2025 Data Science Alumni Award Recipients
The UC Berkeley Data Science Undergraduate Studies (DSUS) program proudly recognizes the outstanding achievements of our 2025 alumni award recipients. These awards celebrate those who have leveraged their data science education to create meaningful impact in their communities, industries, or toward societal good.
2025 Annual Data Science Distinguished Alum Award
Nandita Radhakrishnan, (B.A. 2023), Data Analyst, The Center for Advancing Health Policy Through Research (CAHPR)
Healthcare Policy Innovation & Legislative Impact
Nandita's groundbreaking research in health policy demonstrates how data science can drive meaningful change in one of society's most critical sectors. At Brown University's Center for Advancing Health Policy Through Research (CAHPR), she solved data-linking problems through a novel solution that is creating ripple effects across multiple initiatives and research questions in the field. She developed simulation tools that have directly influenced healthcare legislation in multiple states, exemplifying how technical innovation can translate directly into public benefit. With publications in prestigious journals like Health Affairs and JAMA Health Forum, Nandita is shaping national conversations on healthcare transparency and consolidation while bridging the gap between rigorous research and real-world policy impact. Her accomplishments at a remarkably early stage in her career represent the extraordinary impacts UC Berkeley data science alumni can achieve when technical excellence is paired with visionary leadership and a commitment to positive change.
2025 Data Science Changemaker Award Recipients
Alexandra Stassinopoulos (B.A. 2021), Data Scientist -- Wildlife Crimes Team, Center For Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS)
Global Security & Wildlife Protection
As a data scientist at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), Alexandra applies her technical expertise to disrupt transnational criminal networks and protect vulnerable populations worldwide. She has developed mobile applications to identify suspected wildlife traffickers entering protected areas and created incident documentation tools for civil society partners in active conflict zones to document war crimes. Through her sophisticated analysis of complex international data, Alexandra transforms technical insights into actionable intelligence that directly supports law enforcement and conservation efforts across multiple continents. Alexandra showcases how data skills combined with a deep policy understanding can directly protect vulnerable populations and ecosystems.
Eva Smolentseva (B.A. 2021), Natural Language Model Analyst, United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
Community Infrastructure & Systems Innovation
Eva transformed the community of Forest Springs, California through strategic application of data science to critical infrastructure challenges. After moving to a community still recovering from devastating wildfires, she saw gaps in volunteer efforts to recover. Dedicating her personal time and technical expertise, she laboriously built GPS maps to prioritize road repairs, created sensors to automate water system monitoring, and used communication and leadership to organize a community. Her technical solutions not only solved urgent problems but positioned the community for long-term sustainability, demonstrating how data science skills can strengthen both infrastructure and community resilience.
Read more about our 2025 Recipients
When Nandita Radhakrishnan, B.A. ‘23, started at UC Berkeley with dreams of neuroscience research, she never imagined she'd end up creating policy tools that help states save millions in health care costs. Yet that's exactly where her path led — and why she has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Distinguished Alum Award from UC Berkeley Data Science Undergraduate Studies (DSUS).
In the complex world of animal trafficking, Alexandra Stassinopoulos, B.A. ‘21 has found her niche using data to combat illicit networks. A graduate of UC Berkeley's data science program with a domain emphasis in law and society, Stassinopoulos now works at C4ADS using technology to track and disrupt wildlife crimes around the globe.
While working her way through community college as a waitress, Eva Smolentseva, formerly Sidlo, B.A. ’21, often felt invisible. With her parents out of the picture from a young age, she navigated higher education alone, shouldering financial burdens and personal challenges. Amid the grind of clearing tables, she held onto a vivid dream: giving the commencement address at a major university.