Featured Scholar
Douglas Storace
DOUGLAS STORACE, PHD Doug Storace earned the Toffler Scholar Award in 2022 at Florida State University FIND ME ON Biography Dr. Douglas Storace didn’t think he was particularly curious as a child. He grew up in Connecticut in what he describes as an average family. He developed an interest in music and studied piano with…
Read MoreRoch Nianogo
Roch Nianogo, PHD Roch Nianogo earned the Toffler Scholar Award in 2022 at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health FIND ME ON Biography The middle child of three boys, Dr. Roch Nianogo grew up in Ouagadougou (pronounced “Wagadugu”), which is the capital and largest city of Burkina Faso, a country in West Africa. Dr. Nianogo’s…
Read MoreElisa Canepa
ELISA CANEPA, PHD Elisa Canepa earned the Toffler Scholar Award in 2022 at Temple University FIND ME ON Biography Elisa Canepa was born and grew up in Genoa, Italy, a city on the Ligurian Sea. At the age of six, she discovered that she loved playing volleyball. Her passion for the sport carried well into…
Read MoreJulia TCW
Julia TCW, PHD Julia TCW earned the Toffler Scholar Award in 2025 and 2022 at Boston University FIND ME ON Biography Julia TCW was born in South Korea but spent her early childhood in Rockville, Maryland. Dr. TCW’s early interest in science and biology was inspired by her grandfather, who helped raise her. A microbiologist…
Read MoreSudeshna Das
SUDESHNA DAS, PHD Sudeshna Das received funding from the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust in 2024 and 2022 at Harvard FIND ME ON Biography Dr. Sudeshna Das grew up in India. Her mother was an elementary school teacher, and her father was an engineer. She and her sister spent their childhood in various cities throughout India…
Read MoreReena Gottesman
REENA GOTTESMAN, MD, PHD Reena Gottesman earned the Toffler Scholar Award in 2022 at Columbia University FIND ME ON Biography Dr. Reena Gottesman grew up in New York. The oldest of five children, she developed an early interest in medicine, the sciences, and healthcare. She attributes some of this interest to the time she was…
Read MoreAlberto Serrano-Pozo
Alberto Serrano-Pozo, MD, PHD Alberto Serrano-Pozo earned the 2024 and 2022 Toffler Scholar Award at Harvard Medical School FIND ME ON Biography Alberto Serrano-Pozo grew up in Málaga, Spain, with his parents and three siblings. From a very young age, Dr. Serrano-Pozo was motivated to study hard. His father always taught him that no matter…
Read MoreJoe Mazzulli
JOE MAZZULLI, PHD Joe Mazzulli earned the Toffler Scholar Award in 2025 and 2021 at Northwestern University. FIND ME ON Biography Dr. Joe Mazzulli grew up in a suburb right outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Both his parents were hard workers and instilled in him the value and importance of work. His mother and father regularly…
Read MoreCatherine Psaras
CATHERINE PSARAS, PHD Catherine Psaras earned the Toffler Scholar Leadership Award in 2021 at UCLA FIND ME ON Biography Catherine Psaras grew up in New Jersey. The daughter of immigrants, Catherine’s mother is from England and her father is from Greece. As a child, she spent idyllic summers in Greece, where she remembers eating figs…
Read MoreZhe Zhang
Zhe Zhang, PHD Zhe Zhang earned the 2024 and 2021 Toffler Scholar at Johns Hopkins University. FIND ME ON Biography Zhe Zhang was born in a town outside of Beijing, China. A curious child, she loved exploring the outdoors and remembers spending hours on end watching ants build their homes. She also enjoyed taking apart…
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