Dr. Mandy Bratton serves as the Executive Director of the UC San Diego Center for Global Sustainable Development. The Center is home to the award-winning Global Ties program and the National Academy of Engineering's (NAE) Global Changemaker Scholars Program. These programs inspire students to collaborate with communities to co-create innovative solutions to urgent problems, such as those represented by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the NAE Grand Challenges. Mandy also serves as a Founding Director of the UC San Diego Changemaker Institute. She is an Ashoka U Change Leader and was instrumental in making UC San Diego an Ashoka U Changemaker Campus – one of only 45 worldwide. She served as the Principal Investigator for SISTERS, a National Science Foundation-funded project to design and study the impact of an after-school STEAM program for 5th and 6th-grade girls facilitated by undergraduate mentors majoring in STEM. Before coming to UC San Diego, Mandy earned a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and served as a senior faculty member in Psychology and Human Development and Interim Associate Dean at Prescott College for the Liberal Arts, the Environment, and Social Justice. She also earned a Public Leadership Credential from the JFK School of Government at Harvard University. Mandy has sailed around the world three times with the Semester at Sea Global Studies Program and serves as president emeritus of its alumni association and as an ex officiomember of its Board of Trustees. She holds an academic appointment as a Continuing Lecturer. Her primary interests as a scholar, teacher, practitioner, and global citizen include sustainable development, gender, leadership, ethics, and advancing social and environmental justice.
Dr. Anh-Thu Ngo is a Lecturer with Global TIES. She became involved with service learning as a college student through Princeton’s Community-Based Learning Initiative. She studied Anthropology, which has been a natural conduit for direct community-based research and learning. After college, she participated in a six-week, hands-on irrigation project with Engineers Without Borders in rural Arsi Negele in southeastern Ethiopia. She then earned her Ph.D. at Harvard in Social Anthropology, where she conducted field research as a Fulbright grantee in Vietnam. As a doctoral student, she was a teaching assistant for Dr. Paul Farmer’s popular undergraduate course on Global Health and later developed her own at The College of New Jersey. She has worked with a variety of education nonprofits and has sustained engagement with the public interest sector. Anh-Thu recently re-settled to California from the New York metro area, by way of Austin, Texas.
Rodrigo is a second-year Master’s of Public Policy student focusing on environmental policy. He is currently serving as a TA for the Global Changemaker Scholars Program, where he is excited to help students explore their interests in sustainable development through their own projects, research, and events. Before coming to UCSD, he worked as a Civil Engineer and gained 9+ years of experience in the water sector in Latin America. He led initiatives that combined social innovation, engineering, and technology to address the challenges of climate change in water availability and communities' adaptation capacity. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family outdoors!
Shelah Ott
Shelah is a second-year Master of Public Policy student specializing in Environmental Policy. She is currently a TA for ENG 100L on the K-12 project and is excited to support students in developing a STEAM curriculum tailored to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Shelah received her B.A. in Sustainability from San Diego State University and has work experience in climate policy analysis and clean energy program management at the local, state, and federal levels. Outside of school, you can find her cooking, hanging with her loved ones (including her cat, Cleo), or going for a run.
Ahmad Shaikh
Ahmad is a Bioengineering graduate student. He is a mechanical engineer who aims to specialize in cardiovascular biomechanics and medical devices. Ahmad believes that creating avenues and support systems for change is the key to a better tomorrow. With this goal, he joined the Center as a TA, working to support those who bring about change. In his free time, Ahmad enjoys hikes, soccer, and a good challenge.
Shruti is a final-year computer engineering student with a strong passion for working at the intersection of AI and healthcare. Over the past two years, she has been actively involved in the Global Ties programs—initially as a student and later as a tutor. These experiences have significantly shaped her academic journey and deepened her commitment to developing real-world solutions. Shruti is deeply motivated to contribute to meaningful change and is excited about the opportunities that lie ahead as she works toward making a positive impact in the world.
Sophia Fang
Sophia is a junior majoring in Data Science and double minoring in Design and Marketing. She previously served as a Product Designer for the Global TIES Schoolhouse Ghana project. She is a 2024-25 Strauss Foundation Scholar.
Samira Feili
Samira Feili is a senior majoring in Bioengineering with a focus on Biotechnology. She is also pursuing a minor in Design at Sixth College. She has a keen interest in designing bioengineering and biotechnology research. After graduating from UCSD, Samira plans to further her education by enrolling in a graduate research program in Bioengineering. She aims to apply the engineering skills she has developed throughout her studies to projects that address significant humanitarian issues around the world.
Xiaohan Li
Xiaohan Li is a third-year student majoring in Cognitive Science and minoring in English Literature. She is interested in working on projects at the intersection of the arts and sciences. ENG 100D introduced her to Global TIES and the Center. In her free time, Xiaohan enjoys reading, rock climbing, listening to music, and exploring with her friends.
