Executive Team (2025–2026)

Reke Avikpe serves as President of BESA for the 2025–2026 academic year. Driven by a strong commitment to student advocacy, mentorship, and community-building, Reke aims to strengthen BESA’s programming, expand opportunities for student engagement, and ensure that Biomedical Engineering students feel represented, supported, and connected across all streams of the program.

Outside of academics and leadership, Reke enjoys board games, trying new dishes with friends, and debating strategy over a competitive game night.

Tony Jiao brings a strong interest in logistics, budgeting, and operational planning to his role as Vice President of Finance & Operations. He works closely with the executive team to manage BESA’s finances, support event delivery, and improve amenities and resources available to Biomedical Engineering graduate students.

Fun fact: Tony has approximately 200 grams of titanium in his right arm and has confirmed firsthand that it does not interfere with MRI scans.

Lyba Sheraz oversees BESA’s communications and outreach strategy. Building on her previous leadership experience with the ToBE Conference, she is focused on increasing awareness and engagement across all BESA initiatives through clear, consistent, and creative communication.

In her spare time, Lyba enjoys learning about astronomy and astrophysics and exploring how the universe works.

Nicholas Fok leads the planning and execution of BESA’s academic, professional, and social events. Motivated by a desire to enhance student life, he aims to deliver engaging programming that gives students something to look forward to throughout the academic year.

A memorable lesson from his undergraduate days led Nicholas to permanently give up energy drinks after a caffeine overload during exam season.

Sarah Iskin is passionate about supporting student growth both inside and outside the classroom. As Vice President of Academic & Professional Development, she works to deliver workshops, mentorship opportunities, and skill-building initiatives that support diverse research and career pathways.

Amy Huang serves as Chair of the 2026 Toronto Biomedical Engineering Conference. Inspired by the conference’s impact in connecting students, researchers, and industry professionals, Amy aims to ensure that ToBE reflects the core values of the U of T BME community, including innovation, diversity, and inclusivity.

Outside of engineering, Amy has an academic background in Classics and lists The Odyssey as her favourite book.

Kaiwen Liu support BESA’s academic and professional development initiatives. Kaiwen is focused on expanding professional development programming through workshops and industry partnerships.

Outside of academics, Kaiwen enjoys climbing.

Tasnia Nabil is passionate about helping students explore the full scope of biomedical engineering across research, industry, entrepreneurship, and beyond.

Tasnia fences and designs practical solutions through 3D printing.

Sana Malik supports the planning and execution of BESA events. With a strong enthusiasm for event planning, she is committed to creating welcoming spaces where students can relax, connect, and enjoy their time outside the lab.

Megh Rathod lead BESA’s community outreach initiatives. Megh brings extensive experience in public science outreach and hopes to expand BESA’s engagement beyond traditional science education.

Aden views outreach as an opportunity to strengthen BESA’s presence across the University of Toronto and the broader Toronto community.

Fiona Pepper oversees BESA’s athletics and recreational programming. Drawing on her background in competitive college tennis, she aims to make sports and physical activity more accessible and enjoyable for students of all experience levels, while fostering team spirit and confidence.

Originally from Peru, Fiona previously volunteered at a biological research station in the Amazon rainforest.

Christine Kwon supports BESA’s promotional efforts by helping communicate events and initiatives across platforms. Through her role, she works to strengthen BESA’s visual presence and student engagement.

Dharsan Ravindran represents Clinical Engineering students who are distributed across multiple hospital and research sites. He aims to strengthen community and connection through targeted meetups and shared spaces.

Samantha Rahamatali represents Master of Engineering students, focusing on building community and creating opportunities for both professional networking and social connection.

The University Affairs Representative advocate for Biomedical Engineering students at the university level. Together, they work to ensure students are informed, represented, and empowered in university-facing discussions, with a focus on transparency, access to resources, and student well-being.

The University Affairs Representative advocate for Biomedical Engineering students at the university level. Together, they work to ensure students are informed, represented, and empowered in university-facing discussions, with a focus on transparency, access to resources, and student well-being.

The University Affairs Representative advocate for Biomedical Engineering students at the university level. Together, they work to ensure students are informed, represented, and empowered in university-facing discussions, with a focus on transparency, access to resources, and student well-being.

The University Affairs Representative advocate for Biomedical Engineering students at the university level. Together, they work to ensure students are informed, represented, and empowered in university-facing discussions, with a focus on transparency, access to resources, and student well-being.