Students Advising on Graduate Education (SAGE) is a student advisory board and leadership opportunity for graduate students at Illinois that fosters active engagement with Graduate College programs and initiatives. SAGE board members enrich the graduate student community, build leadership skills, and strengthen Graduate College services and programs. This board contributes to the graduate student community at Illinois by providing varied perspectives that enhance the academic, professional, and social experience of graduate students at the university. They also provide valuable input for Graduate College programs, resources, and services. SAGE members are nominated by their colleges.
The 2026-2027 board members are:
Shivangi Ambardar is a PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying how radio broadcasters adapted when television first arrived in the late 1940s. She serves as the Head Teaching Assistant for a 900-student introductory economics course. Outside of academics, Shivangi is working toward her FAA private glider pilot certificate, something she considers one of the more unexpected parts of her time at Illinois. She also starts most mornings reading Bloomberg.
Takhmina Ayupova is a PhD candidate in Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on developing photonic biosensing technologies for molecular diagnostics, with a particular interest in maternal and fetal health. Through her research, teaching, and mentoring, she has worked with students and collaborators across disciplines and institutions. She is particularly interested in how universities can connect research, education, and public service, and how scientific expertise can contribute to better health policy and public decision-making.
Jared Evan Cohen is a doctoral candidate in German studies from Montreal. His research focuses on the confluence of radical political and religious trends in the thinking of German-speaking Jewish writers of the early to mid-twentieth century. He is interested in the relation between hope and memory in politics, philosophy, and literature as well as how these inform progressive conceptions of utopia, messianism, revolution, and belonging.
Millena Mello Lopes Dobke is a Brazilian attorney and a third-year Ph.D. student in Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she also earned her M.S. in Human Development and Family Studies. Her primary research focuses on the consequences of children’s exposure to domestic violence, particularly in the context of divorce and child custody. In her free time, Millena enjoys spending time with her husband and their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, reading romance novels, and training.
Bhargavee Gnana is a MD/PhD student. She completed her first three years of medical school at Carle Illinois College of Medicine. She is currently a second-year PhD Student in the Department of Bioengineering. Her research involves developing better disease models so that more scientists can study thyroid eye disease, an ocular condition caused by grave’s disease or autoimmune hyperthyroidism. In her free time, she enjoys baking, completing DIY projects and spending time with her dog Zoey.
Dalton Grimes is a third-year PhD student in the Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism Studies, working with Dr. Stodolska. I am most interested in the ways that we construct our identities in recreation and leisure spaces. In particular, I like to focus on the formation of LGBTQIA+ identities in the outdoors."
Elyse Jones is a fourth year PhD student in the Aerospace Engineering Department. As part of the Numerics and Unsteady Flow Group, her research focus is on incorporating metamaterials into fluid flow. She is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program recipient and is involved in Graduate Women in Aerospace and the Mavis Future Faculty Program.
Anh Dao Truc Lam is a PhD student at School of Labor and Employment Relations. Her research focuses on labor organizing and public sector unions in the United States. She looks forward to representing LER to work with the Graduate College to provide supportive environment for graduate students.
Claire Liu is a fourth-year PhD candidate in Accountancy at the Gies College of Business. Her research uses qualitative and archival methods to study auditing, focusing on audit quality, audit labor market, and how auditors do their work. Before beginning her doctoral studies, Claire worked in government and public accounting in Canada. In her free time, Claire enjoys leisure reading, crafting, and spending time outdoors.
Alexandra Lyon is a third-year PhD student in Art History and is affiliated with The Initiative in Holocaust, Genocide and Memory Studies and The Program in Jewish Culture & Society. Her current research focuses on modern and contemporary Jewish artists and how their artistic practices help shape and/or recover Jewish diasporic identities. She currently serves as the Co-President of the Student Art History Association (SAHA), the Treasurer of UC Yiddishkeit, a co-leader of the Modern Jewish Thought HRI Reading Group, and on the planning committee for Midwest Yiddishfest. In her spare time, she enjoys going to concerts, doing ballet, and spending time with her husband and two children.
Owen Monroe is a PhD Candidate in the School of Information Sciences, currently in his fifth year as a graduate student at the University of Illinois. His research is in the digital humanities, and his dissertation explores the presentation of knowledge and science in early Victorian educational magazines. Owen has taught the course Reading and Writing about Data as an instructor, and served as a member of the iSchool Doctoral Student Association. He will be representing the graduate students of the University of Illinois and School of Information Sciences, their perspectives, and needs.
Jarrett Newman is a PhD student with foci in designing augmented reality (AR) tools for Social Studies and Genocide Education, educational sovereignty, and IndigiTech. Her research interests include K-12 Social Studies curriculum development, memory and material culture(s), land- and place-based pedagogies, and Indigenous Futurism(s). She is the Graduate Registration Assistant for Repatriation at Spurlock Museum of World Cultures.
