Wharton Neuroscience
Student Society
(WiNSS)
Wharton Neuroscience Student Society (WiNSS) is an inclusive community, open to any and all faculty, undergraduates, graduate and professional students, and staff regardless of background, qualifications, or academic track.
The WiNSS community is open and diverse, connected and defined simply by a shared interest and enthusiasm for understanding the roots of human behavior, and translating this knowledge into new applications to improve business and society. The only prerequisite to become a part of WiNSS is an interest in connecting brain science and business.
To join our community or simply learn more, please sign up for our mailing list now.
Wharton Neuroscience Student Society
Wharton Neuroscience Student Society (WiNSS) is a student group within the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative. Student members are undergraduates, MBA students, professional and graduate students across all disciplines within Penn’s campus. The common thread is an interest in the intersection of brain science and business.
WiNSS holds monthly meetings, hosts luncheons with companies, shares job opportunities, encourages involvement in research, and facilitates learning about how neuroscience and business can be connected. WiNSS also advocates for academic initiatives at the university level, such as creating a minor or a concentration in Wharton and establishing an internship program.
Join WiNSS below to receive emails about upcoming WiNSS events on campus.
WiNSS Board (2022-2023)
Sophia Feldman
WiNSS President
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Sophia is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Cognitive Science with a minor in Consumer Psychology. She is interested in how neuroscience can explain and predict decision-making in the global workforce, and the applications of brain-machine interfaces. Outside of WiNSS, Sophia enjoys running and is involved in Wharton Latino, MUSE Social Impact Consulting, and is a Research Assistant at the Wharton Behavioral Lab.
Athena Krikorian
Vice President External
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Athena is a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences studying Neuroscience with a minor in Healthcare Management at the Wharton School. She is interested in neurotechnology and using AI as a tool for heightened provider value in work settings. Outside of WiNSS, Athena is a co-chair for the Wharton Women Fellows Committee, and research assistant at the Wharton Behavioral Lab.
Jamaal Spence
Vice President Engagement
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Jamaal is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Neuroscience with a minor in Consumer Psychology. He enjoys learning about how neuroscience informs new technology, guides our understanding of team dynamics, and assists during leadership development. Outside of the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative Student Society, Jamaalwrites poetry for the Excelano Project spoken word group and virtually tutors middle school students in math, science, and English.
Xandro Xu
Vice President Academic Initiatives
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Xandro is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Neuroscience. He is interested in studying the intersectionality of brain science and business, specifically within healthcare, public policy, and DEI. Outside of WiNSS, Xandro is involved with the Undergraduate Assembly, the Symphony Orchestra, and the After School Arts Program.
Olivia Canalejo
Vice President Academic Initiatives
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Olivia is a sophomore in the College of Art and Sciences studying Biology with a minor in Neuroscience and Healthcare Management. She is interested in how to harness neuroscience research to understand financial and risk decisions. Outside of WiNSS she is involved in DiversaTech and Wharton Undergraduate Healthcare Club. She has done research on red blood cell immunology over the summer and now wants to focus on her entrepreneurial side.
Akhila Guttikonda
Vice President Academic Initiatives
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Akhila is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Neuroscience with a minor in Consumer Psychology. She is interested in the intersection between behavioral economics, decision science, and neuroscience. Outside of WiNSS, Akhila is involved in the Wharton Undergraduate Healthcare Club, Wharton Women, and Moelis Access Science, where she tutors local high school students in math.
Matthew Mahoney
Vice President Internal
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Matthew is a sophomore in Wharton studying Finance and Management with a minor in Consumer Psychology. He is interested in how neuroscientific processes guide consumer decision making. He believes that economists and people in the business world undervalue the significance of neuroscience as a powerful tool for understanding the behavior of markets. Outside of WiNSS, Matt is involved in Australian & New Zealanders at Penn, the Daily Pennsylvanian and the Wharton International Business Review.
Sophia Jorgensen
Vice President Internal
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Sophia is a first-year in the LSM program studying neuroscience at the College of Arts and Sciences and healthcare management at the Wharton School. She is excited by the intersection between neuroscience and business, specifically how neuroscience can be applied in a healthcare setting to optimize patient outcomes. Outside of WiNSS, Sophia is a Project Lead for WUHC, a dancer and choreographer for Arts House Dance Company, and enjoys trying new restaurants in Philly.
Olivia Kim
Vice President Internal
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Olivia is a sophomore in the college studying Cognitive Neuroscience and Visual Studies. She enjoys learning about the technical applications of brain science in business, leadership, and design. Outside of WiNSS, she plays for Penn Women’s Club Soccer, is the photography director for The Walk Magazine, and enjoys running, hiking, and exploring new restaurants in Philly.
WiNSS Board Positions 2023-2024
| POSITION | DESCRIPTION |
| President | The President is responsible for overseeing WiNSS by leading weekly board meetings and monthly GBMs. This role requires someone who is comfortable developing agendas, communicating ideas, engaging other members in conversation, and offering suggestions. The President should also regularly converse with WiNSS advisors (Zab and Kate) to ensure that responsibilities are being fulfilled in a timely manner. At the start of each semester, the President must coordinate with Wharton/SAC to sign up WiNSS for club fairs and relevant club trainings. Finally, the President offers assistance to other VPs as needed. |
| Vice President Internal | The VP Internal is responsible for managing internal affairs of WiNSS and serving as a direct link between the board and general body members. This role requires someone who is eager to plan community-building events and creative ways to build off the existing Scholars Program. The VP Internal may also take the lead on fostering new channels of communication (e.g. Slack) and facilitating board meetings by taking attendance/notes and distributing them afterward. |
| Vice President External | The VP External is responsible for managing external relations between WiNSS and the broader community, including but not limited to WiN, Wharton professors, guest speakers, etc. This position requires someone who is excited about event planning (i.e. Brain Biz luncheons, WiN conference, fireside chats, etc). The VP External should interact closely with VP Marketing and VP Engagement to advertise WiNSS events and identify appropriate listservs/social media platforms to broadcast events through. |
| Vice President Marketing | The VP Marketing is responsible for designing and publishing all promotional materials for WiNSS. This includes but is not limited to Canva event banners, Facebook events, Mailchimp announcements, WiNSS website, etc. The VP Marketing should have basic knowledge of social media and design platforms such as Canva. |
| Vice President Academic Initiatives | The VP Academic Initiatives is responsible for implementing the minor and encouraging academic interests at the intersection of neuroscience and business. This role requires someone who is persistent and willing to regularly meet with Penn’s academic chairs to finalize approval of the minor. The VP Academic Initiatives may also compile articles/publications related to neuroscience/business topics and distribute them to general body members to foster conversation about these interests (e.g. through Zoom small groups). |
| Vice President Engagement | The VP Engagement is responsible for assisting in promotion of events for both WiNSS and WiN. This includes outreach to other like-minded organizations, disseminating information via social media and email communications. The VP Engagement will work closely with all other board positions to ensure information reaches as many people as possible. |
WiNSS Scholars Program Articles
WiNSS Scholars Articles are written by students at the University of Pennsylvania that are members of the Wharton Neuroscience Student Society (WiNSS). The aim of these articles is to break down specific topics of interest that bring neuroscience and business challenges together. These allow WiNSS students to engage with other academics, the general public, and the business community to help increase awareness and interest in neuroscience applications for business.
106 Steinberg-Dietrich Hall
3620 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Ph. 215.898.7766
