Lawrence Fung, M.D., Ph.D. is the Director of the Stanford Neurodiversity Project and Organizer of SNP-REACH. Dr. Fung specializes in the phenomenology, neurobiology and novel interventions of autism spectrum condition.  Dr. Fung is the editor of "Neurodiversity: From Phenomenology to Neurobiology and Enhancing Technologies" with American Psychiatric Association Publishing. He serves as Director of the Neurodiversity Clinic, and Assistant Professor (University Medical Line) in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. He is also the father of a teenager on the spectrum. 

Rabia Belt, J.D., Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Law and Professor (by courtesy) of History at Stanford. She is a legal historian whose scholarship focuses on disability and citizenship. Her scholarship ranges from cultural analysis of disability in media, to contemporary issues facing voters with disability, to the historical treatment of disabled Americans. She is currently writing a book titled, “Disabling Democracy in America: Mental Incompetence, Citizenship, Suffrage, and the Law, 1819-1920” that is forthcoming with in the Studies in Legal History Series with Cambridge University Press. In 2015, the American Society of Legal History named her a Kathryn T. Preyer Scholar for her paper, “Ballots for Bullets? The Disenfranchisement of Civil War Veterans.”

Marci Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D. is an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine.  In the SNP, Dr. Schwartz contributes to teaching the PSYC229 series (Topics in Neurodiversity: Introduction and Advocacy). She is also the founder of Thrive College Counseling where she works with students with unique learning profiles to find the right college fit. Dr. Schwartz received her Ph.D. in clinical social work from NYU and her certificate in college counseling from UCLA.

Dani Bowman—who is on the autism spectrum founded her company, DaniMation Entertainment, at age 14 in 2009 and launched DaniMation UK in 2019.  She graduated with a BFA in Animation in 2018 and an MBA in Global Strategy and Leadership in 2020. Dani has premiered 10 animated short films, a PSA, and a music video at San Diego Comic Con.    Over the next 12 years, Dani has led summer animation camps and around the country, initially with Joey Travolta's Inclusion Films, and then expanding out on her own, adding programs at the University of South Florida and Plymouth University in England, teaching over 2000 youth with autism and other different abilities.  In 2020, Dani pivoted to teaching animation from in-person to online with 1-Week Animation Workshops and One-on-One classes.  In addition to teaching animation, Dani works with her students as a role model and mentor, encouraging them to follow their dreams. In 2021, Dani and her team participated in the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, where she won for “Best Editor” with her film “The Home Office”.   Dani is currently working on getting a Ph.D with thesis on how much the impact her program has had in the autism community. 

Dr. Yu Sun is an associate professor of Computer Science at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Dr. Sun has extensive work, research, and entrepreneurial experience in software engineering, mobile communications, cloud computing, and Internet applications. He currently serves as director of Software Engineering, Cloud and Mobile Computing Lab (SotCom Lab), and guides student research and entrepreneurship projects. At the same time, Dr. Sun is also the founder of Coding Minds, an technology educational startup that promotes Computer Science education for K-12 students. Prior to founding Coding Minds, Dr. Sun also co-founded Ziiio, an indoor navigation startup based on mobile technology. Dr. Sun also worked as a software engineer at Amazon and participated in the development of Amazon Silk, the world's first cloud-based mobile web browser.

Sasha Balasingam is an incoming freshman at Stanford University from Los Gatos, California and has served as co-chair of the NNEA Core-Committee for the upcoming year. She grew up as a younger sibling of a sister on the Autism Spectrum and has been involved with several forms of neurodiversity all her life through serving as a representative for special needs inclusion and advocacy. Over the past few years, she has worked with police and fire departments to install a program that helps first responders during emergencies with neurodiverse individuals. Outside of her neurodiversity work, she loves playing piano, dancing, taekwondo, and working in town government.

Isabelle Hsu is an EECS (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) major at UC Berkeley. Being neurodiverse, she’s served various roles at SNP since she attended SNP-REACH in 2020, including being SNP-NNEA’s Co-Chair and advisor, SNP-REACH’s counselor and coordinator, and SNS Summit’s organizing committee member, speaker, and moderator. Isabelle loves music. She holds an LRSM in piano performance and has been teaching piano to autistic students for over 3 years; she’s also won the Sweepstakes Drum Major title multiple times from leading her high school’s award-winning varsity marching band.

Hannah Karsting is an intern for the Stanford Neurodiversity Project and an SNP-REACH camp counselor in 2023. She is a junior at Columbia University studying Psychology. Hannah became interested in neurodiversity after being diagnosed with ADHD at age 17 and subsequently learning about other neurodiverse diagnoses received in early childhood. Beyond research, she enjoys directing, musical theatre, plant-based eating, and spending time with animals!

Eli Oh is recent graduate of UC Berkeley. Throughout college, she was part of an organization called Spectrum where she learned about the importance and power of disability advocacy as she led committees and awareness events for Autism. It is her hope that she can continue contributing and being a part of the Neurodiversity community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and exploring good food spots in SF. She has recently become interested in yoga and boxing, which she hopes to do more of! 

Michelle Simon is a rising sophomore at the University of Chicago, majoring in cognitive science. She’s particularly interested in the blend of neuroscience and computer science and its effects on the future of societal functions and artificial intelligence. She is excited about SNP-REACH’s mission in establishing a culture of strengthening neurodiverse individuals and empowering them to build their identity and enhance their long-term skills of daily living, because it is important to develop the talents of neurodiverse individuals to enhance the quality of our society as a whole. Outside of academics, she loves to spend time with her family and friends exploring the city, cycling, driving, and cuddling her dog. Some day, she hopes to visit all 7 wonders of the world!

Fanheng Ye (Fan) is a SNP-REACH counselor in 2023. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago, with a B.A. in Psychology and minor in Neuroscience, aspiring to pursue further studies in clinical psychology. Fan is an advocate of all things mental health, with particular interests in comprehensive and interdisciplinary approaches to psychiatric treatment and research. She spent her undergraduate years involved in advocacy for increased diversity and accessibility of campus mental health resources and hosted conferences focused on jumpstarting conversations surrounding the cultural nuances of mental health treatment and conceptualization. In addition to campus advocacy, Fan worked with students from underprivileged communities in South Side Chicago to help them succeed in their educational goals, and spent the rest of her time engaged in clinical research exploring the effects of sleep deprivation in inpatient wards. She is fascinated in sleep disorders and disturbances because sleep is such an essential aspect of life and cognitive function with high predictiveness of mental health disorders and quality of life, but so little is known of its mechanisms and function despite devastating societal costs in health and productivity when sleep is disturbed. In her free time, she can be found mired in artistic pursuits like fine arts and music composition, or deep in exploration of the philosophy of spirituality and how the metaphysical can integrate with empirical science to better approach the big, terrifying existential questions of our lives.

Julia Zielke (she/they) is a rising senior at Stanford University, and will be graduating this spring with a B.A.H. in Psychology with a minor in Music. Particularly as a neurodiverse person themself, they are passionate about disability advocacy and dismantling institutionalized ableism. Some of their current research investigates the gender differences in neurodiversity presentation (e.g., masking/camouflaging in women), and how these intersect with underdiagnosis of neurodiverse conditions. Their research also spans the intersection of emotions, communication, and mental health more broadly. In their natural habitat, they can be found playing the flute and piano, listening to/composing music, writing (cringy) poetry, analyzing their favorite characters from media, or stargazing. They’re looking forward to meeting you all—and they’re very excited to learn about your hyperfixations, special interests, and passions!