Ini Periodi is a doctoral student in Philosophy of Education in the Department of Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include epistemic injustice in educational institutions and other teaching and learning spaces. She is particularly interested in the role of discomfort and cognitive dissonance in education, and in how narratives and related pedagogical approaches can foster transformative change both within individuals and in ways that help address broader social injustices. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Ini taught at a school in Bangalore, India, for five years. She also has extensive experience working with children and children's literature. She was involved in a project dedicated to creating and disseminating high-quality children's literature in the Kannada language.
Pedro Rivera-Cardona is a fifth-year PhD student in the Department of Physics, where his research explores early-universe particle physics and physics beyond the Standard Model. His work aims to uncover the particle nature of dark matter and to develop new methods for its detection. Pedro's research has been supported by several prestigious fellowships, including the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, the GEM Fellowship, the Illinois Graduate College and Surge Fellowships, and a Sloan Scholarship. He previously served as a Graduate Student Ambassador for the Grainger College of Engineering.
Xochilth Saldaña is a PhD student in Agricultural and Biological Engineering who joined the department in 2021. She earned her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego. Her research focuses on food security and nutrition, examining how conservation agriculture and fertilization practices influence soil zinc availability, maize yield, grain zinc and iron concentrations, and nutrient losses across Midwestern and Latin American cropping systems.
Iniyan Seerangapattan Sampath is an iMBA student at the Gies College of Business with over two decades of technical and leadership experience in the financial services industry. As a Gies iMBA Student Ambassador, he mentors prospective students from around the world, fostering engagement and helping build a collaborative and supportive learning community. Iniyan earned his bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Engineering in India, where he began his professional career. He later lived and worked in Argentina for four years before relocating to the U.S., bringing a global perspective to his professional and academic pursuits. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and Tamil. Iniyan enjoys staying active through strength training, running, biking, and dancing. He also enjoys tackling household DIY projects and embracing opportunities for continuous learning.
Peyton Sorensen is a 3rd year PhD candidate in the Crop Sciences program. Her research focuses on detecting and characterizing maize genes that confer resistance to bacterial pathogens. The goal of this research is to increase our knowledge of the plant immune system as well as find genes that can be used by breeders to produce more resilient maize hybrids. She completed her B.S. in Horticulture in 2020 and her M.S. in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics in 2022, both at UW-Madison. Before starting her PhD, she worked as a lab technician at UIUC, gaining experience in plant molecular research. During her time at UIUC, Peyton has served as president of the Crop Sciences Graduate Student Organization and served on the University Senate.
Yingman Tang is a third-year PhD student in Theatre Studies. Her research focuses on AI, digital media, and performance, particularly using theatre as a lens to examine the relationship between artificial intelligence and humans, and how AI produces performativity. Yingman also has extensive experience in lighting design, with both a BFA and an MFA in the field. She currently serves as the AI Strategy Advisor for the Chinese American Association of Central Illinois.
Rowan Testin is a second-year Master of Social Work student with a mental health concentration. In 2024, he graduated with his Bachelor's in Psychology and a minor in Studio Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This upcoming year, he will be completing his internship at KC Counseling here in Champaign and is looking forward to gaining hands-on experience. He hopes to eventually become an LCSW and focus his career on LGBTQ+ individuals and trauma. In his free time, he likes collecting CDs, crocheting, hiking, and printmaking.
Sneha Vyas is a master's student in Information Management with a background in consulting, project management, and product strategy. Before graduate school, she worked at Deloitte and Siemens, and most recently spent the summer with Lenovo's Global Product Strategy team. Across these experiences, she has enjoyed working on questions that don't have obvious answers, whether that’s understanding markets, evaluating new technologies, or helping teams make better decisions. Outside of school, Sneha enjoys going to the gym, dancing, staying active, and trying new experiences: exploring new places, experimenting with new recipes, and learning to play tennis!
Paul Warner is a PhD student in the Department of Health and Kinesiology in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research is focused on the experiences of disabled students in physical education and physical activity spaces, and the pedagogical practices used by educators in such settings. Paul received his MS in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of Utah and his BS in physical education and adapted physical education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Prior to attending the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Paul taught adapted physical education for seven years in Lehi, UT. In his spare time, Paul enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and participating in various physical activities.
Rebecca Yeager has a Master's in TESOL and Applied Linguistics from Indiana University and was non-tenure-track faculty for thirteen years at the University of Iowa, teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) and coordinating the language placement test. She began her PhD in 2025 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign under Dr. Xun Yan. Her research interests focus on language assessment, research methods, and the impact of technology on teaching and learning. She has published in Language Teaching Research, the International Journal of Listening, the Journal of English for Academic Purposes, Studies in Language Assessment, and Language Testing