Khushi Desai is an MS candidate in Computational Analysis and Public Policy at the University of Chicago, holding a BA from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, India. She currently serves as an inaugural Data Science and Data Visualization Fellow at the Centre for Digital Scholarship. She is an artist and researcher who has previously worked on several topics such as the American political economy, healthcare policy, algorithmic fairness, and policy analysis. Khushi combines her background in economics and journalism with advanced computational skills to examine complex intersections of technology, policy, and society.

Fabian Barraza is a Master of Public Policy candidate at the University of Chicago focused on digital equity, information integrity, and tech governance. As a Policy Intern with the Illinois Office of Broadband, he conducted comparative analysis of broadband affordability legislation and evaluated equity implications of digital infrastructure policy. He previously served as an open-source intelligence analyst at Media Matters for America, leading Spanish-language misinformation monitoring and producing reports used by civic groups and technology platforms. He also supported digital engagement at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, conducted grant evaluations centered on inclusion with HumanitiesDC, and facilitated virtual instruction during his time as a teaching assistant for a university in China. 

Ashton Mayo-Beavers is a Master of Public Policy candidate at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy, specializing in data analytics and tech policy with a certificate in Computational Social Science. She holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Mercer University. Her research focuses on digital sovereignty, the digital divide, and digital diffusion, while her applied work centers on civic technology, digital equity, and expanding access to tech education. She previously designed the Close the Gap Impact Tool at Olayinka Wealth Equity Strategies, using statistical modeling to help investors measure how capital allocation influences the racial wealth gap for minority-owned businesses in Atlanta. Her commitment to inclusive technology education extends internationally, having taught computer science to 70+ students in Khayelitsha, South Africa, adapting lessons to infrastructure challenges including power outages. 

Megha Viswanath is a Master of Public Policy candidate at the University of Chicago with a concentration in data analytics. She is interested in how technology and governance intersect, especially the ways algorithms and data systems shape equity, accountability, and voice in society. Megha has explored these questions through work that ranges from analyzing video evidence in litigation at JusticeText to leading a data migration and dashboarding project at Reproductive Freedom for All. She is drawn to civic technology and social innovation as tools to design policies and systems that serve communities more inclusively and justly.

Apollinaire Abi is an MS candidate in Computational Analysis and Public Policy at the University of Chicago and a co-founder of Nawiritech, a data science education organization based in Nairobi, Kenya. He trained in entrepreneurial leadership at the African Leadership Academy in South Africa and earned his BS in Mathematics from Ashoka University in India. Prior to his master’s, he was a Predoctoral Research Analyst at the Harris School of Public Policy, conducting research on education, conflicts and agriculture. He was awarded the Weiss Fund for Research in Development Economics by the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics for his research on financial inclusion in Togo prior to joining the Harris School in 2023.

Carlos Eduardo Vargas is a lawyer and MBA graduate, and a social innovator working at the intersection of technology, business, and impact. He is currently pursuing an M.S. in Computational Analysis and Public Policy at the University of Chicago.

He brings over a decade of experience leading social innovation initiatives across Latin America. His current work explores how technology can help scale impact investing ecosystems in the region.

Tejaswini Shashidhar is a Master’s in Public Policy student at the University of Chicago. She is currently interning as a Research Assistant with a resident physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, leading a large-scale quantitative analysis of 70 million Medicare records to evaluate disparities in surgical access and provider experience. Prior to graduate school, she worked at Varahe Analytics, where she developed voter behavior models that guided strategy in the Karnataka state elections, contributing to double-digit swings in target districts and setting the template for a pilot replication in Goa State. Tejaswini is also the founder of two non-profits, Hasti and The Green Footprint, that reduced single-use plastic consumption in Indian markets and created sustainable livelihoods for low-income women. Proficient in Python, R, SQL, and Stata, she applies her analytical and econometric expertise to projects at the intersection of healthcare, economics, and policy consulting. 

Vyshnavi Voleti is a graduate student at the University of Chicago, pursuing an MS in Computational Analysis and Public Policy. She holds a BSc in Business Analytics from the National University of Singapore and brings professional experience from Citibank and Vesta, where she streamlined data pipelines, accelerated analytics initiatives, and developed fraud detection models. Most recently, she worked with the Data, Policy, and Innovation Centre in Odisha, India, developing an AI-driven architecture plan to improve government service delivery. With expertise in machine learning, data visualization, and statistical modeling, she is focused on leveraging AI and advanced analytics to strengthen civic technology and promote equitable public service delivery.