Data Science Ambassadors Program

Clinical Translational Sciences

Brandon Barba is a third-year PhD student in the Clinical Translational Sciences program. His research focuses on applying advanced data techniques to clinical and epidemiological questions, especially in maternal health. He currently collaborates with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix and the Mechanisms Underpinning Maternal Health (MuMH) Lab in Tucson. A former high school teacher and coach, he is excited to share and discuss the many ways data science can be applied in research and practice.

Educational Psychology

Yamini Sumalatha Bhukya is a PhD Candidate in the Educational Psychology Department. She holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology, with a minor in Sociology, and a master’s degree in Health Psychology. Her current research interests focus on language and motor development and also issues surrounding education for minoritized populations. She is also a research affiliate at the Center for Educational Assessment, Research, and Evaluation (CEARE), working on various evaluation projects. 

Molecular and Cellular Biology

I’m a second-year PhD student in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Department, working in the Guang Yao Lab. I’m originally from Guatemala but completed my undergraduate studies in genetics and genomics across China and the US. My current work involves applying basic machine learning to -omic datasets and analyzing high-content screening data. I’m excited to help researchers across fields bridge the gap between wet-lab and computational research, and translate their scientific questions into approachable, data-driven strategies.

Information Science

Jinyu Gao is a PhD student in the College of Information Science at the University of Arizona, advised by Dr. Sarah Bratt. She received her MS in Management Science from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2023 and her BS in Financial Engineering from Tianjin University of Finance and Economics in 2020. Her research focuses on the Science of Science, Bibliometrics, and Computational Social Science. She applies computational methods and big data analytics to advance scientific discovery and better understand the broader social impacts of science. 

Chemistry

Katherine Gold is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry within the College of Science, specializing in astrochemistry. Her dissertation uses observational data and computational modeling to explore the molecular composition and corresponding chemistries of dying stars and interstellar molecular clouds. Recognizing that all STEM fields are inherently data-intensive, she is eager to help others develop tools and workflow to streamline the analysis, visualization, and communication of complex datasets.

Information Science

I am a PhD student in Information Science at the University of Arizona, advised by Dr. Sarah Bratt. My research focuses on the Science of Science, especially the role of research data in the production of scientific knowledge. I use tools like R and Python to analyze networks and model data practices. I am passionate about promoting data literacy and supporting reproducible research.

Linguistics

Macarena is a fifth-year PhD candidate in Hispanic Linguistics with a minor in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching at the University of Arizona. Her research examines Spanish as a Heritage Language, with particular attention its intersection with Translation Studies, multimodal pedagogy, and the interplay of language and identity within U.S. Latina/o/x communities.