The five judges below will choose the 1st, 2nd, and 3nd place awardees from among the finalists at the live Grad Slam event on April 7, 2026. A separate set of screening judges reviewed initial video entries and selected the finalists.
Dan Bernal is UCSF's vice chancellor for Community and Government Relations. In this role, he builds relationships between UCSF and local, state, and federal entities on issues affecting higher education, research, and health care. Before joining UCSF, Bernal served as chief of staff in Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco district office, working to help constituents access federal benefits and ensure federal funding and resources for San Francisco. From 2017 to 2023, Bernal served as President of the San Francisco Health Commission which oversaw one of the nation’s most effective and inclusive responses to COVID-19. His work on the Commission included advancing the Getting to Zero initiative to reduce HIV deaths, infections, and stigma, and addressing persistent health disparities among vulnerable populations in San Francisco.
Atreya Dey, PhD is a postdoctoral scholar in the UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, where he is mentored by Andrej Sali, PhD, and Ignacia Echeverria Riesco, PhD. Atreya obtained his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin working in the Thirumalai group, where he used statistical physics-based modeling and molecular dynamics to study molecular motor condensin. At UCSF his research focuses on interpreting deep mutational scanning data from a structural view point. He claimed top prize in the 2025 UCSF Postdoc Slam for his talk “The Theory of a Hundred Thousand Grandmas.” He earned his doctoral degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
Moira Gunn, PhD, is a professor at the University of San Francisco, where she teaches classes on the legal, ethical and social implications of biotech, as well as educating on information system design and analysis. She is a former NASA scientist, engineer and software programmer, and is internationally recognized for her work with global biotechnology business and emerging global information systems. Gunn is also the host of Tech Nation — with its regular segment BioTech Nation — a weekly public radio program featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders. Dr. Gunn frequently works with and speaks to biotech professionals on how to make their language "mainstream ready." She earned a BS from University of San Francisco, and both an MS in Computer Science and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University.
Aenor Sawyer, MD, MS, is executive director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in UCSF Innovation Ventures, and an associate professor in the UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Sawyer’s frontline innovation work is informed by her research and clinical care. Her research publications span fields of health innovation, osteoporosis, sports medicine, remote monitoring, computational health, and Space Medicine. She combines her experience as an Orthopaedic Surgeon, Physical Therapist, and Exercise Physiologist in her current clinical care of Skeletal Health patients. She completed her MD/MS at UC Davis, Orthopaedic Surgery Residency at Stanford, and Fellowships in Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at Harvard Orthopaedic Surgery/Boston Children’s Hospital.
Shannon Smith-Bernardin, PhD ʼ16, RN, CNL is associate professor and nurse scientist with UCSF School of Nursing (Social & Behavioral Sciences). Shannon has worked in homeless health care since 2006, with expertise in sobering centers for the care of acutely intoxicated adults, alcohol harm reduction, managed alcohol programs, medical respite/recuperative care, and street-based homeless engagement teams. Shannon has expertise in health services research, program development, and policy efforts. She is a nurse scientist at UCSF School of Nursing and Co-Founder & Immediate Past President of the National Sobering Collaborative, 501(c)3 nonprofit. Shannon is a graduate of UCSF's Nursing PhD program, and was the 2016 UCSF Grad Slam champ.