University Writing Center

Robert is a PhD candidate in the History Department and one of the two graduate assistant directors of the Writing Center. He is also a former UWS instructor and has been with the Writing Center since 2018. He studies imperial and colonial history, focusing on the modern British Empire and the Caribbean. His dissertation-in-progress focuses on 19th-century systems of Asian indentured labor throughout the British Empire. He holds a BA in international relations from Harvard University's Extension School and an MA in history from Brandeis.

Yi is a sixth-year PhD student in the English Department and one of two graduate assistant directors of the Writing Center. She researches early American literature and media theory. For her dissertation she writes about the Puritans and angels (as it is a nontraditional dissertation it includes both critical essays and a public-facing online course). She has taught the UWS course "The Cosmos," a literature course on early New England, and is involved with the Brandeis Graduate Outdoors Club and the Grad Christian Fellowship. A writer-in-development herself, she enjoys meeting different members of the Brandeis community and helping them in their writing journey!

Ben is a second-year master’s student at GSAS pursuing his MA in Classical and Early Mediterranean Studies. His thesis research focuses on classical reception and historicity in Shakespeare’s Roman history plays. While he is originally from upstate New York, Ben received his BA in History, with a minor in Writing and Rhetoric, from College of the Ozarks, where he also worked as a writing consultant for three and a half years. He has worked with students in a variety of different subjects—from UWS to medical practicums. Ben also loves working with fiction and poetry and considers himself both a creative writer and an amateur astronomer.

Manning is a doctoral student in the joint PhD program in the Department of Sociology and Heller School. Her research interests include cultural sociology, medical sociology, food studies, doctor-patient communication, primary care and network analysis. She is a native Mandarin speaker and can read French. While her mentoring strength is helping students build up research skills (such as brainstorming ideas, critical writing, searching for information, etc.) in social sciences, Manning is welcoming everyone who are struggling with writing and seeking for improvements.

Chelsea is a second-year Philosophy Master’s student at Brandeis University. She did her Bachelor's in Business and Cognitive Science at Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea. She is currently a course assistant for a philosophy course named “Philosophy and Ethics of Technology.” Her main research area is technology ethics and philosophy of social science. She loves to engage in analytical writing and interact with students. Outside of her academic study, she loves walking, traveling, meeting people, and experiencing new cultures.

Danielle is an incoming sociology PhD student interested in environmental justice and global food systems. She has a BA in economics from Smith College and a MA in gastronomy from Boston University. She's also ESOL-certified and has experience teaching English in classrooms of refugees in rural Maine and Roma secondary school students in Bulgaria. She is passionate about demystifying academic research and writing.

Danny is a second-year PhD student in musicology, having previously earned a master's degree in music theory at Indiana University and a BA in music with a concentration in multilingual and translation studies from the University of Indianapolis. He was also an instructor of music theory during his graduate studies at Indiana University and served as a copy editor for the university's student-run music theory journal, "Indiana Theory Review."

Iana is a first year PhD student in the Department of English. Their research focuses on contemporary literature and film with an emphasis in literary theory. Iana earned their BA at Tufts University where they studied French literature and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies.

Iris Zhou is a first-year PhD student at the Department of Anthropology. She is a digital ethnographer interested in popular culture and the formation of online communities from the lenses of economic anthropology and linguistic anthropology. Iris holds a BA with a double major in anthropology and comparative literature from the University of Rochester. Her undergraduate honors thesis of anthropology, What Do You Mean by "Love": Intimacy, Commodification, and Community among Chinese K-pop Fans, won the 2023 undergraduate Marleigh Grayer Ryan College student writing prize, hosted by The New York Conference on Asian Studies. As an English-language-learner writer, Iris looks forward to sharing her experiences in research and academic writing with more writers seeking improvements.

Jade is a first-year student in the Master of Science in Computational Linguistics program. She holds a BA in International Studies and Spanish from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and an AAS in Data Science and Programming Support Services from Wake Technical Community College. She has been working as a tutor since 2017 and has worked with many students of various backgrounds. She is passionate about learning languages and traveling and is excited to work with students in the Brandeis community!

Jillian Maynard is a first-year master’s student studying Sustainable International Development at the Heller School of Social Policy & Management. Jillian is from Youngstown, Ohio and holds a bachelor’s degree in Professional & Technical Writing from Youngstown State University. While she may enjoy crafting technical documents such as white papers, instruction manuals, and reports & proposals (and LOVES helping other people work on their own technical documents), she is a cross-genre writer and has had her essays and poetry published in the Adirondack Review, YO Magazine, and more. She is happy to help with essays, resumes & cover letters, reports & proposals, personal narratives, memorandums, letters, dissertations, and more!

Joe is a third-year doctoral student in the History Department. His research analyzes Jews' relationship to slavery in North America, but he welcomes papers of all types and on any topic. As a writer, he has experience working on projects intended for academic and popular audiences. Before he came to Brandeis, Joe received a B.A. in history and Spanish from Haverford College.

