The WashU Research Ambassador Program (WRAP) aims to increase awareness of and facilitate participation in undergraduate research across disciplines at WashU. Research Ambassadors, or "WRAPers," serve as the student face of the OUR. They help develop and support the office’s goals toward building pathways for all students to engage in high-quality undergraduate research experiences.
Need advice on finding a research mentor or applying for a research program? Chat with a WRAPer - they're committed to supporting your research journey through peer mentorship. Click the link below to view a schedule of upcoming office hours and locations. Note that office hour dates and locations are subject to change, so please double-check the schedule before attending.
Meet the WRAPers
Daniel Chen (he/him)
- Email: c.daniel1@wustl.edu
- Year & Majors: Junior in Biology: Neuroscience and American Culture Studies
- Research Area: Cell Biology
- Research Topic: In the True Lab, we are exploring how a specific muscular dystrophy can be modeled by yeast prions and chaperone-mediated protein folding.
- Relevant Experience: Where the heck to get started, how to adjust to a lab/workplace environment, how to deal with burnout and boundaries, applying for summer programs (Vagelos), and bio-related research!
- About Daniel: Guilty pleasure: Extra toasty Cheez-Its
Tori Harwell (they/she)
- Email: h.tori@wustl.edu
- Year & Majors: Senior in African and African American Studies and Environmental Analysis
- Research Areas: Queer studies, Geography, Black Studies, Environmental Studies
- Research Topic: Applying Black Queer Theory to the geographies of cocoa farming in Ghana
- Relevant Experience: As an interdisciplinary scholar I often work at the intersections of different fellowships which offer funding sources, such as SURA and Mellon Mays. If you are interested in charting a course forward to complete community-based research, I would love to offer my experience. As a humanities researcher my main methods are oral histories, archival, and art making. I would love to help you find a way to complete international research, as there is some much you can learn from by being in different places.
- About Tori: I absolutely love petting every cute big dog that I see.
Emily Lu (she/her)
- Email: e.j.lu@wustl.edu
- Year & Majors: Junior in Psychological & Brain Sciences and Dance
- Research Area: Psychology
- Research Topic: Effects of social media use on adolescent mental health
- Relevant Experience: Finding and changing labs, applying to summer programs, writing a research resume
- About Emily: Outside of lab, you can find me rehearsing in dance studios, listening to music, or secondhand shopping.
Sarah Olsen (she/her)
- Email: olsen.s@wustl.edu
- Year & Majors: Senior in Chemistry and French
- Research Area: Chemistry
- Research Topic: I am working to synthesize a self-assembling polymeric material formed from reversible bonds and intermolecular interactions.
- Relevant Experience: Choosing and joining a lab, applying for a SURA, giving research presentations, conducting research in the physical sciences
- About Sarah: Fun fact: I am a big baseball fan. Go Angels!
Nash Overfield (he/him)
- Email: a.overfield@wustl.edu
- Year & Major: Senior in African and African American Studies
- Research Area: History & Africana Studies
- Research Topic: I am researching how an African student in the U.S. navigated opposing systems of Pan-African and colonial power in the early Cold War.
- Relevant Experience: Travel, making connections with professors, archival research, grant applications
- About Nash: I love reading fantasy & sci-fi.
Liv Tung (she/her)
- Email: oliviatung@wustl.edu
- Year & Major: Senior in Biology: Neuroscience
- Research Area: Neuro-Oncology
- Research Topic: I study how chromosomal and gonadal status mediates sex-specific p53 gain-of-oncogenic function in gliomagenesis.
- Relevant Experience: Ask me about anything related to starting research! Navigating the process of finding and joining a lab can be overwhelming, but I’ve had the privilege of mentoring undergraduate students at various stages of this journey. I also have experience conducting undergraduate research for pay and credit through Bio500N. These conversations may initially feel awkward to have with PIs, but they don’t have to be! In terms of lab techniques, I am familiar with tissue culture, PCR, qPCR, Western Blot, genome editing with CRISPR-Cas9, and IHC and IF staining. Lastly, I am more than happy to help with presentation prep or application edits in any way that I can — I can provide insights into applying for and participating in programs like the Pediatric Summer Research Program. I’ve also showcased my research at multiple OUR Research Symposiums. Don’t hesitate to reach out!
- About Liv: I love hiking and being outdoors! In my free time, you can find me exploring the various trails and parks around St. Louis.
Victoria Wright (she/her)
Studying abroad SP24 and therefore unavailable
- Email: victoria.wright@wustl.edu
- Year & Majors: Junior in PNP: Cognitive Neuroscience and Anthropology: Global Health and Environment
- Research Area: Anthropology, Public Health, and Psychology
- Research Topic: An ethnographic study of attitudes associated with menstruation hygiene management in eastern Uganda
- Relevant Experience: Securing funding, finding and reaching out to mentors, mixed methods (qualitative/quantitative) data collection, applying for summer research programs (IPH, SURA)
- About Victoria: I love hiking and nature walks :)