Executive Team
Ajani Adovor T’26 – I am a junior majoring in statistics. I’m from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I’m part of DIUS because I believe there needs to be more opportunities at Duke to study and learn about the field of Urban Studies. As a member of DIUS’s exec board, my job is to primarily keep track of logistical information, analyze student and professor interest in the field of urban studies, and figure out ways to expand DIUS’s reach.
Tate Kahalas P’26 – I’m Tate Kahalas and being a civil engineering major, I am fascinated by the intersectionality between the urban design of our cities and the infrastructure that they are physically comprised of. I am one of the instructors of the Urban Studies 101 house course and love to share my enthusiasm and knowledge of all things cities.
Aman Desai P’28 – Hi! I’m Aman Desai, a sophomore majoring in Art: History Architecture and Civil Architectural Engineering. I’ve lived in London and recently New York, and love to travel around the world. I’m passionate about exploring the design of urban planning and architecture from an interdisciplinary approach and examining the various environmental, economic, technological, and cultural factors that are involved. I joined DIUS to find a community of individuals with a variety of backgrounds who all share a love for cities and urban studies. I’m excited to be a part of DIUS as I want to help find unique intersections within the incredible range of resources at Duke and see how they can be applied to better our community’s engagement with the urban environment.
Nathan Hertzberg T’28 – I am a sophomore majoring in statistics and history. I’ve worked to bring the initiative closer to local Durham organizations and community leaders, and also co-teach the Urban Studies 101 house course. I’m particularly interested in studying the infrastructure and planning of transit systems, as well as the relation between urbanism and public health.
Julia Ma T’26 – I am a senior majoring in Economics and Mathematics with a minor in Cultural Anthropology. I joined DIUS as I believe urban studies is about everyone: we all live in and shape our cities in different ways. Within DIUS, I aim to facilitate conversations that bring together people from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, enabling students to imagine and improve the places we share. I’m particularly interested in drawing ideas from cities around the world while staying attentive to challenges in our own backyards. Alongside DIUS, I work in real estate consulting and in urban economics and policy research.