Kim is a dual master's student at Heller (conflict resolution and coexistence/global health policy and management). She is interested in the role of civil society in disrupting conflict, truth and reconciliation commissions in rebuilding efforts and nonviolent revolution. When she isn't working, Kim can be found camping, exploring and hanging out with her two cats. Before joining Brandeis, Kim worked in a range of communications roles for nonprofits in Washington, D.C. She holds a BA in international studies from American University and a Graduate Certificate in genocide and Holocaust studies from Seton Hill University.

Kwame is a PhD Candidate in the Sociology Department. He did his bachelor's in Anthropology and African Studies at Macalester College, a master’s in International Education and Training at American University, and education specialist degree at Worcester State University. Professionally, he is an international educator and has lived in seven countries, working as a teacher, advisor, student affairs practitioner, and consultant. He studies education, migration and sexuality, particularly in the Caribbean. Kwame is open minded, positive and jovial. In his free time, he likes to travel, dance, meet new people, and listen to music.

Leon is a first-year PhD student in the English Department. He has a BA from Vassar College and a MA from Fordham University, both in English literature. His research interests are closely associated with British romanticism and love poetry, so he is especially familiar with close readings and literary critiques. He is a native Mandarin speaker and has spent a considerable amount of time studying multiple languages, including Latin, Italian and Old English, during his time as an undergrad. Before coming to Brandeis, he was an online writing tutor for three years, helping college freshmen and high school students from non-English speaking countries with all kinds of issues in academic writing. He is currently also a tutor at Brandeis's English Language Program.

Reza is a PhD candidate in the English department at Brandeis. He studies early modern poetry and drama; his dissertation is on the Renaissance poet John Milton. He is also interested in philosophy and film studies. He received his BA in English from the University of California, Davis.

Sahid is a second-year English PhD student at Brandeis. He has a B.A. from Calcutta University and an M.A. from Jadavpur University, both in English. He studies the politics of religious pluralism and secularity among minorities in South Asia. He specifically looks into the issues of epistemic injustice, religion, caste, and gender violence through 20th- and 21st-century literature, film, and photography. Before coming to Brandeis, Sahid worked as writer, translator, and analyst at various firms. He loves to help students refine their writing as a consultant!

Sarina is a first-year masters student in the English Department. Her work focuses primarily on Romanticism, and she is particularly interested in the interactions between poetics and politics of reform in the work of P.B. Shelley. She is also interested in Music and Literature as an interdisciplinary field, and she participates in the Brandeis Music Department. She earned her BA in Written Arts and her BM in Violin Performance from Bard College Conservatory. She is very excited to connect with the wider Brandeis community through working in the Writing Center.

Seif is a Ph.D. student in the Neuroscience program at Brandeis. He is primarily interested in brain plasticity, learning, and memory with a few research experiences at the University of Florida, Rockefeller University, and University of Copenhagen. He also worked for 3 years a writing tutor at the Sewanee Writing Center at his undergrad institution. During his free time, Seif likes kayaking, fencing, and movies. 

Shaily is a first year Masters of Science in Finance Student at Brandeis. She did her Bachelors in Commerce from Mumbai University, India. She is passionate and experienced in creative and professional writing.These soft skills polished with time due to her immense experience with public speaking, writing articles, research papers, speeches, essays, corporate reports, creative writing and studying English Literature. She enjoys writing poems in her free time. She enjoys reading all genres. She also has experience in teaching on various subjects. Before coming to Brandeis, she worked as a Finance Intern.

Sreemoyee is a first year English P.hD. student, and is interested in postcolonial poetry, elegies, children’s literature, and the significance of material culture in literary texts. She is motivated by questions about the way words loiter on the page through the line breaks in poems and the overall shapes of these poems. A question that fascinates her is: How do poems hold quietness, flow and reverie? She has a B.A. in English and Creative Writing from Ashoka University (India) and a Master’s in Children’s Literature from Trinity College Dublin. Before coming to Brandeis, she used to work as a Communication Center Fellow at an undergraduate engineering college in India where she curated and taught close-reading and creative writing workshops. In her free time, she enjoys making pots and writing poems in them. She looks forward to working with students at the Writing Center!

Van is a doctoral candidate in the Anthropology Department with a focus in anthropological archaeology. His research investigates the political and social frontiers between ancient kingdoms where rural communities influenced and resisted regional powers. He holds a BA in classical history from Ithaca College and an MA in anthropological archaeology from Northern Arizona University. His research has spanned the American Southwest, Belize, Mexico and Guatemala, where he conducts archaeological surveys and excavations aided by GIS and Lidar. Van is an active member of the research community with several co-authored publications, conference presentations and awarded research grants. He enjoys the outdoors where he occupies himself with hiking, fishing, camping, cycling and skiing.