Dr. Vayu Hill-Maini fell in love with cooking at a young age in his multicultural home in Stockholm, Sweden. He first moved to the U.S to work in restaurants, but the flavors, textures, and sensations of the kitchen eventually led him to scientific research. He received his B.A in Chemistry and Biology at Carleton College in 2015. He completed his PhD in Biochemistry from Harvard University in 2020, where he worked in the lab of Emily Balskus to characterize strains and enzymes from human gut microbiota responsible for the metabolism of drugs and dietary compounds.

Dr. Vanessa Barone studied molecular biology at Università delle Scienze di Torino, Italy and then pursued her PhD in the Carl-Philipp Heisenberg group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria in Vienna, Austria. There she investigated how cell-cell contacts regulate cell differentiation of mesendodermal progenitors during zebrafish gastrulation, finding a positive feedback loop between cell-cell contacts and Nodal signalling that determines cell fate decisions.

Dr. Valerie Chock's research interests include:

• Neurological monitoring in critically ill infants
• Altered hemodynamics in neonates, especially in relation to prematurity, congenital heart disease, and central nervous system injury
• Determination of the hemodynamic significance and effects of a patent ductus arteriosus in the preterm infant
• Utilizing NIRS (near-infrared spectroscopy) and other technologies for improved monitoring in the NICU