Welcoming the First Youth Advisory Council to ULRI

The Institute for Research Experiences & Education is proud to welcome UL Research Institute’s inaugural Youth Advisory Council, a group of young professionals and change-makers in safety science fields who will help shape future educational and youth programs as advisers and collaborators over the next year.

The YAC is designed to ensure the Institute for Research Experiences & Education’s platforms, programs, educational resources, and strategies reflect the needs, interests, and lived experiences of youth. This newly formed council will help strengthen our education institute’s impact and contribute to the broader safety science ecosystem across ULRI. The council will also create a platform for other young people who are passionate about safety and sustainability to share their perspectives, shaping work that affects them and their peers.

The YAC will join this year’s Annual Research Symposium in Chicago, leading a panel discussion on the development of the YAC and the importance of youth-led initiatives and host roundtable discussions during lunch hours. Invitees are welcome to chat with the YAC, exchange ideas, and explore opportunities for engagement and collaboration.

The first cohort of the Youth Advisory Council is comprised of six former ULRI interns and GEM Fellows:

Shuroq Hussein, Community Engagement Lead

Shuroq Hussein is a graduate student studying computer science at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her work focuses on workflow optimization, operational efficiency, and the application of artificial intelligence in real-world systems. She supports IT operations as an intern with UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement, marking her second year interning ULRI-ULSE. She is currently expanding her academic and professional interests at the intersection of software engineering and IT operations through automation and user-centered design.

Michael Henderson, YAC Chair

Michael Henderson is a Ph.D. student in civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on energy systems, control, and equitable infrastructure planning. He is a researcher in the Energy, Controls, and Applications Lab and the Liberatory Infrastructures Lab, where he studies how advanced energy control systems can support more just and equitable planning outcomes for communities. Henderson earned his master’s in civil and environmental engineering from UC Berkeley and served as a fellow with ULRI’s Electrochemical Safety Research Institute in 2024 and 2025 — receiving first place in the master’s and early Ph.D. technical competition at the 2025 GEM Conference.

Zahin Ritee, Operations and Sustainability Lead

Zahin Ritee graduated with her master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University. Her work focuses on mechanical design, optics, photonics, controls, and experimental testing. During her GEM Fellowship in 2025, she served as a research assistant with ULRI’s Fire Safety Research Institute, where she supported experimental studies using laser diagnostics, instrumentation, and engineering analysis. Ritee earned dual bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Columbia University and physics from Adelphi University and took third place in GEM’s master’s and early Ph.D. technical competition last year.

Zina Deriche, Programming and Events Lead

Zina Deriche is a Ph.D. student in chemical and biomolecular engineering at Rice University. Her research focuses on designing and applying metal-organic frameworks for energy storage technologies, with the goal of advancing safer and more efficient next-generation batteries. Deriche earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota and was a 2025 GEM Fellow with ULRI’s Electrochemical Safety Research Institute.

Timilehin Oluwole, Communications and Outreach Lead

Timilehin Oluwole is a Ph.D. student in chemical and biological engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a researcher in the Huber Research Group and the Center for Mineral and Oxide Removal from Biomass. Her goal is to make a lasting impact in the energy industry by advancing sustainable technologies that use underutilized resources to improve global energy access and support energy security in regions that need it. Oluwole earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering from the University of New Haven and served as a research operations intern with ULRI in 2025.

Chukwudalu Dumebi-Kachikwu, Research and Insights Lead

Chukwudalu Dumebi-Kachikwu is a computer science student at the University of Maryland, College Park. His work focuses on applied artificial intelligence, including machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision. He is currently a second-year data science intern with UL Standards & Engagement, developing AI tools to support product safety research and decision-making. His goal is to continue his work translating emerging AI research into useful, reliable tools that help people and organizations.