About Us

Alex Nik Pasqualini (they/them), Co-President

Alex is a PhD Candidate in the Music & Sound Studies department whose research is focused on the intersections of popular music, activism, and queer community building, with a recent focus on the 1990s queer-feminist-punk music of riot grrrl and queercore. Alex’s passion for fostering queer belonging is also reflected in their extracurricular involvement at Cornell, like QGrads! Alex is the Community Engagement Coordinator of Trans Empowerment Programming at the LGBT Resource Center, the event coordinator for the Music Graduate Association, and a graduate facilitator for the Intergroup Dialogue Project.

Hana Barrett (they/them), Co-President

Hana is a PhD student in the plant pathology program. When they're not studying they enjoy hiking, crochet, and hanging out with their cat Albert. Find them on Twitter @Hana_D_Barrett

Francine Aclan (she/her), Social Media Coordinator
Hello, my name is Francine (she/her) and I'll be serving on the digital communications team as Social Media / Outreach Coordinator! I'm a first-year MMH student with a passion for building more inclusive workplaces in hotels. Outside of school, I'm a small animal lover (I hope to get pet rodents some day!), video game player, and avid traveler.

Kaitlin Diggins (she/her), Social Media Coordinator
Kaitlin is one of the members of the QGrads Digital Communications Team. She is a second-year Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Ph.D. student studying how climate change impacts integrated pest management systems in specialty crops.

Morgan Irons (she/her), General Board Member
I am a fourth-year PhD candidate in Soil and Crop Sciences at Cornell University, where I study microbial and organo-mineral adhesion mechanisms in soil aggregates and their effects on soil organic carbon persistence in varying gravities. My past research has also concentrated on the development of quasi-closed, agroecological systems for sustainability in extreme environments and long duration space habitation.

As the Social Media Manager of QGrads, I am working to make our social media platforms fun, engaging, and a resource for people to learn more about QGrads at Cornell and the LGBTQIA+ community. I believe social media is a tool that can be used to communicate with a diversity of people not only in our community but also beyond our community. I am excited to learn more about LGBTQIA+ history, culture, and current events alongside our social media followers through the creation of daily and weekly posts.

Byron Rusnak (he/him), General Board Member
I am a third year PhD candidate in Plant Biology interested in plant development. I am interested in improving live imaging methods and using cutting edge spatial transcriptomics and optical coherence elastography techniques to understand how plants respond to internal and external mechanical forces to achieve robust forms. I collaborate with architects on campus to model and understand these mechanical forces.

I have been a board member of QGrads since my first year at Cornell, helping where I can and learning ways to create an inclusive environment in my lab and classrooms.

Katerina Roth (she/her), General Board Member

I am a second-year PhD student in the Food Science Department studying the genomics and spoilage capability of extremophilic bacteria to better understand their ecological roles, reduce food waste, and characterize an industrially relevant genus. As part of QGrads, I hope to help foster a strong, inclusive queer community and support a sense of belonging at Cornell. In my free time, I love to horseback ride, forage for mushrooms, and explore trails with my two dogs.

Rachel Horner (she/her), General Board Member
Rachel Horner (she/her) is a fifth-year PhD candidate in music and sound studies who researches the intersections between sound, language, and identity, especially in the context of Spanish and Latin American cultural festivals. She has worked with a wide range of writers through Cornell's Knight Institute and looks forward to continuing to support Cornell students through QGrads! Rachel is a lover of cats, puns, and musical theatre—really, you could just say she loves meowsicals.

Aakash Kapoor (he/him), Graduate School Liason
Aakash is a PhD student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering who works on designing low-power non-invasive devices for bio-medical applications. In his free time, he loves to play ping pong, go on hikes, and do nature photography. He is a big fan of tennis and loves to keep up with a fair amount of tech news.
As the Graduate School Liaison, he endeavors to represent QGrads and foster connections with stakeholders such as the GPSA, GPS DC, and more.

Unpictured Board Members

(Interim) Treasurer: Gundeep Singh
General Board Members: Brandon Reyes-Chavez, Sierra Hicks, Yue Zhang

Some additional board members are unnamed to respect their privacy.