Zack Baba

Hey everyone! My name's Zack and I'm a first-year Biochemistry student. I am super keen to contribute to the department by helping to organise academic events that are engaging, accessible, and actually useful (no shade!) for students across all years.

My main priority would be listening to other students and ensuring any events represent what people REALLY want. I know a lot of people are unsure about their degree path, and attending specialised talks with people driven in a specific aspect can feel overwhelming, or even disheartening. I really want any academic events and spaces to be a friendly environment where all students feel comfortable attending, asking questions, and getting involved. I would actively seek student input through polls and feedback to shape event topics, formats, and speakers, ensuring they reflect what students actually want. I am keen to organise low-stakes, friendly events such as:

- Informal research taster talks from PhD students
- Short skills-based workshops, focused on areas like data analysis or scientific writing (or whatever a cohort suggests!).
- Student-selected speakers, which lets students vote on seminar topics, research areas, or guest speakers (e.g. industry vs academia)

Whether or not you vote for me, make sure that whoever represents you truly represents you. This degree is for you, and you should use any support system to its full potential! :)