Our Team

Committee Members
0

Leadership

President: Giulia Gardumi

Giulia Gardumi

President

Secretary: Seren Ford

Seren Ford

Secretary

Treasurer: Huw Ford

Huw Ford

Treasurer

MD Consulting Challenge: Martin Kononov

Martin Kononov

MD Consulting Challenge

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Consulting Challenge

Martin Kononov

MD Consulting Challege

VP Consulting Challenge: Svea Wupper

Svea Wupper

VP Consulting Challege

OxBio Summit

David C. Michael

David Michael

OxBio Summit Chair

IGNITE

VP IGNITE: Zita Aretz

Zita Aretz

VP IGNITE

Corporate Partnerships

VP Corporate Partnerships: Oliver Spencer

Oliver Spencer

VP Corporate Partnerships

Joshua Lam

Joshua Lam

Director Corporate Partnerships

Ashish Singh

Ashish Singh

Director Corporate Partnerships

Devon Darley

Devon Darley

Director Corporate Partnerships

Nicola

Nicola Stanislawska

Director Corporate Partnerships

Marketing & Engagement

Patricia Nalule

VP Marketing

Alara Urunga

VP Engagement

Artemis Aryanpour

Director of Marketing

Louise Antoniou

Director of Engagement

Events

VP Events: Tatiana Houhou

Tatiana Houhou

VP Events

Jessica Wang

Director of Events

Screenshot 2026-03-03 at 19.01.34

Fiona Erskine

Director of Events

Alumni Relations

Alumni relations: Jiyoon Kim

Jiyoon Kim

Alumni Relations

President - Giulia Gardumi

Giulia is a fourth-year Biomedical Sciences undergraduate at New College. Her Master’s project in the Hassan Lab focuses on synthetic lethalities in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours, building on previous research experience in cancer biology at Oxford and the University of Leicester. She is particularly interested in cancer genetics, looking at both its therapeutic and diagnostic applications, an interest she further explored as a Development Scientist Intern at Oxford Nanopore Technologies over the summer.

She previously served as VP of Events, organising talks, workshops and networking events spanning scientific innovation, clinical development, entrepreneurship and commercialisation. As President, she looks forward to creating an environment where students, academics, founders, industry leaders and investors can exchange ideas and form meaningful connections, bringing together parts of the biotech ecosystem that too often operate in silos.

Beyond the lab, Giulia is passionate about making science accessible and building inclusive communities. Through her previous role as Senior Print Editor at The Oxford Scientist and her work as a tutor, she has enjoyed finding ways to communicate complex ideas, encourage curiosity and make scientific conversations accessible to a wider audience.

In her spare time, she enjoys running, reading and discovering new coffee spots.

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Secretary - Seren Ford

Seren is a fourth-year DPhil student on the Wellcome Genomic Medicine and Statistics programme, studying gene regulation in the lab of Professor Doug Higgs FRS and Dr Mira Kassouf. Seren has a first-class degree in Biochemistry from Oxford, and was awarded the Gibbs Project Prize for her Master's dissertation. Seren has previously taken leadership roles in rowing (Women's Boat Club Captain at both Keble and Queen's College), and as Head of Content for a charity supporting broader access to top universities. As the Secretary of OBT, Seren plays a key role in driving the society's mission to be the leading community for biotechnology in the Oxford ecosystem, connecting students, researchers, and industry. In her spare time, she enjoys rowing for the university Lightweight Rowing team, running, and knitting.

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VP Institutional Relations - David Michael

David is a 2nd year doctoral researcher at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, where he utilizes omics sequencing approaches to uncover biomarkers for early cancer detection and therapeutic development. His previous research work at Imperial College London and the University of Bath spans validating non‑coding genetic variants in type 2 diabetes, exploring non-coding RNA interactions with tumour-suppressor genes, and utilizing CRISPR technologies and stem cells to investigate the complex gene regulatory environment under health and disease.

Beyond academia, he has worked as an Associate Business Management Consultant at Alpharosso Consulting, where he led the development of KPI frameworks, process optimization, and workforce development, resulting in a 65% improvement in client performance metrics within 9 months. As Vice President (Institutional Relations) at the Oxford University Biotech Society (OUBT), David leads efforts to strengthen collaborations across Oxford’s departments, divisions, societies, and global institutional partners to accelerate biotech innovation and support student-led entrepreneurship.

