Desvaun Drummond is a PhD student in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences program at the University of California, Berkeley, with research interests in computer architecture and hardware design. Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering at Howard University in May 2023. While at Howard, he developed a passion for semiconductor hardware technology through research internships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba, Japan. Beyond research, Desvaun is passionate about leadership and student advocacy. He currently serves as president of the Black Graduate Engineering and Science Students and as a Diversity and Community Fellow in the Graduate Division’s Office of Graduate Diversity.
Explorer Categories: EECS
Dean Belhoucine
Hi, my name is Dean Belhoucine, and I was born and raised in Burlingame, California. I am currently an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, where I study computer science with a focus in computational biology and bioinformatics. I currently conduct research as an assistant in the Wolf Lab working on high throughput genome assembly and analysis of Bacteroides strains.
Alongside my academics, I have a strong interest in both technology and community work. I’ve spent my summers working as a software engineer at Walmart Global Tech, and I volunteer at the Berkeley Basic Needs Center during the school year. Some of my favorite activities are playing pick up soccer with friends and reading about history.
Chandrahaas Vadali
Chandrahaas is a PhD student in the EECS department at Berkeley advised by Prof. Mekhail Anwar. He is interested in developing application specific ICs (ASICs) for emerging cancer therapies such as Radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT). In particular, he is interested in developing wearable, miniature gamma dosimeters and spectroscopes that can be used to provide continuous time measurements which can complement single time point measurement techniques such SPECT and CT scans to provide shorter turnaround times for adjusting the course of the treatment. He joined H2H8 in 2025 to connect to a broader cohort of grad students and understand their perspectives on current challenges affecting humanity. Before Berkeley, he worked at Intel, Hillsboro, for 3 years where he worked on the device-level performance of the Intel 14A Gate-All-Around transistor. In his free time, he likes to run, bike, and backpack.
Mutsuhito Nakamoto
Hi, I’m Mitsuhiko Nakamoto. I’m a fourth-year CS Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley, working with Professor Sergey Levine. I’m interested in building intelligent robots that can handle a wide range of real-world tasks and integrate them into everyday human life. To this end, my research mainly focuses on data-driven robot learning, including offline RL, online RL fine-tuning, and imitation learning. Before coming to Berkeley, I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of Tokyo. Outside of research, I enjoy playing and watching sports, especially soccer.
Nagesh Patle
Nagesh Patle is a PhD student in EECS at UC Berkeley, advised by Professor Robert Pilawa-Podgurski. His research focuses on ultra-efficient, ultra-dense hybrid switched-capacitor power converters for data center and automotive systems to ease the power delivery limits that constrain modern AI and advanced computing. Raised in Madhya Pradesh, India, he spent after-school hours watching Backyard Science, a kids’ science program that turned household items into simple experiments, and tinkering with his brother, building self-propelled boats and paper rockets, and taking apart RC trucks to see how they worked. That hands-on curiosity led him to IIT Kharagpur to study electronics. There, he joined a student-run tech entrepreneurship group, where he helped design the battery management system for Deshla, a campus-built lithium-ion electric three-wheeler prototype created to encourage EV adoption and reduce emissions in India. At Berkeley, he works from system needs down to circuit fundamentals to create compact, reliable circuits for applications ranging from consumer PMICs to server power delivery. He has industry experience at Qualcomm, NVIDIA, and Apple, contributing to projects across electrical engineering, and his recent work centers on power delivery. Away from the lab, he enjoys hiking, ping-pong, intramural soccer, and a quick game of chess.
Tanveer Ahmed Siddique
Tanveer Ahmed Siddique is a PhD student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) at UC Berkeley, specializing in nanophotonic sensing and optoelectronic devices. His work focuses on developing novel lasing devices and optical metasurface sensors to advance biosensing technologies, enabling applications in early disease detection, pharmaceutical development and precision medicine. Originally from Bangladesh, Tanveer combines research excellence with a passion for entrepreneurship and leadership, aiming to translate cutting-edge science into impactful real world solutions. He has been serving as General Secretary of the Bangladeshi Students and Scholars at Berkeley, organizing cultural and networking events that bring together diverse communities. Beyond his academic work, Tanveer is passionate about exploring food, culture, and the outdoors. He enjoys cooking traditional Bangladeshi dishes from scratch, playing football, listening to music and seeking out scenic spots to watch the sunrise and sunset.
Nicole Han
Nicole is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, pursuing a double degree in Computer Science and Data Science. She is passionate about leveraging machine learning to enhance human quality of life, particularly in intelligent traffic systems and autonomous driving. Under the mentorship of professor Alexandre Bayen, her current research centers on developing models to simulate diverse vehicle scenarios, with the goal of enhancing both energy efficiency and road safety. Recognizing the critical challenge posed by the scarcity of high-quality data, she hopes to adapt this data to complex global traffic systems, ultimately, reducing emissions and fuel consumption to advance sustainable and equitable transportation on a broad scale.
Tahmid Mahbub
ahmid Mahbub was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he experienced scorching summers with frequent power outages. At 16, he built a rudimentary working power inverter for his home using the limited components he could find, igniting his passion for power electronics. He went on to complete his undergraduate studies in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell University, followed by six years at Apple designing high-performance safety-critical computing hardware. His current research in Professor Robert Pilawa’s group at UC Berkeley addresses practical challenges in power electronics to help accelerate the adoption of renewable energy and electric transportation, and to reduce power consumption in data centers. Tahmid aims to utilize his practical industry experience within a leading power electronics research group to solve practical research problems and enable novel applications of power electronics. Outside academics, Tahmid is an avid fan of soccer, cricket, and exploring the diverse food scene in the Bay Area.
Leyla Kabuli
I am a PhD student in the Computational Imaging Lab in the EECS department at UC Berkeley, advised by Professor Laura Waller. I received a BS in EECS and a BA in Music from UC Berkeley, where my undergraduate research advisor was Professor Steve Conolly. My research lies at the intersection of information theory, machine learning, and optics, with a focus on designing imaging systems that maximize information capture. I organize events for the optics and imaging communities through UC Berkeley Photobears, and enjoy playing piano, climbing, cycling, hiking, and skiing.
Nthila Poongovan
Hi! I’m Nithila Poongovan, a senior studying Electrical Engineering & Computer Science + Business Administration. My interests lie at the intersection of embedded systems and applied machine learning. I’ve explored embedded systems as a Software Engineering Intern at SpaceX this summer, working on low-level firmware for the Starlink gateways, and as a member of the electrical engineering team on Berkeley Formula Racing. On the machine learning side, I’ve been working in Ana Arias’ lab for the last three years, developing neural networks to account for data interference in the lab’s biodegradable agricultural sensors.