Club Structure
Our structure is designed to achieve comprehensive growth and development for our members across all areas relevant to consulting, ensuring they receive a well-rounded experience, combining practical project work, skill development, industry engagement, and competitive practice.
Meet Our Executive Team
Co-President & Pro Bono Projects Director: Ammara Aqeel
5th-year PhD Candidate in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Ammara is a PhD candidate in the lab of Dr. Lawrence David. Her research focuses on developing novel molecular methods of characterizing human diet and the application of this platform to assess global patterns of malnutrition and food insecurity. Ammara has also holds a certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the Fuqua School of Business and works as a Senior fellow at the Duke Office of Translation and Commercialization. In her free time, she loves going out for walks in nature, drinking tea with friends and watching cat videos!
Co-President: Yifei Wang
4th-Year Ph.D. Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
Yifei’s research focuses on investigation of intracellular mechanisms to improve non-viral based gene delivery for DNA vaccine development. She joined Duke in August 2019 as a master student and continues her study as a PhD student since 2021. In her free time, Yifei enjoys Kpop dancing, playing board games, and watching movies. She is also a cat-person and loves spending time with her cat, Paper.
Pro Bono Projects Director: Rick Presman
5th-year Ph.D. Student in Statistical Science
Bio: Rick Presman is a 5th year Ph.D. student in the Statistical Science Department at Duke. His research interests are primarily centered on developing computational and statistical methodology for inference in constrained parameter spaces. Previously, he worked as a consultant within the financial services sector for institutional clients with a focus on analytics and modeling for asset/liability management and strategy development. In his free time, Rick loves to travel with his wife and spend time with their dog, Brownie.
Director of Training Programs: Siyao Wang
5th-year PhD Candidate in Cell Biology
Siyao is a PhD candidate in the Department of Cell Biology. She uses zebrafish as model to study the impact of the interactions between nutrient utilization and innate immunity on the development and survival of organisms. In her free time, Siyao is an avid orchid grower and collector who also loves traveling and spending time with her two cats, Sesame and Cookie.
External Relations and Events Director: Caroline Teddy
4th-year Ph.D. Candidate in Molecular Cancer Biology
Caroline is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology. Before coming to Duke, she worked at a Seattle-based biotech startup that aimed to find novel combination therapies for cancer patients. Her research at Duke uses functional genomic approaches to identify new drug targets for metastatic lung cancer. She is also a fellow in the Office of Translation and Commercialization and holds a certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the Fuqua School of Business. In her free time, she enjoys brewery hopping, yoga, watching sports, and walking her dog, Filson.
Case Competition Director: Shamitha Shetty
5th-year Ph.D. Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
Shamitha is a PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering at Duke University, where she develops needle-free vaccines targeting chronic inflammatory conditions. She holds certificates in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Fuqua School of Business) and Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, and serves as a PhD Associate at Duke Capital Partners, performing due diligence on investment opportunities and communicating key metrics. In her spare time, Shamitha enjoys baking, playing tennis, indulging in board games along with copious amounts of tea.
CLUB HISTORY
The Duke Advanced Degree Consulting Club (DACC) was founded in September of 2012 by Jainil Shah, an engineering student seeking to provide resources and foster the skills of advanced degree students interested in the field of consulting.
Since then we have:
launched our own pro-bono consulting program to solve business problems in 51 engagements across 25 diverse markets and 18 innovative products, saving our clients $3M in consulting fees.
hosted multiple nation-wide case competitions with UNC-Chapel Hill and the Consulting Club at Texas Medical Center (The Southeast Healthcare Case Competition, formerly Duke-UNC-TMC Competition), attracting hundreds of students from over 30 institutions worldwide!
hosted guest speakers and alumni from top consulting firms in case interview workshops and interview prep workshops, providing networking opportunities with firm representatives.
