Seven School of Information students have been awarded fellowships for 2024-25. From research on environmental degradation to critical social issues abroad, these scholars are pushing the boundaries of cybersecurity, data science, and information science. These fellowships will support student endeavors to better digital information technologies, mitigate climate change, further lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer studies, promote cybersecurity, and use data science for good.
Steven Weber Futures Fellowship
Yvette Vargas
Yvette Vargas is a second-year Master of Information Management and Systems (MIMS) student whose research explores the environmental effects of increased warehouse construction in Southern California’s Inland Empire region and why locals do not have access to this information. In recent years the Inland Empire has transformed into a logistics hub where 40% of the nation’s goods pass through. However, as the logistics industry thrived, low-income, Black, and Brown communities were displaced and warehouses were built — leading to a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions, asthma rates, heatwaves, and overall environmental degradation.
“To address these issues, policymakers and community members need access to timely and accurate data to act with foresight and include the Inland Empire in California’s climate mitigation efforts,” explained Vargas. “My project aim is to framework a database that consolidates environmental information, making it accessible for decision makers and my community in their fight for environmental justice.”
Quigley/Heffernan Family Environmental Fellowship
Ayushi Bhatt
MIMS student Ayushi Bhatt dedicated the course of her academic career to studying technology for social good. From building advanced yet affordable prosthetic devices in her undergraduate years to developing health-tech tools, she holds a vested interest in contributing to real-world change.
Recently, she co-founded a startup — AgriSolar — that aims to provide affordable solar-powered irrigation systems. The startup, also a Berkeley Big Ideas finalist, has since secured $20,000 in grants from the Haas School of Business to launch a pilot program in Nigeria, where small farmers have been struggling to deal with shrinking yields, food insecurity, and increasingly erratic rainfall. “By focusing on smallholder farms, who are excluded from advanced agricultural technologies, we aim to make sustainable farming accessible and practical for those who need it most,” said Bhatt. “These partnerships help us build on a strong foundation of trust and go beyond product distribution — through them, we can provide ongoing training, technical support, and education to ensure that farmers can fully harness the benefits of solar irrigation.”
Paul Fasana LGBTQ Studies Fellowship
Yinwei Sun
Yinwei Sun, a first-year MIMS student, has extensive experience researching the intersection of AI and safety, especially in relation to large language models (LLMs). In recent projects with the Berkeley AI Safety Institute and Chinese startup HeyGen, Sun looked into how AI systems perpetuate biases against LGBTQ+ individuals and used this research to build more inclusive digital representations.
Sun wants to build upon her previous research into AI development and LGBTQ+ representation by creating a framework to detect and measure biases in LLMs, exploring how AI-powered content moderation systems can better protect users, and establish a participatory research program that works to ensure LGBTQ+ participants are involved in each part of the development process. “Looking ahead, I envision my research helping technology companies and AI developers create more inclusive systems that truly serve LGBTQ+ communities,” said Sun. “Through the Fasana Fellowship, I aim to contribute to a future where AI technology actively promotes LGBTQ+ inclusion rather than perpetuating existing biases.”
Curtis B. Smith Cybersecurity Fellowship
Varoon Bashyakarla
Berlin-based Varoon Bashyakarla is a second-year Master of Information and Cybersecurity (MICS) student working at the intersection of technology and activism. While working at the NGO Tactical Technology Collective, he partnered with activists, lawyers, civil society organizations, and journalists across nearly 40 countries on high-profile investigations exploring the use of personal data for political influence. As part of Tactical Tech, he also took part in curating large-scale art exhibitions on the role digital technologies play in our lives in several cities, including London and San Francisco.
Recently, Bashyakarla is focused on understanding how digital technologies are used for surveillance. He has partnered with the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, an organization funded by the European Union that aims to strengthen civil relationships with the Eastern European countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. “I feel very lucky to be working on an issue that has attracted the public’s conscience. That is not always the case,” he said.
In addition, Bashyakarla runs a pro bono practice in which he advises progressive political candidates on running political campaigns that respect voters’ digital privacy and security. One such success story was working with the United Kingdom’s Roz Savage, who was the first woman elected to Parliament in her constituency in July 2024. “That was a really exciting win that has filled me with a sense of hope,” explained Bashyakarla.
Jack Larson Data for Good Fellowship
Meral Basit
Second-year Master of Information and Data Science (MIDS) student Meral Basit’s research is centered around environmental justice. As an analyst with the Sierra Club, a large grassroots environmental nonprofit, she often works with large datasets that discuss trends in electric vehicles, coal plants, vehicle pollution, and more.
While working with these datasets, Basit noticed an unfortunate trend — fields with less money and technological infrastructure, such as environmental nonprofits, are not able to benefit as much from data science tools. “This is something I am aiming to change, as I believe that data science should be accessible to all sectors, but especially to those tackling critical issues like climate change and public health,” said Basit.
“From proposing trucking routes that do not disproportionately pollute marginalized communities, to helping power grid operators make better-informed decisions on which energy sources to turn on, data science can be used to equitably mitigate our climate crisis…Through MIDS, I am gaining access to data science tools typically reserved for well-funded industries, which I aim to leverage in partnership with frontline communities to equitably address climate change and environmental justice issues.”
Hildah Ngondoki
Hildah Ngondoki is a second-year MIDS student with over 15 years of experience in the fields of climate climate, global health, and technology research. Through her work at non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in her home country of Kenya, Ngondoki has worked on improving health outcomes by implementing digital health initiatives as well as facilitated the enrollment of an Electronic Community Health Information System for the county of Migori and then nationwide. Her work has now made a meaningful impact on a global scale, extending its reach and benefiting multiple countries across Africa.
She also brought her technical expertise into the realm of academia, aiming to provide quality public education in collaboration with governments in Rwanda, Nigeria, and Manipur in India. During this period, Ngondoki provided teachers with real-time metrics on attendance and lesson delivery, empowering them with digital tools to support the entire education system.
“My thought leadership focus is on digitization to create accountability and transparency thus leading to data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement in healthcare and education sectors at scale,” explained Ngondoki. “I am motivated to leverage my knowledge and skills to create impactful digital solutions that address critical social issues in Africa, such as improving community health outcomes and enhancing quality education for children in underserved communities.”
Abhishek Shetty
Abhishek Shetty, a second-year MIDS student, is interested in leveraging his data science expertise to assist investigators at the Department of Justice (DOJ). As a data analyst at the government institution, he has employed the knowledge he gained from his MIDS classes in cases involving cyber-criminal network investigations. “I view my role as a bridge between data and human insights. It’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly, and one that drives me to constantly refine my technical and ethical skills,” he said.
Shetty also wants to lighten the administrative loads of DOJ agents tasked with investigating child sexual abuse cases, who have disproportionately higher caseloads. He plans to utilize natural language processing and generative AI to manage repetitive tasks such as filing casework and documentation, and employing image and video recognition to aid in investigations.
“This way, I want to allow agents to focus on areas that need a human touch and deal with child abuse cases with the urgency they deserve. I consider it my duty to be both a developer of technical solutions and an advocate for rigorous testing and transparency in our approaches. I remind myself and my colleagues that data-driven insights are tools, not conclusions, and human judgment must remain central to decision-making processes. I want my work to ease burdens and increase accuracy, but never at the cost of oversimplifying human lives into data points,” he added.
If you are interested in supporting I School students through fellowship funding, please reach out to Director of Philanthropy Tia Foss, or see our giving page.
