About Us

About the Postdoc Council

The Princeton Postdocs social group was organized in 2006 by postdocs at Princeton (notably Angela Yu, now a professor at UCSD). Since October 2015 PDC is officially recognized by the University. We primarily host social events to build a sense of community among Princeton Postdocs, but are working to introduce professional development programming as well.

The PDC is administered strictly by postdoctoral volunteers and has no outside administrative support: please volunteer by suggesting ideas for events, join the executive committee by emailing [email protected]

Current Council Members

Merihan Alhafnawi is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering since January 2023. Merihan received her PhD from University of Bristol, UK, where she studied swarm robotics, particularly focusing on how multiple humans can interact with a swarm of robots in social applications (multi-human swarm interaction). At Princeton, Merihan works on self-adaptive structures made of swarm robotic modules for architectural applications such as novel shading mechanisms. In her free time, Merihan enjoys playing with her dog: Mango Fruitbasket, hiking, crocheting, reading, and playing video games.

E. Mika Diamanti is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. She joined Princeton in July 2019 after receiving her PhD in systems neuroscience from University College London. Her work aims at characterizing neural dynamics across multiple diverse brain regions during complex cognitive behaviors. Outside the lab, she enjoys going to music concerts, travelling, and camping.

Ashley Fidler has been a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Chemistry since 2021. She received her PhD in Chemistry from University of California Berkeley, where she developed spectroscopic techniques to study electronic dynamics with attosecond pulses. At Princeton, Ashley is now working to control chemical reactions via strong light-matter interactions in optical microcavities. Outside of the lab, Ashley enjoys reading and discussing books, raising houseplants, and hiking.

Martin A. Erinin is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department (MAE) since September 2020. Martin received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland in Spring 2020 and his research focus is on experimental measurements of multiphase fluid flow with a particular focus on water waves and the transport of droplets in a turbulent boundary layer. In his free time Martin likes to cook and occasionally go indoor rock climbing.

Weiyi Tang has been a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Geosciences since 2019. Weiyi received his PhD in oceanography and biogeochemistry from Duke University (Durham, North Carolina). He studies the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and carbon in the global ocean and how these processes are related to climate change. Weiyi enjoys playing sports like soccer and basketball, reading, and traveling to explore the world.

Andrea Mariossi has been a postdoc at the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics since 2019. Andrea studied marine biology in Italy and Sweden and received his PhD from King’s College London, where he studied the processes that control formation of endoderm during zebrafish development. Andrea’s postdoctoral research continues his passion for marine organisms by resolving complex networks underlying biological processes in ascidian embryos, an example of a simple proto-vertebrate. Andrea loves travelling and sports, being an avid skier and scuba diver.

Lindsey Brown has been a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute since July 2021, where her work focuses on applying mathematical models of neural circuits to describe processes of decision making and evidence accumulation.  She received her PhD in applied mathematics from Harvard University, where her work applied dynamical systems modeling and control theory to the circadian system.  Outside of lab, Lindsey enjoys playing tennis, attending fitness classes, and exploring the Princeton area and beyond.

Moamen M. Elmassry is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Department of Molecular Biology since June 2020. Moamen received his Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences from Cairo University, Egypt. Then, he obtained his Ph.D. in microbiology from Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas. His current research is focused on identifying the small molecules produced by the gut microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease patients. Outside the lab, Moamen enjoys cooking, reading, going to humanities talks, and Tai Chi.