Liza Vanurina

Although this is my first year at university, being the Academic Events Officer and overall just part of the committee allowed me to quickly understand how the society works. Helping organise events and participating in meetings gave me a practical sense of how things run. That experience means I could step into the Vice President role already understanding the “behind the scenes” work and contribute more effectively next year. With multiple current committee members finishing their degrees, I would love to help provide continuity to this lovely society. 

My interest in psychedelics is largely academic. Back in high school, I even wrote two articles on LSD’s potential applications, one comparing its mechanism of action to  schizophrenia pathways and another on its promise in alcoholism treatment. The latter was actually published in a student-run academic journal (Curieux). This interest is also what originally led me to study neuroscience.

In high school I also ran an Anti-Racism Club, was vice president of a Ukrainian Refugee Club, and served on the committee of my school’s NHS society. These roles gave me early relevant experience. Next year, I would like to build on that and continue developing my organisational and leadership skills through this role. So far, being a part of this society has been truly amazing and I would love to be able to get even more involved next year.