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The scientifyRESEARCH Team
Meet Our Founders
Judy Mielke, PhD
"Chief Research Advocate" | Founder
Judy is passionate about research and researchers - so much so that she launched scientifyRESEARCH to help researchers have better access to funding information. Judy was a researcher and has worked with researchers for over 20 years and in multiple countries, including the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden.
Kate Gardner
"Chief Researcher Communicator" | Co-founder
Kate joins scientifyRESEARCH as co-founder after 8 years with an open access publisher in Switzerland and the USA and a former profession as a Child Life Specialist. She is keen to accelerate scientific discovery worldwide with tools to increase efficiency at the funding stage. She sees this role as a culmination of her two careers, bridging experience as a helping professional and publishing knowledge. Kate is dedicated to open science and food.
Our Team
Kaushik Mitra, PhD
Machine Learning Advisor
Kaushik is a Research Scientist at Meta. He works in the field of Applied AI and Machine Learning and is helping us build an AI system that can best serve our users as we scale our research funding database and make it universally accessible and useful.
Kaviya Ayyappan
Web Developer
Kaviya is a web developer with knowledge and experience in full-stack development. Kaviya likes to be part of a team and wishes to collaborate in all ways for the growth of our projects. In her spare time, Kaviya enjoys being out in nature, doing yoga, and solving puzzles.
Divya Thulaseedharanpillai Saraswathyamma
Web Developer
Divya is an experienced full stack developer with a strong foundation in full-stack development. Divya’s career has taken her through various roles, giving her a diverse experience that deepened her understanding of both customer needs and software development processes. Her commitment to continuous learning reflects her dedication to staying at the forefront of our rapidly evolving field.
Athira Suresh Kumar Mini
Digital Content Producer and Digital Marketer
Athira has over six years of experience in Marketing and Communication, User Engagement and  Customer Experience. A deep-seated enthusiasm for psychology and human behavior led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Media Studies. She also holds an MBA degree in Leadership and Management. She is passionate about creative storytelling that resonates with users and helps the brand build meaningful connections with them.
Swapnali Barde, PhD
Digital Storyteller
Swapnali is a neuroscientist with a deep curiosity about human mind and behavior. Her research focuses on understanding depression with an aim to develop potential drug targets for the treatment of this grave disorder. She has robust background in scientific research and publication, grant writing and understands the backdrop of academic funding. Swapnali is not just a brain enthusiast, but also has keen interest in scientific communication and to translate complex ideas into engaging narratives. She now steps out of the lab into the world of digital storytelling at ScientifyRESEARCH to use her skills and help drive our mission forward. She is excited to venture into this role with a determination to bridge the gap between research, funding and the art of storytelling: all in the pursuit of funding the future of science.
Inés Planchuelo
Spanish Translator
Inés is a Master’s student of English literature and translation who joins our team to develop her translating skills and learn about digital marketing from a startup perspective. She wants to become a literary translator but in the meantime she is happy to acquire experience in the field of digital content translation and improve her SEO skills.Â
Helena Tavares
Portuguese Translator
With a Bachelor’s degree in Information and Documentation Sciences, Helena enjoys spreading good news. She likes to share useful information and believes in the power of communicating knowledge. She is interested in curating information.
Julia Spielbauer
German Translator
Julia is a PhD student in neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet. Besides her research focus on the gut microbiota-brain axis, her main interest lies in outreach and science communication. She is passionate about research as a tool to tackle societal challenges and dreams of creating the best possible environment for scientists to do so.
Our Advisors
Michelle Ponto
PR & Communications
Michelle is an Emmy-nominated journalist and communications consultant who is passionate about science, green tech and innovations that support environmental resilience. She has spent the last 25 years working with clients all over the world to develop strategic communication plans that range from product and brand launches, to boosting online audiences and customer engagement, to creating personal brands for C-Levels.
Ingmar Broemstrup, PhD
Business Strategy
Ingmar is Partner & Managing Director at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Leader of BCG’s Financial Institutions Practice in North America. Ingmar understands the landscape of academic funding globally and best practices for sustainable research services start-ups.
Aida Paniccia, PhD
Research Strategy
Aida has over 10 years of international experience (Italy, Sweden, Switzerland) in biomedical research, project management and science communication, and currently leads the Research Strategy & Communication Office at the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy. She is passionate about improving the way academic research is managed, assessed and shared, with a special focus on the role of early career scientists.
Blair Adams
Senior Technology Advisor
Blair, Founder of Hove2 Consulting, is passionate about strategic digital solutions for advancing science and technology pursuits. He brings over 25-years of experience building global and national project teams. Experience includes extensive information technology focused client relationship management, strategic planning, solutions architecture, product management, and data visualization as applied via Fortune 500 consulting, public sector and early phase startups.Â
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Natasha Chrisandina
Researcher Insights
Natasha is a chemical engineering PhD student at Texas A&M University in the USA whose research centers around designing more sustainable and resilient chemical processes. She is also passionate about increasing the visibility of scientific research to the widest audience possible, through supporting science communication training for graduate students and promoting open access publishing.
Lance Presser, PhD
Researcher Insights
Lance Presser is a scientist in the Center for Infectious Disease Research, Diagnostics, and Laboratory Surveillance at the National Institute for Public Health and Environment in the Netherlands. His primary interests are clinical virology, molecular diagnostics, capacity building, laboratory/pandemic preparedness and outbreak response.Â
Suyuan Chen
Researcher Insights
Suyuan Chen a chemical biologist for chemical proteomics research at the Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften – ISAS e.V. in Germany, whose interests are developing chemical tools for proteomics and structural proteomics research, drug targets and binding sites identification, as well as state-of-the-art technology for drug discovery. He is also enthusiastic about promoting better career development for scientists.
Alexis Ceasrine, PhD
Researcher Insights
Alexis started as a postdoctoral researcher at Duke University in 2019 after earning her PhD from Johns Hopkins University. She is passionate about understanding how the maternal environment influences prenatal brain development, with the hope of eventually developing preventative measures for many neuropsychiatric disorders. She also likes problem-solving and science writing (despite spending many years avoiding it). In her spare time she loves to be outside and take care of her three dogs, cat, and toddler. She is keen to help us find solutions for improving the benefits details listed in our postdoctoral funding opportunities.Â
