Our Executive Board
LEADERSHIP
Nicholas Williams | Co-President
PhD, Engineering | Pratt School of Engineering
nxw@duke.edu
Nick is a PhD student in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He comes to Duke from San Francisco. He has been a member of DISI since he came to Duke in 2017. He started as a Project Innovator and stepped into the role of Director of Operations in Fall of 2018 before ending up as President in Fall 2019. He joined DISI in order to feel more connected to the Durham community by working with non-profits to have a positive impact on the Triangle area. Nick likes cooking and weightlifting.
Felicia Lim | Co-President
PhD, Molecular Cancer Biology | The Graduate School
felicia.lim@duke.edu
Felicia is a PhD student in Molecular Cancer Biology. Born in Indonesia, she stayed in a few other countries before coming to Duke for her graduate study. She first started as a Project Innovator in the Spring of 2019, then became a Project Manager in the Fall of 2019 and in Spring 2020 she went on to become the Director of Operations/. She is now excited to use her experience at DISI to be Co-President this semester. Felicia has always been interested in giving back to the community and through DISI, she feels that she is able to do so by working together with the local non-profits. In her spare time, she loves to read, listen to music, and hike.
OPERATIONS
Asha Mallapragada | Co-Executive Director of Operations
Master of Engineering Management | Pratt School of Engineering
ashajyoti.mallapragada@duke.edu
Asha is an Electronics and Communications Engineer from India. She worked as a Consultant at Deloitte for three years before moving to the United States to pursue her masters in Engineering Management at Pratt School of Engineering. She was excited about the impact DISI has on the community and is now trilled to be the Director of Operations this semester. Asha is always intrigued by start ups around innovative ideas. In her free time, Asha enjoys a good murder mystery (book or a movie) and long walks.
Tushnik Goswami | Co-Executive Director of Operations
Master of Engineering Management | Pratt School of Engineering
tushnik.goswami@duke.edu
Tushnik is a second year graduate student in the Engineering Management track at the Pratt School of Engineering. Born in north-western India and fluent in four languages, Tushnik did his undergraduate in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology(IIT), Kharagpur. He developed two rural innovations and worked in projects across five industries during his time there. Having acted as a Project Manager here at Duke for the year 2019-20, he is now looking forward to make a bigger social-impact as the Director of Operations and help teams drive change with purpose. Over the summer Tushnik worked as an associate for an energy consulting firm and as an investment analyst for a low-carbon climate fund along with pro-bono consulting for an African restaurant in Boston affected by COVID-19. During the semester he works at the Nasher Museum of Art on weekends and loves to talk about the intersection of science, art and society. In his free time which he says is like Schrodinger’s cat, he loves cooking, trail running and long bike rides in and around Durham.
PARTNER OUTREACH
Anjali Dinesh | Co-Executive Director of Partner Outreach
Masters of Management Studies | Fuqua School of Business
anjali.dinesh@duke.edu
Anjali is a master's student at Fuqua, and majored in Computer Science engineering with focus on Cyberecurity in her undergrad. She has worked with Rotary International, Young Leaders Consortium, Lion's club and led VITC Model UN as the Dep.Secretary General. She's lived on 3 continents so far, and is hoping to reach all of them by 2025, having even lived on a ship for awhile. She loves to read, explore cities, learn languages and understand cultures. Reach out to her for any questions, or even to just say hi; She's sure you'll find something in common.
Curtis Hudson | Co-Executive Director of Partner Outreach
MS, Biomedical Engineering | Pratt School of Engineering
curtis.hudson@duke.edu
Curtis is a Biomedical Engineering Masters student from Elon, NC. After completing a BS in biomedical engineering from NCSU in 2015, he began his career in medical device design and development at Teleflex. Joining DISI in 2020 as a Director of Partner Outreach, Curtis strives to cultivate future partnerships with local nonprofits. When he is not studying alongside his UNC JD candidate wife, you can find him on the soccer field or dance floor.
INTERNAL DEVELOPMENT
Tarunam Mahajan | Executive Director of Internal Development
Master of Engineering Management | Pratt School of Engineering
tarunam.mahajan@duke.edu
Tarunam is a Master of Engineering Management student at Duke. She is an engineer exploring the business side of technology and is passionate about working on quality products and services that solve real-world problems for customers. A huge fan of design thinking and uses it to solve all complex problems, professionally and personally. In her free time, she hones her Python skills, provides mentorship, and does short calligraphy gigs.
MARKETING AND STUDENT OUTREACH
Shantanu Thube | Co-Executive Director of Marketing and Student Outreach
Master of Engineering Management | Pratt School of Engineering
shantanudattatraya.thube@duke.edu
Shantanu is a Master of Engineering Management student at Duke. Born and bred in India, he moved to US after high school for his undergrad studies at Purdue University in Mechanical Engineering. During his time there, he studied abroad in Germany for 8 months and has gained internship experience in 3 countries. Shantanu looks forward to implementing his classroom learnings on collaborative projects at DISI. He is also a professional photographer and film maker and loves to socialize over a cup of coffee!
Varsha Rajan | Co-Executive Director of Marketing and Student Outreach
Master of Engineering Management | Pratt School of Engineering
varsha.rajan@duke.edu
Varsha is a Master of Engineering Management student, at Duke. Originally from India, she has lived all her life in Dubai, before heading to Duke. Driven by passion and inquisitiveness, she thrives in environments that challenge her existing acumen. She enjoys being exposed to a plethora of sundry perspectives, while being able to create a strong sense of community and social-impact. A trained Indian Classical dancer, she feels that it is this fine-art, that keep her sane, amidst all the chaos. Apart from this she also loves to indulge in Indian Street Food and the beach.
