Our Leaders
Student Leaders
Benjamin Johns
Ben is a third-year PhD student in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on mechanobiology and biophysics. Originally from North Carolina, Ben came to know Christ while in high school, and, through faith challenges during college at Duke University, has come to see that Christ indeed has "the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). Ben's hope is that IVGrad can grow in its mission to be a community of believers who encourage, edify, challenge, and walk with one another through the journey of graduate school and an open door for students who don't yet know Christ to "see and taste that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8).
Fidelia Alvina
Fidelia is a fourth-year PhD student in the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine program. She grew up in Singapore before coming to the US for her undergrad and graduate studies. She was raised in a Christian family, and it was during her teenage years that she fully understood the state of her sinfulness, recognizing her need for God and a personal relationship with Him. Having received and experienced the love of Christ, as well as the love of her church community, she now desires to share that love with the IVGrad community. It is her hope that we will continually point one another to Christ, beholding His beauty and goodness.
Thomas Li
Thomas is a second-year PhD student in the Graduate School of Business, where he studies the economics and design of algorithmic intermediaries in digital markets. His Christian faith has been a steadfast foundation throughout his life, grounding him in a greater hope as he grew up in Palo Alto and rooting him in a loving community of Christians during college. These two pillars continue to anchor his experience as a grad student at Stanford and inspire his involvement in IVGrad, where he hopes to help cultivate a space for students to seek God, encourage one another, and grow together in Christ.
Sunme Zhao
Sunme is a third-year PhD student in Geophysics. She thinks God's creation is pretty cool, which is why she researches one of the coolest places on Earth: Antarctica! Sunme feels thankful to be at Stanford not just for the constantly sunny weather, but also for the friends she's met through the IVGrad community who encourage and walk alongside her in the ups and downs of grad school. She's excited to be praying with and for the IVGrad community and to see God's faithfulness in action through those prayers!
Howard Chiu
Howard is a PhD student in Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, whose research interests include how neurodevelopment relates to educational and other well-being outcomes. Howard came to know Christ as his Lord and savior while completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Oxford. IVGrad constantly reminds him that it is nothing but God’s grace that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren, and experience how good and how pleasant this privilege is.
Elaine Sui
Elaine is a third-year PhD student in Computer Science focusing on AI in healthcare. Born and raised in Canada, Elaine came to know Christ in middle school but started to explore her faith more deeply through Power to Change (i.e. Canadian Cru) at the University of Toronto, where she did her undergrad. Since coming to Stanford, IVGrad has been an integral part of her life, being a supportive community where people actively challenged and continue to challenge her on her journey with Christ. After receiving the gift of IVGrad when she first stepped foot on campus, she hopes to extend that same warmth to others who are looking to grow in a Christ-centered community.
Benyamin Krisna
Ben is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Mechanical Engineering department, conducting research in the realm of computational fluids and multiphase flows. He grew up in Indonesia before moving to Aachen, Germany for college. Despite being born in a Christian family and in the church, Ben did not discover the true meaning and reason for his faith until later on in life. Personal adversities and apologetical questions challenged him to revisit his views on his faith and to take them with paramount importance.For this reason, he joyfully responds to God’s calling in discipleship and community, especially in IVGrad. Ben is always fond of having deep conversations with friends (sadboi hourz). He spends a lot of his free time cooking and trying out good food in the area. Also, he will gladly talk to you for hours about his terminal setup, music, soccer, and lifting.
Calvin Ang
Calvin is a third-year PhD student in ICME with an interest in optimization and machine learning. A New Hampshire native, Calvin was born into a Christian family and started taking his faith more seriously during his undergrad at RPI, where he was a member of CRU. Since moving to the Bay Area, he has been tremendously blessed by the fellowship of his church and IVGrad. Calvin is excited to help IVGrad proclaim Christ and facilitate discussion of difficult topics from a Christian perspective as a co-leader of Sprouts. In his free time, Calvin enjoys going to the gym, running, and singing in the choir at his church.
Barkotel Zemenu
Barkotel is a third-year PhD student in Physics studying what’s the matter with dark matter. Hailing from Ethiopia, and then from Yale, his two decades on this planet have helped him see the need to keep seeking after not just “the things that are seen but the things that are unseen.” His research endeavor attempts to comes close to those “things that are unseen”, but nowhere close as his pursuit to come to know the One who loved him and gave His life for him. Co-leading Sprouts on the book “It Keeps Me Seeking” has been a part of this lifelong pursuit.
Staff Members
John Woo
After 23 years of serving as an ordained pastor in church-based ministries, John has joined the InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty (IV GFM) staff at Stanford! He is especially grateful to be part of the vibrant Stanford IVGrad community, where he ministers alongside graduate students, faculty, and the broader InterVarsity Grad & Faculty Ministries team.
John has a deep passion for cultivating Christ-centered, biblically rooted communities and encouraging deeper, richer personal relationships with Jesus and the people around us. He also continues to support the global Church by strengthening believers in access-restricted regions of Asia.
John is married, has three children, and enjoys snow sports, rock climbing, and outdoor activities. He loves spending time on campus with people! If you ever need counsel or simply want to grab coffee and chat, please feel free to connect with him. You can email him at any time at: johnwoo@stanford.edu.
John is an officially recognized affiliate serving as a Campus Minister of IVGrad under the Stanford University Office of Religious and Spiritual Life.