OUR ROOTS
YARN was built with the mission to level global knowledge-production, especially knowledge about the African continent, by jump-starting the careers of future African researchers in all disciplines. The organization aims to provide support in the 3 main forms: mentorship, networks and funding to aspiring African scholars at the beginning of their research careers. The mission is to increase the quantity and quality of research carried out by Africans on African problems in all fields and to share it with the world.
OUR COMMUNITY
GLORIA PAIDAMOYO CHIKAONDA
President and founder
Gloria is the Founder of the Young African Research Network (YARN). She holds a BA/LLB (2016) and LLM (2018) in Comparative Law in Africa from the University of Cape Town and an LLM from Stanford Law School in International Legal studies. As a second year JSD candidate at Stanford Law School she researches and writes about legal pluralism and family law in Zimbabwe. She has worked as a Teaching and Research Assistant in the UCT Private Law Department and a Research Fellow for the Centre of Comparative Law in Africa at UCT for which has carried out research on regional trade integration as well as the social contract in Africa. She is a recipient of the prestigious Stanford University Knight-Hennessy Scholarship (2019 cohort).
HANNAH FUNG
Vice-President and co-founder
Hannah Fung, from Toronto, Canada, is pursuing a PhD in biology at Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. She earned an honors bachelor of science degree with high distinction from the University of Toronto. At Stanford, she studies the development of stomata, microscopic valves that allow plants to exchange gases with their environment. Specifically, she is interested in understanding how plants modulate the number of stomata on their leaves in response to different environmental conditions. Hannah is a Knight-Hennessy scholar (2018 cohort).
CHINMAY SONAWANE
Mentorship Program officer
Chinmay Sonawane is a PhD student in biology at Stanford. His research addresses how biodiversity conservation and human development can go hand-in-hand. Sonawane studies the evolutionary dependence between people and wildlife, and the ecological interactions that enable megafauna to contribute to human health, economy and equity. In his field research, Sonawane works collaboratively with local communities, and is committed to empowering young leaders, explorers and researchers from underprivileged regions of the world.
CYRUS BUCKMAN
Events and Outreach officer
Cyrus Buckman, from Accra, Ghana, is pursuing an MD at Stanford School of Medicine. He graduated from Earlham College with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry. Cyrus aspires to bring improved healthcare access to people living in underserved communities across the globe. At Stanford, Cyrus served on the Organization for Global Health board to promote global health initiatives at the medical school. He also served as the Community Outreach Chair of the Cardinal Free Clinics, which provides access to high-quality transitional medical care for underserved patient populations in the Bay area. Cyrus is also passionate about providing mentorship and educational resources to help students achieve their potential. He has advised several pre-med students through the medical school application process to pay forward the support he received on his journey. When he is not studying or catching up with family and friends, Cyrus can be found playing tennis, ping pong, or soccer.
JESSICA CUMBANA
Marketing and Communications manager
Jessica Cumbana is at the beginning of her career in business and marketing. She holds a degree in Business Administration from the Higher Institute of Science and Technology of Mozambique. She’s also an alumna of the Young African Leaders Initiative, having represented Mozambique in the Entrepreneurship and Business Development track in 2021. Jessica is passionate about using the transformative nature of business to create sustainable development and positively impact the world, having participated in and led small social projects with young activists from around the world, covering topics from youth empowerment to women empowerment through STEM. At YARN, she looks forward to continuing to use her management and marketing skills to positively impact knowledge production in Africa.
CARMEN THONG
Co-founding member
Carmen Thong is from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and she is a PhD candidate in English at Stanford University. She is a Knight Hennessy Scholar (2019) and a Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellow (2022). Her research is motivated by the idea that culture, as manifested in literature, is a global public good. Her research moves through the fields of postcolonial studies, book history, digital humanities, and public policy.
MAE MACDONALD
Events and Outreach officer
Mae MacDonald is a Ph.D. Candidate and Knight Hennessy Scholar at Stanford University. Her research focuses on finding solutions for refugees through international organizations, with a regional focus on East Africa. Mae is a Fellow at the Immigration Policy Lab and an Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE) Fellow. Prior to doctoral studies, Mae worked with refugees in Greece and the U.K., and conducted public sector research at YouGov.
LINGYI ZHANG
Events and Outreach officer
Lingyi Zhang, from Yunnan, China, is pursuing a PhD in materials science and engineering at Stanford School of Engineering. She received a bachelor's degree in biological science from Peking University. Lingyi aspires to alleviate diseases and disabilities by linking materials science to biology. She is also committed to offering support for students to explore their interests and achieve their goals.
HANNAH LEE
Mentorship Program officer
Hannah Lee is currently a PhD student in electrical engineering at Stanford University. She previously graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied electrical and computer engineering and did research in stroke and skin cancer diagnostic technologies and brain-computer interfaces. At Stanford, Hannah aspires to use electrical engineering to enhance our current understanding of the brain and to develop interventions to treat those suffering from neurological disorders. She currently investigates the neural dynamics driving social behavior and interactions. Outside of research, Hannah is passionate about providing mentorship to students of all backgrounds, especially those who are traditionally underrepresented.
MEET OUR MENTEES
Our Mentorship Fellows
CHIEDZA BANDA
Chiedza Banda is a 22-year-old law student at the University of Zimbabwe. She is currently a board member for The University of Zimbabwe Legal Writing Society, as well as the organizing secretary for the University of Zimbabwe Moot Society. She was recently elected Students for the Exploration and Development of Space Zimbabwe President and hopes to foster an interdisciplinary approach to the space industry in her country and region. Her life mission is to encourage the growth of an African-based resource network that enables Africa to actively contribute and offer solutions to its own Afro-centric concerns. During her time at YARN, Chiedza's research will focus on Zimbabwean educational policy reform in response to COVID.