the Immunology Summer Program at Harvard Medical School. Daniel is driven by his passion for biotech and is involved in the promotion of young talents. In his spare time, he enjoys running, traveling, and cooking.

John is a master’s candidate in law and diplomacy at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, where he focuses on international business and European political economy. Before moving to the Northeast, John completed a bachelor’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Heels!), with stints in Germany and South Africa, and internships in the legal and financial sectors. In his free time, John occasionally regrets not having become a pilot and enjoys running, photography, and shopping at IKEA. 

Markus is an ERP-fellow and PhD candidate in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics at Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.  His research interests range from soft robotics to circulatory support devices and pediatric applications. Markus completed his BSc. and MSc. of Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and enjoys soccer along with a wide variety of outdoor sports during his free time.

Hümeyra is a Research Trainee at the PNL at Brigham and Women’s Hospital to learn to use state-of-the-art computerized neuroimaging tools to investigate brain abnormalities in clinical populations, in comparison to healthy control subjects. Hümeyra is a master’s student, majoring in Molecular Biomedicine at the University of Münster, Germany and holds a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Hamburg. Guided by a passion for art, she contributes to the GAC communications team with her creativity and drawing skills.

Katharina is a medical engineering and medical physics PhD candidate in the joint Health Sciences and Technology program at MIT and Harvard. In her research she is exploring the translation of deep learning algorithms for medical image analysis into clinical practice. Katharina holds a BSc in Physics from Kiel University and MD from Heidelberg University. When not busy with research and the GAC, she volunteers at a student-faculty community clinic and enjoys reading and rowing on the Charles.

Maria is a fifth-year medical student at Heidelberg University. For her doctoral thesis, she is currently conducting research at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. The main focus of her work are cellular pathways in breast and lung cancer. After a day in the lab, Maria enjoys getting to know different corners of Boston and doing sports to unwind.

Eesha is a PhD candidate in Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. Her research focuses on developing bioinspired materials with interesting mechanical properties using computation and experiment. She also holds a strong interest in energy, policy, and communication. Eesha holds an SB in Bioengineering from Harvard University and an MPhil in History and Philosophy of Science from Trinity College, Cambridge University. In her free time, Eesha enjoys dancing, traveling, and learning German.

Alex is a second year Master in Public Policy student at the Harvard Kennedy School. Before joining the program he worked in management consulting, primarily focused on PE and public sector clients. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Germany, he pursued his prior education in both countries to obtain degrees in Business Administration, History and Spanish. In his free time, he enjoys exploring the world with his backpack, learning languages and playing team sports.  

Katharina is a visiting research student at the Center for Collective Intelligence at MIT where she is working on contests for ideas against climate change and plastic pollution. During her B.Sc. in Management and an Honors Degree in Technology Management from Munich, she grew a passion for social entrepreneurship. Therefore she is working on a project on net-positive climate impacts and is excited to be a member of the Innovation Lounge team of the GAC. She enjoys singing and playing all kinds of outdoorsy sports. 

Jonas is a PhD Student at MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics and his research focuses on quantitative modeling to improve urban logistics. He graduated from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Industrial Engineering and Sustainable Development and gained professional experience in Berlin, Guadaljara and Lima. Besides his research and GAC, Jonas enjoys MIT’s vast sports offers and can often be found sailing the Charles or exploring the white mountains.

Annie is a 4th year medical student at the University of Heidelberg. She is currently pursuing her doctoral thesis at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Being passionate about going into the field of general surgery, she is focusing on finding important signaling pathways in pancreatic cancer. In her free time, Annie enjoys running along the Charles, travelling as much as possible and meeting new people along the way. 

Janille is a PhD candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT. Her doctoral work focuses on the development of analytical tools for the multiscale characterization of ancient and biological materials and structures, with a strong emphasis on ancient Roman concrete. She holds an SB and an SM in Mechanical Engineering, both from MIT. In her free time, she enjoys playing guitar, studying languages, participating in student government, and event planning.

Jens is an MBA candidate at MIT Sloan and is currently an intern at TripAdvisor in Product Management. Prior to Sloan, Jens worked for Deloitte providing consulting services to Financial Institutions out of the Atlanta, GA office. He has a MSc in Finance from EBS Universität (Oestrich-Winkel) and a B.A. in Business Administration, which he obtained through a rotational Bachelor’s degree program with Continental AG. Jens co-founded a non-profit mentoring initiative to help young talented East Germans identify professional interests and successfully launch their careers.

Peter is a medical student in Germany working on his doctorate thesis at Massachusetts general Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Based in Radiology, his research heavily interacts both with other medical disciplines as well as Computer Science and AI. His long-term academic interest is to empower clinicians to participate in developing tools of digital medicine and using them in a meaningful way. His time off predominantly features music, sound engineering and organizing events like this conference, and he is always happy to debate politics and philosophy

Tim Menke is pursuing a PhD in the field of quantum computing at Harvard and MIT. He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Physics from ETH Zurich, spending a year at the University of Colorado in Boulder for his Master’s thesis. Tim has a strong side interest in international relations, diplomacy and entrepreneurship, taking every opportunity to get involved in student conferences and workshops on those topics. When not in lab, he likes to travel, climb, and contribute to the GAC communications and security panel teams.

