Information and Communications Technology Committee

Sen. Serena Ng joined Columbia in 2007 and is the Edwin W. Rickert Professor of Economics. Dr. Ng's research focuses on empirical methods for economic data and she is managing editor of the Journal of Econometrics. She is a fellow of the Econometric Society and the International Association of Applied Econometrics. Dr. Ng has served on the Promotions and Tenure Committee (PTC), the Tenure and Review Advisory Committee (TRAC), the Advisory Committee on Conflict of Interest, the PPC subcommittee on recruitment, and various search committees. She is an affiliated member of the  Department of Statistics.

Nancy LoIacono is a Research Scientist in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. She is an environmental scientist and epidemiologist and has dedicated her career to understanding the effects of exposure to metals (in particular lead and arsenic) on children’s neurocognitive development and the development of adverse health outcomes (cardiovascular and lung disease and diabetes) in adults. She has worked on studies at both the molecular and population levels. She has been involved in several long-term prospective studies that have focused on identifying the adverse effects of exposure to metals, evaluating the effectiveness and safety of various interventions, and formulating strategies to reduce or eliminate these exposures and/or to mitigate their effects.

Sen. Ko-Chia Tsai is a master’s student in the Applied Analytics program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Information Systems from Oregon State University and brings over five years of professional experience in the technology sector, working in roles such as IT Test Analyst and Application Developer. Her academic focus includes data-driven decision-making, organizational analytics, and the intersection of technology and community impact. Alongside her studies and professional background, Ko-Chia has been actively involved in student initiatives and service-oriented programs supporting youth and community development, consistently demonstrating a commitment to collaborative leadership and inclusive engagement. In her role as a University Senator, Ko-Chia works to strengthen interdisciplinary dialogue, improve communication between students and university leadership, and ensure that student perspectives are represented in institutional discussions. She is committed to promoting transparency, equitable access to resources, and connections across Columbia’s campuses, with a focus on fostering a more engaged and inclusive student experience.

Sen. Julia Hirschberg is Percy K. and Vida L. W. Hudson Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University (department chair from 2012-2018).  She previously worked at Bell Laboratories and AT&T Labs on text-to-speech synthesis (TTS) and then created their first HCI Research Department.   She has served on the ACL executive board, the ISCA board (2005-7 as president), the CRA-WP board, the NAACL executive board, the CRA Executive Board, the AAAI Council, and the IEEE SLTC as well as numerous awards committees.  She was editor of Computational Linguistics and Speech Communication and is a fellow of AAAI, ISCA, ACL, ACM, and IEEE, and a member of the NAE, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the National Academy of Artificial Intelligence.  She received the IEEE James L. Flanagan Speech and Audio Processing Award, the ISCA Medal for Scientific Achievement, the ISCA Special Service Medal and the ACL Dragomir Radev Distinguished Service Medal. She studies speech and NLP:  TTS; false information on social media and its intent, multimodal humor; radicalization in online videos and social media; charismatic speech; entrainment, emotion and empathy production and recognition in conversation; deceptive, trusted and mistrusted speech; and code-switching in text and speech.

Sen. David Kessler is a Professor of Pediatrics and Vice Chair of Innovation & Strategic Initiatives in Columbia’s Department of Emergency Medicine. In this role, he works across teams to develop novel programs and lead strategic initiatives to solve complex healthcare challenges. After graduating from Princeton University and Mount Sinai School of Medicine’s global health track in Pediatrics, he completed Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship, and Emergency Ultrasound training at Bellevue Hospital, along with a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation from NYU. Dr. Kessler is co-founder of INSPIRE (International Network for Simulation-based Pediatric Innovation, Research, and Education), fostering a global community of investigators dedicated to collaboration, mentorship, and advancing simulation scholarship. His career focuses on improving patient outcomes through innovative technology, with extensive experience in clinical research, grant-funded projects, and international leadership in Simulation and Emergency Ultrasound. He has a long track record of collaboration across the Columbia School of Engineering and Data Science Institute with current research exploring artificial intelligence for automated ultrasound interpretation, virtual and augmented reality for clinical skills training, and simulation-based professionalism education using natural language processing for performance assessment.

Sen. Dafne Sarfati is a senior at the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, studying industrial engineering with minors in computer science and entrepreneurship and innovation. Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, she is passionate about utilizing technology, data analytics, and entrepreneurship to drive social innovation, sustainability, and educational equity. 

Dafne has served on the Engineering Student Council for two years as the International Student Representative, where she advocated for policies and initiatives that support the academic, career, and campus life of international students. She is currently the Co-President of the Columbia Turkish Students Association and the Treasurer for the Columbia Organization of Rising Entrepreneurs (CORE), where she manages club finances and leads weekly workshops on entrepreneurship and product management. She is also involved with Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, serving on the Engineering and Global Recruitment Committees. 

Dafne has worked on projects such as developing a community-led well-being index in New York City, and creating a digital course advising system for Columbia’s Industrial Engineering and Operations Research Department. Through the University Senate, Dafne hopes to advocate for international students, promote transparency, and strengthen communication between SEAS undergraduates, the University Senate, and the wider Columbia community.

Dr. Christine O’Hea is an assistant professor in the Department of Orthodontics at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. She has been with the College of Dental medicine for 5 years. She earned her DMD at the University of Pennsylvania in 1996 and her certificate in Orthodontics/Masters in Dental Science from the University of Connecticut in 1999. Dr. O'Hea is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and has served on the Admissions Committee, Committee on Instruction and Progress Review Committees during her time at CDM.