Committee and board

OSSCE is run by an elected committee of students, and overseen by a Senior Advisory Board.

Committee

President - Luisa Haiß Contact here Luisa is the founder and first President of OSSCE. She is studying for a DPhil in Molecular Cell Biology in Health and Disease. Her background in politics gives her a unique insight into the way that research is transformed into policy. In her own words, she sees science communication as a form of “reciprocal learning” - by explaining your work to others, you can come to understand it better yourself. As President, Luisa is responsible for coordinating the committee and ensuring the society meets long-term goals.
Secretary - Freya Cook Freya is a final year MBiol Biology student, finishing an integrated master’s degree with a year of research. You may have heard of her from her role as an editor at the Oxford Scientist. She’s also been secretary for another new society - the Textile Society. Freya is responsible for administration in the society, keeping meetings running smoothly and handling day-to-day goings on.
Treasurer - Rachel Andres Contact here Hailing all the way from Canada, Rachel is currently studying for a DPhil on the Interdisciplinary Bioscience DTP, focussing on plant-microbe interactions. She’s also a former substitute teacher. Rachel is responsible for keeping the society’s finances in check and sourcing new resources for us where possible.
Social Media Secretary - Lucy Back Contact here Lucy is a fourth-year MBiol Biology student, with a passion for computer science. Her previous experience includes establishing a web presence for Wadham College Boat Club, and running a life sciences comedy blog. Her job is to run the social media sites for OSSCE, and she also built this website :)
Outreach Officer - Isabella Savin Contact here Isabella is undertaking an MSc by Research in Biochemistry, and also contributing to science communication with her blog The Chromatin Digest. She has also volunteered with the Oxford Museum of Natural History for outreach programmes. Her job is to write the OSSCE’s newsletters and other long-form content, and direct the overarching communication strategy of the society.
Welfare Officer - Sagel Julia Kundieko Sagel is studying for a DPhil in Neuroscience. She hails from South Africa, where she has acted as a mentor, tutor and coach, and has even founded her own graphic design company, Elle Zeka. She is responsible for the welfare of members of OSSCE, ensuring that our events are always a positive experience.
Social Secretary - Isabelle Bennett Isabelle is studying for a DPhil in Biochemistry. As our Social Secretary, she is responsible for organising and carrying out many of the events we run.

Senior Advisory Board

Dr. Michaela Livingstone-Banks Dr. Michaela Livingstone-Banks is the Head of Public and Community Engagement with Research for the MPLS Division at Oxford, and is a fellow at Reuben College. She co-founded a similar society to OSSCE during her PhD at the University of Sheffield, which sparked a lifelong passion for creating real connection with research. She’s passionate about making research more collaborative and accountable, especially to those whose lives may be shaped by its outcomes. She believes science is at its best when it’s creative, generous and grounded in mutual respect. Her other passions include strength training, the X Files and greyhounds.
Dr. Samir K. Sinha Dr. Samir Sinha is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, a geriatrician and clinician at Sinai Health System, and the Director of Health Policy Research at Toronto Metropolitan University’s National Institute on Ageing. He studied at the University of Toronto and the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, and has a Master’s in Medical History and a DPhil in Sociology from the University of Oxford. He advises the Canadian goverment on dementia, and has developed new standards for long-term care of geriatric patients. He also advises the American Red Cross and is on the HelpAge International Board of Trustees.
Julia Flynn Siler Julia Siler is a New York Times best-selling author. Her most recent book, The White Devil’s Daughters: The Women Who Fought Slavery in San Francisco’s Chinatown, was a NYT Editor’s Choice and finalist for the California Book Award. She is also the non-fiction director for California’s Community of Writers, a literary critic, and a contributor to National Geographic and The Wall Street Journal. She is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and a juror for the Commonwealth Club’s California Book Awards. She was recently an academic visitor at Oxford under the Next Horizons program.
Robert M. Califf, MD Robert Califf is an American cardiologist, academic and public health leader. He served twice as the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. He is a graduate of Duke University and has over 1,200 peer-reviewed publications. Before the his work at the FDA, Califf founded the Duke Clinical Research Institute and held several senior roles at Duke. He also served as head of medical strategy at Alphabet Inc, and assumed various consultancy roles. He has also been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.