 

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VP Marketing - Patricia Nalule

Patricia is a fourth-year MBiochem student at Lady Margaret Hall with a passion for making science accessible and engaging. She loves exploring the ways biotechnology shapes our societies and sharing these stories with others. As VP of Marketing for OBT, she's excited to create engaging content that bridges the gap between cutting-edge science and the wider community.

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VP Events - Jessica Wang

Jessica is an integrated master’s biology student who is interested in biotechnology research and the commercialisation of medicines (including start-up and spin-out formation). As a Director of Events, she will be involved in the planning and running of insightful events during the 2026/2027 academic year.

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OxBio Summit Chair - David Michael

David is a 3rd year doctoral researcher at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. His work sits at the intersection of circular RNA biology, epigenetic regulation, and translational oncology, with a focus on improving precision diagnostics and advancing RNA-based therapeutics.

His previous research work at Imperial College London and the University of Bath spans validating non-coding genetic variants in type 2 diabetes, exploring non-coding RNA interactions with tumour-suppressor genes, and the use of CRISPR technologies and stem cell models to investigate gene regulation in health and disease.

Beyond academia, David has worked as an Associate Business Management Consultant at Alpharosso Consulting. As Chair of the OxBio Summit, he is focused on building on the success of the previous event and further strengthening the society’s role in connecting students, researchers, and biotech professionals.

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VP Corporate Partnerships - Benedetta Mammi

Benedetta is a graduate researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute whose work examines how emerging technologies shape markets and consumer practices. Drawing on several years in London’s tech sector, she serves as OUBT’s VP of Corporate Partnerships, building value-aligned relationships to support the Society’s flagship programmes and partner organisations. Her focus is on connecting researchers, founders and industry partners to translate ideas into impact across the biotech ecosystem.

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MD Consulting Challenge - Martin Kononov

Martin is a second-year DPhil student in Molecular and Cellular Medicine at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, where he studies autoreactive T-cell signaling. With over six years of research experience, his work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals. Martin joined OBT in 2026 as a Project Team Lead, bringing experience at the intersection of science, business, and consulting. Prior to OBT, he founded and led a boutique life sciences consulting firm in the US.

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VP IGNITE- Zita Aretz

Zita is a postdoctoral researcher at Centre for Immuno-Oncology, Oxford University , having completed her PhD at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center/Cornell University in New York. She holds an MSc from UCL and a BSc in Biophysics from Humboldt University in Berlin, including an exchange semester at Duke. Alongside her research, Zita works at the intersection of science, culture and education. She is currently developing a science magazine and has taught science to school children, and is interested in how biotech reaches audiences beyond the lab. As VP of IGNITE, OBT's startup accelerator, she supports Oxford-based ventures and helps connect early-stage founders with the wider research community. Outside the lab, she enjoys reading fiction, hot yoga, goldsmithing, and running while listening to tech podcasts.

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Director Corporate Partnerships - Joshua Lam

Joshua Lam is a Biomedical Sciences student at the University of Oxford. His academic interests span molecular biology, immunology, infectious disease, and cardiometabolic medicine, with research experience investigating the cell-entry pathways of seasonal coronavirus HCoV-OC43 and, for his Master’s project, the relationship between cholesterol particle size and cardiometabolic risk using multi-omics approaches.
Alongside his scientific training, Joshua has developed experience at the intersection of biotechnology, healthcare, and investment. He previously worked in equity research at Pivotal Life Sciences, conducting fundamental research on listed healthcare, biotechnology, and life-sciences companies. He has also worked on pharmaceutical strategy and biotechnology commercialisation through CapitOx Consulting Group and Oxford Strategy Group, including projects for multinational pharmaceutical companies and an Oxford cancer-immunotherapy spin-out.
His broader interests centre on biotechnology translation, life-sciences investing, and the development of emerging therapeutics from scientific discovery through to clinical and commercial application.
In his spare time, he likes to read, travel and listens to kpop music.

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Director Corporate Partnerships - Ashish Singh

Ashish is a third year Medicine student at Balliol College. As Director of Corporate Partnerships, he is focused on strengthening OBT's ties with the biotech and healthcare industries, working to create collaborations that open up opportunities for members through engagement, mentorship and sponsorship. Ashish brings a blend of research and industry experience to the role. He has worked as a machine learning researcher at the Institute of Cancer Research, and as a health economics research intern at Oxford's Nuffield Department of Primary Health Care Sciences. Beyond academia, he also spent a summer with Strategy& on healthcare and life-sciences strategy projects, and has worked with health-tech start-ups on investor pitchbooks and developing a go-to-market strategy.

