Team — BASIS

Our Leadership Team

Vinaya Sivakumar

Co-President

Hey everyone! I'm a junior studying cognitive science and technology policy. My current interests are the intersection of AI and politics. Previously, I've conducted research on AI economic displacement and transparency landscapes. I have a background in social media regulation and advocacy. In my free time, I love going to concerts, traveling, exploring mom-and-pop restaurants, and hanging out with my friends. I have a low bar for people reaching out!

Prakrat Agrawal

Co-President

Hi! I'm a junior studying Math and CS. I'm interested in evals, model organisms, AI forecasting, and fieldbuilding. I'm currently doing the Pivotal Fellowship, where I'm working on evaluating coding agents for sabotage propensities. I spend my free time reading books and blogs, hiking, playing ultimate frisbee, spikeball, and board games!

Katia Bravo

Internal Vice President

I got into AI Safety because I have always been a big proponent of the benefits that ethical technology can have on society, especially when it comes to AI in educational technology. I will be leading events that will Berkeley students of different academic disciplines and background to have a more robust understanding of what AI does and can do within their field. In my free time I enjoy thinking about consciousness, cooking on the fly, and creating an optimal outfit spreadsheet :)

Juri Aljohani

Internal Manager

Hi, I'm Juri, an EECS junior interested in intelligence, robotics, and how systems are controlled. Within safety, I want to make models more transparent and secure as they scale, while also bridging the gap between technical reality and policy. In my free time, I play squash, read, and love trying new places to eat!

Bowen Hu

External Manager

Bowen Hu is a second-year studying Rhetoric and Data Science. He is passionate about the intersection of law, business, and AI policy. He is currently researching cross-border intellectual property disputes at Peking University School of Transnational Law, and previously researched consumer behaviors, negotiations, and decision-making at the Haas School of Business. He enjoys reading, playing guitar, taking photos, and exploring the world.

Hajin J. Kim

Policy Program Co-Lead

Hi! I'm Julia, a junior studying economics and cybersecurity with a background in data justice, EdTech, and new media. Let's talk about art!

Brandon Qi

Technical DeCal Facilitator

Sophomore studying EECS, previously a Second Look Research summer fellow at UChicago XLab, where I replicated Inoculation Prompting.

Ali Emre Narin

Technical DeCal Facilitator

Hey, I'm Ali! I am a first-year international student from Turkey studying EECS. I'm really interested in AI safety research. In my free time, I like to read books, listen to music (140k minutes on Spotify last year), play table-tennis, and go to the gym.

Zayd Aslam

AI Policy Fellowship Director

Zayd Aslam is a Junior at UC Berkeley studying Political Science and Public Policy and a former intern at the Center for AI and Digital Policy. He also does research at the Haas School of Business working with Professor David Evan Harris on AI ethics, AI policy and social media policy. Additionally, he is the co-founder of Myriad Legal Consulting, a non-profit aimed at helping law firms modernize through legal technology. Zayd is also an avid movie and TV show watcher and loves walking his dog on the beach in San Diego.

Victoria Ruan

AI Policy Fellowship Director

Hi! I'm Victoria, a second year studying data science and political economy. I am particularly interested in agentic reliability and how we can harness AI for social good. Outside of BASIS, I enjoy figure skating and learning new languages.

Emily Chang

AI Policy Fellowship Director

Hi I'm Emily and I'm a junior majoring in English. I'm interested in the intersection of AI, law, and storytelling. In my free time, I love going to concerts, making ceramics, and hosting dinner parties. Come talk to me about AI and law, music, or good food around the Bay!

Tzu Kit Chan

Advisor

Tzu is an advisor at BASIS where he helps make important decision with the leadership board. Previously, he did operations at Atlas Fellowship, ML Alignment & Theory Scholars Program, and ran EAGxBerkeley 2022 conference.

tzukitchan.com