Who We Are

Aaron Chizhik | Co-President he/him

Aaron is a senior in Grace Hopper College majoring in music and physics. Originally from San Diego, Cali, Aaron has been studying piano since he was but a wee lad and continues to actively do so through music studies at Yale. Aaron is presently working with the Heeger/Maruyama group, focusing on light detector development for the CUPID neutrinoless double beta decay collaboration. Aaron is involved with the kendo club on campus and is also a big fan of non-human primates.

Nikita Mazotov | Co-President he/him

Nikita is a junior in Pierson College and a Ukrainian international student. He works as a peer tutor for the PHYS 200 course. His research interests have focused on experimental particle physics and occasional use of machine learning in the context of CERN ATLAS ITk Phase-II upgrades. Nikita’s favorite computer game is Kerbal Space Program.

Henry Kaplan | Treasurer he/him

Henry is a senior in Branford college, majoring in Physics (XTREME.) and MechE. He is from Brooklyn, NY, also known as NY's best borough. Given his outgoing and charming nature, many first believe him to be a humanities major, but don't let that deceive you. When Henry is not busy being an academic weapon, you might find him taking a nap or working on art. He particularly enjoys drawing in graphite, as well as making CAD models to 3D print.

Matthew Balestier | Community Outreach Co-Chair they/them

Matthew Balestier is a junior in Jonathan Edwards College majoring in Math and Physics from New Jersey. They also hold a position on the board of Broad Recognition magazine. Aside from school, they hold a strong interest in art history. Their favorite contemporary artists are Mark Maggiori and anything weird and modern.

Jerry Li | Website & Media Developer he/him

Jerry is a junior in Grace Hopper who is majoring in physics (int.). He is originally from New Haven and grew up in a nearby town in CT called Guilford. Jerry is especially interested in astrophysics and is working on research dealing with the relationship between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies under Professor Meg Urry. In his free time, he can also be found playing piano, playing soccer, or going to IMs.

Lucy Xiao | Website & Media Developer she/her

Lucy is a junior in Berkeley College majoring in Physics and Applied Math. She's originally from Chengdu, China, but has lived in Maryland and New Hampshire. Outside of STEM, you can find her watching movies, making movies, learning German, improving her coffee techniques, cooking, and (most importantly) eating.

Max Watzky | Prize Lecture Chair he/his

Max Watzky is a first-year in Benjamin Franklin College majoring in Astrophysics. He is currently working under Professor Charles Bailyn, searching for black hole candidates in the OGLE variable star dataset. Outside of physics and astronomy, you can find him playing trombone or extending his 200+ day Duolingo streak.

Maddi Brown | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Co-Liaison she/her

Maddi is a sophomore in Pierson majoring in Physics (int) from Wirtz, Virginia. She is specifically interested in astronomy and astrophysics. She is also interested in fostering environments for those new to physics, math, or STEM in general! Outside of the physics community, Maddi enjoys exploring different beaches surrounding New Haven and day trips to NYC (exploring the city is a fun time considering she is most familiar with her rural hometown). When she’s not grabbing chai lattes in Steep or working on PSETS in Tsai, she’s most likely hanging out in the astro lounge some days!

Diya Naik | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Co-Liaison she/her

Diya is a sophomore Physics (Int.) major from Columbus, Ohio. She’s excited about both the theory and hardware of quantum computers. She also loves to hear about how branches of physics intersect. Hoping to make physics welcoming to all sorts of identities and backgrounds, she’s looking forward to hearing any and all input on improving physics. In her free time, you can find her drawing or rambling about her novel of choice.

Anh-Thai Le | Physics Community Coordinator he/him

Anh-Thai is a sophomore from Southern California planning to major in Math and Physics. On the physics side of things, he's interested in particle physics and the intersection between math and physics, particularly in probability theory and statistical mechanics. Aside from SPS, Anh-Thai hopes to foster a love for STEM through his involvement in Yale's Science Olympiad and MathCounts Outreach. In his free time, he enjoys binge watching YouTube videos and (trying) not to play Supercell games.