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Director Corporate Partnerships - Devon Darley

Devon is a first-year DPhil student at New College, working as part of the Ineos Oxford Institute’s Tuberculosis Grand Challenge to identify novel antimicrobial compounds against drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Prior to starting his DPhil, Devon read Biomedical Sciences at Oxford, graduating with a First and completing his Master’s research with Dr Rachel Tanner.

 

Devon returns to OBT having served as Sponsorship Officer in 2023. He has previously been President of the Biomedical Sciences Society, served on Oxford Union and JCR committees, led consulting projects for clients including Merck Group, worked at early-stage startups, and competed for Oxford at iGEM 2024. In his free time, Devon enjoys coxing for New College Boat Club, performing in student theatre, and exploring Oxford's vibrant startup ecosystem.

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Director of Events - Fiona Erskine

Fiona is a graduate-entry medical student at St Hugh's College, Oxford, having read Medical Biosciences at Imperial College London. She's interested in the overlap between clinical medicine and healthcare investing, and spent the summer with a New York VC firm researching digital solutions in pharma CMC. She co-founded Oxcelerate, a small consultancy offering clinical due diligence to VC firms, and is part of a clinician investor network reviewing early-stage medtech startups. In her spare time, she enjoys sailing and is always around for a coffee! 

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Treasurer - Huw Ford

Huw is a first-year DPhil student in the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences (NDS), researching novel therapies in transplantation. He holds a First-Class Master's degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Bath and has experience developing novel cancer therapeutics at Immunocore and the Lovell Lab.

With over five years of student representation experience, alongside being Treasurer, Huw is also passionate about Institutional Relations, strengthening collaboration between OBT, the University of Oxford, and partner institutions. Outside academia, he enjoys bouldering and traditional climbing.

 

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VP Engagement - Alara Urunga

Alara is a third-year Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry student at St Hilda's College, with a research background in synthetic biology and RNA engineering. She has interest and experience in building biotech ventures and was part of the Oxford iGEM 2025 team where she explored programmable RNA-based molecular switches for targeted bacterial elimination. She serves as VP of Engagement at the OBT, driving initiatives to build community across biotech founders and researchers. She is passionate about promoting interdisciplinary innovation and increasing visibility for early-stage ventures to reach wider audiences and investor networks. 

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Director of Engagement: Mashia Jaafari

Mashia is a fifth-year medical student at Trinity College, Oxford, with a strong interest in the intersection of medicine and biotechnology. He has conducted research in the Swietach Lab, collaborating with an Oxford-based biotech company to explore novel strategies for cardiac-specific drug targeting. Alongside this, he has gained industry experience through internships at biotech companies and by leading consulting projects in the life sciences sector. With academic publications spanning both cardiology and oncology, Mashia hopes to pursue a career that combines clinical practice with innovation in biotechnology. As director of Engagement and Marketing, he is committed to expanding the Society’s reach and curating impactful events that inspire and connect its members.

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Director of Marketing: Alara Urunga

Alara is a second-year Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry student at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, with a research background in microbiology and synthetic biology. She previously worked on quorum sensing and authored a study on biofilm inhibition published in Stanford INTERSECT.

Alara is also part of the Oxford iGEM 2025 team developing next-generation antimicrobial strategies to selectively eliminate pathogenic bacteria. Her work includes exploring programmable RNA-based switches as a therapeutic approach for precise bacterial targeting. Outside of academics, she is a dedicated musician and serves as first violin in the Oxford University String Ensemble (OUSE).

As Director of Marketing at OUBT, she is passionate about promoting interdisciplinary innovations and increasing visibility to reach wider audiences.

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Director of Institutional Relations: Noa Devey

Noa is a third year MBiol Biology student at St Catherine’s College, Oxford. Alongside appreciating the scientific mechanisms underlying biotechnology, she is particularly interested in the business dealings. With experience in consultancy and logistical organisation of student events (such as the Biology Society ball and social events for the University’s Hockey Club), she’s hoping to bring a combination of analytical and organisational skills to the OUBT this year.

