Contact
For any questions, please contact bpa-vspa@berkeley.edu
BPA Board Members
Co-President: Joyabrata Mal
Departmental Affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
- Favorite Pastime: Watching football, movie and travelling (if I get time ;)
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: Nothing as such, if food is good I will go there.
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: The Bay Area has lots to offer, so get out of the lab and explore it!!! Go for hiking, long drive, camping…again if you get time ;)
Co-President: Milan Delor
Departmental Affiliation: Department of Chemistry
- Favorite Pastime: Hiking, scuba-diving, swimming, playing guitar, traveling
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: La mission
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: Whale-watching at point lobos, hiking in Tilden and Point Reyes, driving up and down highway 1, museums in SF...
Vice President and Awesome Time in Science (ATIS) Representative: Martin R. Lichtenthaler
Departmental Affiliation: Department of Chemistry
- Favorite Pastime: Long-distance bicycle touring
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: Sushinista
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: Visit a show at BATS Improv in San Francisco
Treasurer: Benjamin Frandsen
Departmental Affiliation: Department of Physics
- Favorite Pastime: Playing soccer
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: Cheeseboard Pizza
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: Take advantage of the beautiful natural surroundings of the Bay Area!
Secretary: Miguel Arratia
Departmental Affiliation: Department of Physics
- Favorite Pastime: Reading
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: Cha-ya (Japanese veggie) & Cesar (Spanish)
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: Enjoy the weather. Enjoy the good wine. Enjoy the good food.
BPA Board Member and Webmaster: Samantha M. Grist
Departmental Affiliation: Bioengineering
- Favorite Pastime: Running, hiking, swimming, photography, and birdwatching
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: Brittany Crêpe, Café M, La Mission, Toss
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: Bat monitoring at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, visiting Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, walking over the Golden Gate Bridge
BSPPA Representative: James Angus Chandler
Departmental Affiliation: Molecular and Cell Biology
- Favorite Pastime: Spending time with my three-year old son and baby daughter
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: Westbrae Biergarten. There is a sandbox to keep the kids happy and beer to keep the adults happy
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: The East Bay Regional Parks are amazing, specifically the riding the steam trains in Tilden, feeding the animals at Little Farm in Tilden, swimming at Lake Anza, hanging out by the creek in Wildcat Canyon, and going for walks in Redwoods. For a weekend getaway, I would highly recommend Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel, which is about 90 minutes south of Berkeley. There is a hot tub on a cliff overlooking the ocean, seriously amazing.
Postdoctoctoral Teaching Opportunities Program Representative and Board Member: Marta Vuckovic
Departmental Affiliation: Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology
- Favorite Pastime: Cooking, baking, biking, gym
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: La Note Restaurant Provenciale
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: visit local farmer's markets, going to local beaches, camping in local regional and state parks
OPEN (Opportunity for Postdoc Equity Networking) Co-Chair and BPA Board Member: Corinne Sadlowski
Departmental Affiliation: Bioengineering
- Favorite Pastime: Walking through the secret staircases of Berkeley, skiing in Tahoe, camping trips in the summer
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: Ding Sushi, Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen, Namaste Madras
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: Hike the Strawberry Canyon fire trails, take sailing lessons through Cal Adventures, explore the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens, try to visit every building (especially the libraries!) on campus
OPEN (Opportunity for Postdoc Equity Networking) Founder and Co-Chair: Nadya Vasilyeva
Departmental Affiliation: Psychology
- Favorite Pastime: thinking about how the mind works, reading, painting, hiking
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: Asha tea place; Imm Thai Street Food
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: Hiking, exploring vegan cuisine, watching sunset from the open area in front of the Lawrence Hall of Science
Postdoc Industry Exploration Program (PIEP) Representative: Marco Agostoni
Departmental Affiliation: Quantitative Biosciences (QB3)
- Favorite Pastime: Playing soccer (http://www.basoccer.org/)
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: Oriental Restaurant
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: Rock Climbing
Representative for the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Work and Family (CACWF): Abby Kroken
Departmental Affiliation: School of Optometry
- Favorite Pastime: I like to build websites, draw and paint, and try out all the independent coffee roasters
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: Moxy, Iyasare, and the produce section at Berkeley Bowl
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve: the $5 tour of the Hazel-Atlas silica and coal mine is inexpensive and interesting!
ATIS Committee Member and BPA Board Member: Diana Fusco
Departmental Affiliation: Physics and Integrative Biology
- Favorite Pastime: Spending time with my dog, running, hiking, reading all kind of fiction
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: Mmmm, probably Revival, but I haven't tried much!
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: Hike through the East Bay Regional Parks, astronomy nights on Mt Diablo, concerts by the SF Orchestra
OPEN (Opportunity for Postdoc Equity Networking) Co-Chair, Housing Committee Co-Chair, and BPA Board Member: Burcu Gumuscu Sefunc
Departmental Affiliation: Bioengineering
- Favorite Pastime: Listening to ethnic music, binge watching (winter is here!), playing video games, running
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: La Note Restaurant and Aki's
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: Also in my to do list: try top 10 national parks in California
BPA Board Member: Günther Thiele
Departmental Affiliation: College of Chemistry
- Favorite Pastime: Triathlon, Gymnastics, Reading, Music
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: Aki's Japanese Restaurant
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: Early Monday morning: Sunrise at the Fire trail,
Tuesday Wine-Happy hour at Heureka,
Jazz Wednesdays at the Marsh Arts Center,
After Dark Thursdays at the Exploratorium,
Friday: late-night Cable Car Riding,
Saturday Sailing at the Berkeley Marina,
Sundays at Dolores Park.
BPA Board Member: Kaveh Gharehbaghi
Departmental Affiliation: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS)
- Favorite Pastime: Running, hiking, Cinema, Concert
- Favorite Place to eat in Berkeley: Jupiter
- Recommendations of Things to Do in the Bay Area: I recommend to visit marine, Sausalito, and Pacifica. Also, don't miss delicious Italian food.
BPA Board Member: Behnam Ghalamchi
BPA Board Member: Rutger Luteijn
Beyond Academia Representative: Joe Papp
OPEN Representative: Iskra Pollak Dorocic