Our Team
of Volunteers
Meet the members of our teams! Pulsar Collective relies on the dedication of its volunteer members to operate and grow. Through upholding the Pulsar Collective values, our fantastic team helps make our mission a reality.
Meet our Board of Directors
Cassidy Swanston
Board Member
(she/her)
Master's student in science communication, Communications Director at the Pelling Lab. Ask me how to grow an ear out of an apple.
Nina Hadžimustafić
Board Member
(she/her)
MD Candidate at the University of Toronto, avid classical piano lover, ask me about mitochondria or composing music!
Joanne Zhou
Board Member
(she/her)
Dietitian and Product Management Professional. Building Products and Community are my passions.
Farhana Alarakhiya
Board Member
(she/her)
Data nerd; obsessed about making life smarter through data insights and analytics. Ask me why society suffers from DRIP - Data Rich but Insight Poor.
Aqeela Somani
Board Member
(she/her)
Certificate in Health Management & a Masters of Management in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Building a social impact start up and exploring the world of data.
Sam Yee
Board Member
(she/her)
HBSc student in Biomedical Sciences, Indigenous Studies, and Science Policy. Passionate about social justice and equity, and loves all brightly-coloured things.
Cora Larkins
Board Member
(she/her)
Strategic fundraising leader, community development Master’s student at the University of Victoria. Lover of city parks and public art.
Meet our Executives
Cassidy Swanston
Executive Director
(she/her)
Master's student in science communication, Communications Director at the Pelling Lab. Ask me how to grow an ear out of an apple.
Nina Hadžimustafić
Director of Operations
(she/her)
MD Candidate at the University of Toronto, avid classical piano lover, ask me about mitochondria or composing music!
Rahna Rasouli
Director of Programs
(she/her)
Medical student at the University of Toronto & piano teacher. Ask me about music in medicine!
Emily Hashimoto-Roth
Director of Communications
(she/her)
Master's student in bioinformatics in the Lavallée-Adam and Neural Regeneration Labs. I develop software that uses machine learning to mine and analyze mass spectrometry data!
Breana Hooks
Director of Human Resources
(she/her)
Master's student in biochemistry, working on immunometabolism in the Harper Lab. I grew up wanting to be the first female astronaut to go to Mars.
Jenny Baek
Director of Finance
(she/her)
Undergraduate student in Health Sciences with a minor in psychology! Ask me how to dissect a heart or perform a CABG!
Meet the University of Ottawa Chapter
Khadija Kamal
Chapter President
(she/her)
HBA student in Psychology, ask me about neurobiological markers for treatment efficacy in mental health disorders.
Catalina Fernandez
Volunteer Coordinator
(she/her)
Honours student in a Translational Molecular Medicine program, working in medicinal chemistry lab. Ask me about drug synthesis!