Noa is motivated by opportunities that bridge the gap between cutting-edge science and its real-world applications, and she is eager to develop partnerships that connect academic research with industry innovation.

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Director of Marketing: Patricia Nalule

Patricia is a third-year MBiochem student at Lady Margaret Hall with a passion for making science accessible and engaging. She loves exploring the ways biotechnology shapes our societies and sharing these stories with others. As Director of Marketing for OUBT, she's excited to create engaging content that bridges the gap between cutting-edge science and the wider community.

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VP Consulting Challenge - Svea Wupper

Svea is a third-year DPhil student in Medical Sciences at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine. Her research investigates how cell-to-cell communication through the cGAS–STING pathway shapes the tumour microenvironment. Using human 3D tumour models and engineered co-culture systems, she studies how these interactions influence vascular organisation and antitumour immune responses, with the aim of informing new approaches to cancer immunotherapy.

Alongside her research, Svea serves as president of the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine Graduate Student Association and previously led a consulting project with the Oxford Biotech Society.

As VP of the Consulting Challenge, Svea aims to create opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience working on real-world challenges in the biotech sector. She is particularly passionate about helping students develop practical and transferable skills, build confidence in their abilities, and feel better equipped to pursue careers in biotech and beyond. 

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Alumni Relations - Jiyoon Kim

Jiyoon has gained industry experience in investment banking at Goldman Sachs in Singapore and Morgan Stanley in Tokyo, specializing in fixed income settlements in Japan and equities cash trades transactions for APAC clients in Singapore.

Prior to joining the MBA program at Oxford, Jiyoon completed a Master's degree in Neuroscience and Behavioral Studies at Osaka University and published a journal article in Frontiers as the first author: "Nucleus Accumbens Core Dopamine D2 Receptor-Expressing Neurons Control Reversal Learning but not Set-Shifting in Behavioral Flexibility in Male Mice"

(2022). Jiyoon was a member of the Laboratory for BioProcess Systems Engineering, where she gained experience conducting experiments with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells).

As a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group at Morgan Stanley, Jiyoon led the firm-wide Analyst Design Contest (2021) and engaged closely with her APAC clients, leveraging her language skills in English, Japanese, and Korean.

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VP of Corporate Partnerships - Oliver Spencer

Oliver is a fourth-year Biochemistry student at the University of Oxford. He is currently working on his Part II project in the lab under Dmitry Ghilarov, where he is researching the post-translational modification of the Streptolysin S precursor SagA by SagBCD. 

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Director of Corporate Partnerships - Nicola Stanislawska

Nicola is a second-year Biochemistry student at Lincoln College, Oxford, with a strong interest in the intersection of life sciences and investing. As Director of Corporate Partnerships, she aims to strengthen existing relationships while building new partnerships, particularly with investors and funds across the biotechnology sector. She is also keen to expand corporate engagement with and support for the IGNITE programme. 

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VP of Events - Tatiana Houhou

Tatiana is a Rhodes Scholar and DPhil researcher in Computational Genomics at the University of Oxford, with interests spanning biotechnology, entrepreneurship, and community-building. She has experience across MedTech, digital health, education, and student leadership, and is passionate about creating spaces that bring together scientists, founders, investors, and students. Outside of work, she is a longtime basketball player, mentor, and amateur runner.

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Director of Marketing - Artemis Aryanpour

Artemis is a third-year medical student at Lincoln College, Oxford. She’s interned at the Salman lab, working on blood-brain barrier models. She has a strong interest in how AI and emerging medical technologies are reshaping healthcare, as shown by her intern work on an AI-powered growth platform for UK healthcare clinics. As OBT's Director of Marketing, she's looking forward to growing the society's reach and getting more of the Oxford community engaged with what's happening in biotech. 

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Director of engagement - Louise Martin

Louise is a third-year DPhil student on the Wellcome Chemistry in Cells programme, studying DNA damage repair in the lab of Professor Peter McHugh. Louise has a first-class degree in Biochemistry with Chemistry from the University of Nottingham and worked as a research assistant in Oxford’s Department of Oncology before beginning her studies here. As Director of Engagement for OBT, Louise is committed to expanding the society’s reach and curating impactful events that inspire and connect its members. In her spare time, she enjoys rowing, writing for The Oxford Scientist, and watching horror films. 

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