Senior Captain
Austin Kwan is the ChemE Car Senior Captain and is majoring in Chemical Engineering. Outside of ChemE Car, Austin is a pianist and cellist in Cornell Orchestras and the treasurer for Alpha Chi Sigma. Austin is also an undergraduate researcher in Jiang Lab synthesizing lipid nanoparticles. After graduation, Austin is curious about designing novel drug delivery methods and passionate about increasing awareness of the chemical engineering discipline. In his free time, Austin loves being a part time plant dad, swimming, and hiking!
JUNIOR Captain
Babette Gilles is the ChemE Car Junior Captain, and was an RDC member and lead the first two years of ChemE Car. She is a BME major and researcher in the Butcher Lab Cervicheck Team, and she is interested in designing medical devices post-grad. Outside of school, Babette enjoys reading, writing, and playing tennis!
Battery ALpha
TEAM LEAD: Dave Tirtariyadi
Dave is a senior majoring in Chemical Engineering and minoring in Information Science. Aside from ChemE Car, he is part of the Abruña Group, where he researches organic electrode materials. Dave interned at Samsung as a Quality Assurance Intern in the Summer of 2022 and at Mastercard as a Product Management Intern in the Summer of 2023.
Not Pictured: Samira Nahar
Battery Omega
Team Lead: Amy Sharin
Amy is a rising junior from Long Island, NY majoring in Computer Science. Outside of ChemE Car, she is a CS consultant and involved in SWE. In her free time, she loves watching sports, baking, and spending time with friends.
Not Pictured: Jessica Kim
Business
Team Lead: Michelle Mazzu
Michelle is currently pursuing a degree in Operations Research Engineering with a business minor. This summer, she is excited to be working at UPS as an industrial engineering intern in her hometown of Massachusetts. Outside of being the ChemE Car Business team captain, Michelle enjoys going on walks around campus and Ithaca and trying all the coffee places around. She also enjoys reading, working out, and cooking.
Electronics
Team Lead: Nathan Rakhlin
Nathan is a junior Electrical and Computer Engineering student from Nyack, New York. He joined ChemE Car in Fall 2021 and became the Electronics Subteam Lead in Spring 2023. He enjoys working to ensure that the battery subteams can shine and exploring groundbreaking PCB projects. Nathan is a big fan of the warm nature of ChemE Car and looks forward to all social events (including paintball!!). Outside of academics, Nathan enjoys weightlifting, rockclimbing, skateboarding, and running.
Mechanical
Team Lead: Gavin Aksoy
Gavin is a junior studying chemical engineering and has been a member of the Mechanical Subteam since his freshman fall. He then became the Mechanical Subteam Lead as a junior. Aside from ChemE Car, Gavin is also involved in a research lab studying photovoltaic devices to further explore his interests in sustainable energy systems and technology. He learned more about chemical engineering while interning over the summer of 2023 at Air Products. When Gavin has a break from classes, he likes to play guitar, play drums with his band on campus, and watch movies!
Potions
Team Lead: Sophia Janoyan
Sophia is an incoming senior ChemE from Potsdam, NY / Pasadena, CA, and has been a part of the Potions Subteam since her freshman fall! Outside of ChemE Car, Sophia is an AIChE Class Representative, undergraduate researcher in the Dshemuchadse Group, and is hoping to work in the consumer products industry after graduation. In her free time, Sophia enjoys going to the gym, listening to music, and cooking. Her favorite part about ChemE Car is getting to know everyone on the team.
Pressure
Team Lead: Jake Pena
Jake is a sophomore studying chemical engineering and has been a part of the Pressure Subteam since Fall 2022. His favorite part about ChemE Car has been Regionals 2023 in Montreal and the general community of the team. Beyond of ChemE Car, Jake enjoys music production, lifting, video games, and wrestling!
Team Lead: Emily Destito
Emily is a sophomore studying ChemE and has been a part of the Pressure Subteam since her freshman fall. Her favorite part about ChemE Car has been Regionals 2023 in Montreal and bonding with everyone on the team. Outside of ChemE Car, Emily enjoys watching movies, playing soccer, and thrifting!
RDC
Team Lead: Vayun Tiwari
Vayun is a sophomore electrical and computer engineering major from San Jose, California. He joined RDC the fall of his freshman year and his favorite part has been Regionals 2023 in Montreal. He looks forward to traveling with the team to future competitions. Aside from ChemE Car, he enjoys bird photography, traveling, and skiing.