Backtosch is a medical student from Germany and is currently working on his doctoral thesis in neurogenetics at Harvard Medical School. In addition to his medical research, he is particularly interested in the intersection of AI and Public Health. He is currently working with the Harvard Machine Intelligence Lab, the Indian government and UNICEF on new disease prediction tools. In his spare time, he works mostly on his NGO "ApplicAid", which supports underserved groups in applying for scholarships.  

David is a student at Harvard concentrating in Economics. He is particularly passionate about entrepreneurship, dedicating much of his time to connecting with the Harvard startup scene. Apart from that, David is involved in the GAC, the Harvard Consulting Group and social organizations on campus. This summer he’ll be working for a tech startup based in New York and a VC in Los Angeles.   

Jan Philip is a Bachelor's student at the University of Münster in Business Administration and spent a year at Harvard College. Having been part of the management board of Harvard Ventures and member of Harvard Undergraduate Capital Partners he gained deep exposure of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cambridge and is now eager to apply his expertise through internships in Venture Capital and Startups in Europe.

Emma Samek is a junior at Northeastern University, pursuing a combined degree in Political Science and Business Administrations. She is also a member of the Varsity Women’s Rowing team. Because Emma grew up bilingual with Slovak and German, she has a strong interest in European politics. When not rowing on the Charles River or studying Emma helps to organize the Female Leadership Panel and is a part of the GAC communications team.

Merle is a third year medical student from the TU Munich, Germany and is currently spending a year at Harvard for her research. At Massachusetts General Hospital she is exploring new imaging techniques in Ophthalmology and is working on wound healing studies in Dermatology, hopefully completing her doctor thesis through this work. Merle likes to go Sailing and Running and is also interested in any current affairs and enjoys the broad programme of talks and events at Harvard and MIT. Women empowerment is a topic close to Merle’s heart, which is why she organized the female leadership panel together with Annie and attempted to make the conference as diverse as possible.

Philipp is a PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. His research focuses on highly miniaturized glucose fuel cells for energy harvesting in the human body. Philipp holds a BSc in Physics and a MSc in Energy Science and Technology, both from ETH Zürich. Prior to his PhD, Philipp was managing a manufacturing software startup in Copenhagen. In his free time, Philipp enjoys bouldering, playing soccer, hiking and travelling.

Alice is a PhD candidate in Human Biology at the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich. At Harvard, she is a Fellow of the Department of Statistics. Her research interests focus on causal inference methods to understand environmental epidemiology problems. Her main project is the estimation of effects of environmental exposures on the human gut microbiome. In her free time, she enjoys sewing, travelling, and skiing.

Patrick is a visiting student at the Human Dynamics Group of the MIT Media Lab. His research focuses on machine learning and in particular how algorithms can achieve fairness and mitigate discrimination among groups. He is a Master’s student in Data Science at the Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich and further pursues an Honours Degree in Technology Management at the Center for Digital Technology and Management. Patrick is a vivid foodie, loves breakdancing and is enthusiastic about startups & digital transformation.

Marie has finished three years of Medical School in Münster, Germany, before arriving in Boston in late August. As a Visiting Student at MIT, she is part of a laboratory, gaining an insight into the conducted research and working on her doctor’s thesis. The main focus of her work is the development of different drug delivery devices.  After a day in the lab, Marie enjoys playing field hockey, running along the Charles and can be found discussing the latest political news. Since Marie enjoys a good cup of coffee, she is responsible for the Conference’s Coffee Chats, workshops and other side program activities.

Marius is a PhD student in Cognition, Brain, & Behavior at Harvard. His research explores the neural mechanisms underlying decision-making in groups. During his studies in Zurich and London, he conducted research at the intersection of neuroscience, economics, and psychiatry. Marius also assisted with the WHO’s Zika emergency response and gained work experience in finance and management consulting. In his free time, he enjoys sailing and hiking.

Angela is a postdoctoral fellow at MIT in Materials Science. Her research explores spintronic effects in magnetic thin films. She holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Cambridge, UK. In her free time, she enjoys bouldering, making music, and travelling.

Leandra Zimmermann is a junior at MIT, pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Industrial Design and a minor in Computer Science. She is interested in Biomechanics and Medical Devices and is working on prosthetic socket design in the Biomechatronics Group at the MIT Media Lab as an Undergraduate Researcher. Leandra is involved in MIT’s Art, Culture and Technology Program and enjoys running, kickboxing, and playing soccer in her free time.  

Raban is Bachelor’s student in Management & Technology at the Technical University of Munich, currently on a one-year exchange to MIT. In his coursework, he focuses on the differentiation of human and artificial intelligence. He conducts research on software performance engineering at MIT CSAIL. Raban has founded dex.blue, a decentralized exchange for crypto currencies, and has been named a Kairos Fellow. Outside of work and university, he enjoys the A* squash facilities at MIT and building pieces of furniture.

D is a MPP candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to HKS, D served as Director of the Mississippi Apprenticeship Program and has an extensive background in policy efforts centered around education and workforce/economic development. He has spent nearly five years of his life in Germany in various capacities from serving as a German Chancellor Fellow to playing American Football. D is very passionate about his home state of Mississippi and will gladly talk your ear off about his solution to world peace “The 3Bs”: blues, barbeque, and beaches.