Meet some of our Mutation team members below!
We're looking for people to join our staff team!
Meet some of our Mutation team members below!
Taili Gao
Founder
Taili is a member of the class of 2025 at Lexington High School. She is a current research intern at MIT, a two-time USA Biology Olympiad Semifinalist, and a British Biology Olympiad Gold Award winner. Outside of biology, she enjoys problem-solving and poetry writing. She is the senior division poetry Second-place winner in the international Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest and an Executive Editor at Polyphony Lit.
Christina Zhuang
Editor-in-Chief, Chapter Head
Christina is a member of the class of 2026 at Newport High School in Bellevue, Washington. She is passionate about biology, with a particular interest in genetics, cell biology, and computational biology. At school, she is the president of HOSA club and TA for a Biotechnology class. Outside of school, she enjoys fencing and competes nationally in competitions around the country.
Tessla Chan
Executive Editor
Tess is a student of the class of 2026 at Roslyn High School. She is currently a student researcher at Columbia University and is passionate about learning the complexities of human anatomy & physiology, and genetics. Tess is a Regeneron ISEF Grand Award recipient and a National JSHS winner. She enjoys conducting research that focuses on using data science to investigate real-world biological problems. She is also a captain of Roslyn’s Science Olympiad team, where she encourages scientific discovery to her fellow peers. Outside of her studies, you can find her invested in a good novel and experimenting with different recipes in the kitchen.
Jaycee Yang
Head of Content
Jaycee is a member of the class of 2025. She is studying in New Zealand and is interested in neuroscience and learning about new concepts in general. Outside of school, she enjoys reading, running, and playing the violin.
Aaron Chang
Director of Graphic Design, Staff Writer
Aaron is in the class of 2026 at Palo Alto High School. He is the secretary of HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) and is interested in cell biology and medicine. He plans to enter the field of healthcare and work with physicians in the future. In his free time, he enjoys playing the piano and watching Marvel movies. His favorite piano piece is Chopin: Ballade No. 1.
Czandhie Corpuz
Director of Communications, Content Writer
Czandhie is Filipino-American and interested in pursuing the medical field as a future career. She is especially interested in neuroscience and how she can make the lives of a million others the best they could possibly be in that field of medicine in the future. She enjoys listening to 90s & 2000s R&B as well as watching as many romcoms from those eras as she can that this world can offer.
Zachary Yuan
Staff Writer & Editor
Zach is a member of the class of 2027. He is passionate about the fields of biology and chemistry, especially in the areas of anatomy, genetics, and cell biology. In his free time, he enjoys playing the saxophone and ultimate frisbee.
Dominic Anaya Gulaya
Senior Editor
Dominic, who also goes by Xalli, is a young QTPOC and Disabled butch, and a creative writing student in the class of 2025 at California School of the Arts - San Gabriel Valley. In his spare time, he volunteers with Food Not Bombs alongside working on the Junior Board of Polyphony Lit and as a writer in residence at Collections of Transience, and has also been published in several literary magazines. He's passionate about neuroscience and neuroplastic pain, writing and journalism, zine-making, bass guitar, and social justice. You can find more of his work and life on Instagram @desertfirelight.
Cornelius Ahumuza
Mutation Uganda Administrative Member;
Staff Writer
Cornelius is a member of the class of 2027. He is from Uganda, Mbarara City, Western Division, and is interested in cancer therapy using stem cells to regrow body organs and is intrigued with the use of AI in the treatment of cancer. He is a Crimson 18U18 2024 Finalist, IYMC (International Youth Math Challenge) Finalist, UNSO (Uganda National Science Olympiad) Gold Medalist, a student of The Knowledge Society, and Yale Young Global Scholars Alumnus and Founder Educate. He is interested in Adenocarcinoma Prostate cancer research, and is currently working on a research paper designing machines and tools to detect early stage prostate cancer in men, with a 95% accuracy. He is also a robotics and politics enthusiast, with entrepreneurship as his side hustle plan. He looks forward to pursuing Biomedical Engineering at MIT very soon.
Henry Liu
Outreach, Newsletter Writer
Henry is a member of the class of 2026 and a student at West Point Grey Academy. He is dedicated to the fields of biology and chemistry. Henry is extremely passionate about cells and genomes, from conducting experiments to doing research projects. Henry is currently a member of the Future Sciences Leaders Program, where he analyzed how water can affect the growth of onions. He is also involved in his school's Service Council, where he started a charity to fundraise at BC Children's Hospital. Aside from his biology, Henry is committed to speech and debate. Having been debating for two years, he has accumulated experience in various national events, such as ranking 4th in the 2023 Canadian National Debate Championship and ranking 7th in ESU nationals. With his biology and speech experiences, Henry is honored to be an administrative member of Mutation.
Valeriya Khavina
Communications Team Member
Lera is a member of the class of 2025. Originally from Russia, she moved to the United States when she was 6 years old. Lera is fluent in Russian and speaks it at home. In her free time, she likes to draw, paint, and praise her amazing friends!
Rithika Vutukuri
Social Media Manager
Rithika is a member of the class of 2025 at Lexington High School. She has participated in Relay For Life for over three years, and is the social media manager at Mutation. In her free time she enjoys doing art and playing badminton with her family.
Eileen Li
Newsletter Writer
Eileen, a student of the class of 2026 at the Dalton School, is driven by her passion for discovering the complex connections between neuroscience and percussion. After her experience shadowing a researcher, she became devoted to understanding the complexities of the human brain. In school, she is currently involved in an Independent Study that delves into the neurobiology and pathophysiology of Parkinson’s Disease. She is also head of Biochemistry Team, which competes in USABO and USNCO. This summer, she hopes to conduct research on the role of the gene RIT2 on Parkinson’s Disease. Beyond academics, Eileen is also a percussionist at the Juilliard Pre-College. She has participated in the National Youth Orchestra (NYO2) and is a two-time finalist for the Juilliard Pre-College Concerto Competition. Inspired by her dual passions in neuroscience and music, Eileen founded Healing Grooves, a nonprofit organization dedicated to using music therapy - in the form of original self-made rhythm games and activities - to bring joy and healing to seniors and those impacted by neurodegenerative disease.
Abdelrahman M. Gomaa
Mutation Egypt Administrative Member;
Graphic Design
Abdelrahman is a student at Minya STEM School with a strong passion for science, technology, and research. Participating in various international competitions, I showcased my creativity in fields like AI, biotechnology, and physics to address real-world challenges.
Meg Xu
Staff Writer & Editor
Meg is a member of the class of 2026. She is passionate about biology and genetics. In her free time she enjoys reading, hiking, running, and playing the violin.
Mostafa Elmalhy
Mutation Egypt Administrative Member;
Content Writer
Mostafa is from Alexandria, Egypt. He has always had a passion for biology, and he is now studying at Egypt STEM school, which places a strong emphasis on scientific research. He is a native Arabic speaker and is also fluent in English. He hopes to make biology education more accessible.
Rain Cheng
Turning Point (Malaysia)
Rain is a member of the Mutation Turning Point chapter based in Malaysia. She has worked with a team of students to write about the biological impact of nuclear weapons.