Board & Liasions

Ozancan Özdemir [Chair]

Hi! I’m Ozancan, originally from Turkey. I am a PhD candidate in the Intelligent Systems group, where I work on machine learning and deep learning applications for stock market prediction.

I completed both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Statistics at Middle East Technical University, where I also worked as a research and teaching assistant for seven years.

I am a hardcore R programming user, although my PhD often requires me to work with Python as well. I enjoy setting goals for the future—not only for myself, but also for the society I live in. I also have a serious passion for talking about politics, football, and history.

Elaine Herrera [Secretary]

Hey there! I am a PhD student in the Probability and Statistics group, where I study universal behaviour in the scaling limits of random graphs. Before moving to the Netherlands for my PhD, I spent a few years teaching in Canada, where I also grew up and completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

When I am not thinking about trees (the graph-theoretic kind), I spend my time knitting, going on walks, chatting with friends, or exploring a new hobby!

Otavio Citton [Treasurer]

Hello, I am Otavio Citton, originally from Brazil, passionate about everything science related!

I studied physics at the University of São Paulo, where I also did my Master in theoretical physics focused on statistical mechanics. My research interests lie in the realm of complex systems such as computer algorithms, the brain, biological systems and even societies. I believe that physics can be a powerful tool to better understand these problems, especially statistical mechanics and dynamical systems.

I moved to the Netherlands in 2023 to start my Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Michael Biehl of the Intelligent Systems group. My research is focused on the application of statistical physics techniques to analyse neural networks in a project part of CogniGron.

Radu Cimpean [Event Manager]

My name is Radu and I am a 4th year PhD in the Systems, Control and Optimization group.

My research involves studying the stability properties of an excitatory-inhibitory neural network coming from a biological component of the olfactory system.

At a personal level, I like to spend my free time reading, especially detective novels, attending classical music concerts, visiting history, art, science museums, and if given time, travel (which combines the aforementioned activities).

Add also the nerdy factor to this and we`ll get along well :).

David Boerema [Event Manager]

I’m a second year AI & CS PhD student, primarily in the fields of robotics and visualisation. As a council member, I aim to help nurture a healthy and pleasant PhD community within BI. Outside of work you can catch me doing sports (squash, running, cycling, bouldering), playing video/boardgames, and trying my hand at some photography.

İrem Mutlu [Communicator]

I am a PhD candidate studying the reasoning capabilities of GenAI in the legal field as a lawyer. I like scuba diving, skiing, and dancing. Passionate about etymology.

Mahima Gautam [Communicator]

I am a first-year PhD student originally from India, where I received my BS-MS degree in Biology. My current work is in the realms of computational neuroscience, where I am interested in understanding how networks of neurons form sensory receptive fields in response to dynamic inputs.

Outside of research, I enjoy discovering random facts about the world, from geography and biology to history and many other areas. I also enjoy creative and artistic activities, as well as sports.

Aliaa Tuqan [Communicator]

Hi! I’m Aliaa, a PhD exploring the intersection of AI, cybersecurity, and human behaviour, particularly how large language models are changing phishing. As one of the PhD Council’s communicators, I turn our ideas, activities, and opportunities into updates people might actually want to read.