Our Team

Leelila’s passion lies in helping students author their own personal stories by helping them pursue interests that are both unique and layered. Some of Leelila’s favorite success stories include a girl who used heavy metal music to inspire her Chinese calligraphy and gain admission to both Harvard and Stanford; a boy who became a straight-A student after nearly failing out of school to then be accepted to several Ivies; and a girl who, without a single extracurricular activity, persuaded an admissions committee that, despite her extreme introversion, she had much to offer its Ivy League community.

Leelila works with students around the world. Having lived in Europe and Asia, Leelila uses her international background and knowledge of various educational programs (e.g., AP, IB, GCSE) to help families prepare for and navigate their educational path.

Leelila earned her Bachelor of Science degree from MIT and, with dual interests in the humanities and sciences, draws from her experiences as a journalist, filmmaker, published author, and magazine editor to help motivate students to succeed no matter what their personal interests may be.

Ernie’s favorite thing to do is to help students find unique ways to explore their interests, such as performing standup comedy, launching an award-winning literary magazine, patenting an invention, and conducting a humanitarian trip to North Korea. His own personal interests include teaching Krav Maga, reading David Foster Wallace’s non-fiction, learning how to smoke brisket from Aaron Franklin, and fantasizing about breaking 80 on the golf course.

Having earned degrees at MIT and Harvard Business School, Ernie found that he especially loved his classes in entrepreneurship and creativity. He’s been awarded five patents and has led companies in the education and technology sectors.

Christopher is a graduate of Princeton and Yale. He has experience teaching math, science, English, history, writing, and test prep, mostly to high-school and college students. In addition, he has worked with students in a number of specialized subjects, including logic, classical geography, speleology, art history, film studies, comparative government, ethical reasoning, product development, social entrepreneurship, and parasitology. His multifaceted education, which included writing both undergraduate and graduate theses, has fostered in him a love of learning that he tries to pass along to his students.

Min-Sub received his undergraduate degree in 2017 from UCLA in Microbiology and Immunology, with a specialty in Economics & Finances. He pursued a Ph.D. in the Bensinger lab during the summer of 2019. His thesis project is focused on understanding the regulation and remodeling of lipid homeostasis in innate immune cells and how this alters their fate and function. He is also studying if lipid metabolic reprogramming can be exploited to protect tissues and cells from bacterial toxins that target plasma membrane lipids as a novel approach to decrease the severe tissue damage observed in necrotizing soft tissue infections. After his Ph.D., he is currently seeking a career transition into equity research/investment banking with a focus on biotechnology and healthcare. His Ph.D. training has allowed him to cultivate strong analytical skills, attention to details, critical thinking, and effective communication skills that are necessary to succeed in evaluating investment opportunities and providing valuable insights to support investment decision-making processes."

Gabrielle has a long history of conducting, guiding, and publishing scientific research projects. She began conducting scientific research in high school, where she won first place in the New Jersey Academy of Science competition and the North Jersey Regional Science Fair. As an undergraduate at Yale, she contributed to a scientific publication about viral gene regulation. As a graduate student at Rockefeller University Gabrielle published research in molecular neuroscience and RNA binding proteins and mentored a high school student for a summer research project. As a lead teacher at the American Museum of Natural History, Gabrielle created a curriculum to help high school students develop research skills for a year of mentored research. Gabrielle has expertise in molecular biology, bioinformatics, and computer modeling, and can help students find relevant academic articles, evaluate their results, and submit findings to competitions, science fairs, and other public forums. She is happy to support enthusiastic young scientists and engineers in following their own passions while providing helpful resources and advice for sharing their findings with the world.

Forrest has worked in education as a high school English teacher and tutor for 9 years, and loves working with students to develop the tools to take ownership of their own thinking and write with clarity and intention. He has a Master's degree in English from the Bread Loaf School of English, a Master's of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his Bachelor's Degree in English and Cognitive Science from the University of Virginia, where he was a Jefferson Scholar, the captain of the rowing team, and a member of the glee club. He is thrilled to be working with AtomicMind students as they pursue ambitious writing and research projects.

Hannah Brooks-Wiethorn is a longtime educator with an enthusiasm for promoting student research. Her academic journey began at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she majored in Biology and Secondary Education. After several years in the high school classroom, she pursued a Master of Education in Middle and Secondary Instruction with a concentration in Science Education. During her graduate program, she completed an action research project focused on the role of collaboration in the classroom. This study sparked her interest in pursuing research through another graduate program in STEM education at the University of Texas at Austin. Throughout her career, Hannah has demonstrated a strong commitment to research alongside her teaching endeavors.  She has taught in a variety of school settings, including public, charter, and private programs. In each placement, she has demonstrated leadership and mentorship, building meaningful learning experiences for students. Her instruction aims to integrate inquiry, engineering, and technology, as students consider solutions to real-world problems. Her experience includes teaching AP Research, and mentoring students through a signature research experience in junior year Biology. Hannah has engaged in research projects focused on science practices in the classroom, including argumentmentation, engineering identity, and shifts in pedagogical frameworks. As a member of the STEM Education program at UT Austin, she participated in data collection, analysis, and interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data sets, leading to publications and presentations at national and regional conferences. Additionally, she collaborated with the UTEACH program to engage in research related to maker philosophies and their role in teacher preparation programs. Hannah's passion is bridging the gap between academic research and practice in education. Her multidimensional approach, combining teaching excellence, research, and curriculum development exemplifies her dedication to advancing educational outcomes and promoting innovation in STEM education.