President

Hi! My name is Jasmine Emtage (she/her) and I’m a G5 in Biology in the Prober lab, where I use a zebrafish model system to study the genetic and molecular mechanisms that regulate sleep. Lately, I’ve been spending my free time swimming, baking, and trying to hit as many LA concert venues as I can. I’ve been organizing with our union for over two years, since we first dropped authorization cards in 2023, and have been so excited to see how much it’s grown in that time. I know that together, through the power of collective action, we can continue to improve working conditions for grads and postdocs at Caltech that will long outlast our time at Caltech.

Vice President

I’m Rohan, a G3 in physics. My research involves looking for dark matter in a cryogenic earth-based detector. My passions include history, philosophy, religion, and anything else that can help us make sense of the world around us. I enjoy going out, dancing, cooking and playing basketball.

Our union is one of the strongest in American higher education, and our first contract proves it. Grads and postdocs at Caltech have fought for unprecedented free speech protections at a time when freedom of expression is being throttled on US campuses. Our contract enshrines protections for international scholars, and has the strongest anti-discrimination protections of any contract. Our rights are under attack from all sides. Together, we can ensure grads and postdocs in the future come into a better Caltech.

Recording Secretary

I organize because I believe that science thrives when workers are treated with dignity and are supported in meeting their basic needs. As a graduate student worker in Biology, I am interested in understanding how our gut and its resident microbes may influence how we perceive and behave towards stressful conditions. When not trying to engage you in our next organizing effort, I can be found knitting (and other crafty endeavors), rock climbing, and/or cafe and restaurant hopping in LA.

Guide

Hi! I’m Harshda, a G2->G3 in Astrophysics, PMA. I do galaxy cluster cosmology, which basically utilizes multi-wavelength data in radio, mm, optical and X-ray to constrain shapes, masses and scaling relations of galaxy clusters, which enables us to make more precise measurements of things like how much matter there is in our universe. Outside of research, I love doing anything outdoors, hiking, camping, scuba diving, surfing etc and some things indoors like reading (talk to me about historical fiction and non-fiction focused on history and politics!), dancing and volunteering. I started organizing right in my first year, and the overwhelming support and determination from the members of our union to fight for a better campus, working conditions and protections for international students really cemented my decision to run for the EB!

Trustee

Hi, I’m David Abramovitch (he/him), a G5 in applied physics. By day I use computers to study materials, particularly how physical properties arise from the interactions of electrons with lattice vibrations and with other electrons. In my free time, I like to read books falling on the magical realism – fantastical slop axis, walk and run around cities, and semi-frequently hit the gym. After two years of organizing to establish our union and win industry leading workplace rights, I’m excited to serve as a trustee in our union, UAW 2478. As a trustee, I will help ensure our resources are well used to build a strong local union, enforce our rights, and improve the experience for Caltech graduate student workers and postdocs.

Trustee

Hi! I’m Ruth (she/her), a 6th year international ESE/GPS graduate student in physical oceanography, researching the role of ocean currents in Antarctic ice shelf melting. I’ve gained a lot of community and purpose through my involvement in our union movement from card dropping through contract negotiations to now, and I’ll be deepening my service in this next era as a Trustee and e-board member. I’m immensely proud of us as a campus for coming together and putting in the work necessary to get our first contract ratified. Now that our first major win is behind us, I want to help ensure we build a functional and resilient support system for 2478 workers.

Head Postdoc Steward

My name is Sam, I am a postdoc in the PMA department and I use he/him pronouns. I work remotely from Michigan and enjoy the lakes and rivers and other nature near me.

Head Grad Steward

Hi! I’m George (they/them), a 2nd year graduate student worker in PMA working on theoretical high energy physics. I organize because I believe in the ability of collective action to give workers a voice and control over our own workplaces, and the power to produce meaningful improvements and labor protections for workers on campus. In my free time I enjoy playing piano, frisbee, reading (I particularly enjoy mystery books), and playing Elden Ring and other video games.