About the Office of the Student Ombudsperson

Sarath Pillai is a PhD Candidate in the History Department at the University of Chicago. He holds a master of studies in law from Yale Law School, a master of arts in history from both the University of Chicago and the University of Delhi, and a postgraduate diploma in archives and records management from the National Archives of India, Delhi. His dissertation examines the rise and fall of federalist ideas in colonial South Asia in the 1920s through the 1940s.

He has taught both undergraduates and master’s students at the University over the years. Previously, he has served on the student advisory boards of the Office of International Affairs (OIA) and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA), which is now a part of the Center for Identity + Inclusion. He has also served as a Social Sciences Divisional representative on the University of Chicago Library Student Advisory Group (LSAG). He has been a Ralph Nicholas Fellow at the International House at the University of Chicago for many years and a winner of the 2021 Davis Projects for Peace Grant. He has served as a mentor in IMPACT (peer-mentoring for international graduate students) and FLI Network. He is looking to work with both undergraduate and graduate students, especially those who are a part of international, racial, and sexual minority groups, who are an essential part of our University but face problems or difficulties in realizing their full potential while they are here. He encourages everyone who thinks they have been wronged or not treated justly, fairly, and equitably to reach out to the Office of the Student Ombudsperson.

His hobbies include biking along the lake (company always welcome), watching films, and connecting with friends. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

Min Lee is an MD/PhD candidate at the Pritzker School of Medicine. She received her undergraduate degree from Yale University where she majored in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. For her current dissertation research, she studies the manifestations of epileptic seizures in eletrographic recordings. Her research aims to better understand how seizures begin, propagate, and terminate in treatment-resistant epilepsies. She is interested in going into psychiatry after graduation.

Since 2018, she has been a medical advocate for Resilience, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that provides services and resources for sexual assault survivors. As a medical advocate, she works with patients in the emergency room to ensure that their legal and medical rights are protected during their hospital visit. She currently serves on the Associate Board for Resilience as a member of their fundraising committee. On campus, she has been a member of the admissions committee and student council for the Medical Scientist Training Program since 2017. She has also served as a teaching assistant for both graduate and undergraduate classes.

In her spare time, you can find her watering one of her many plants, learning improv at Second City, and trying to keep up with her increasingly mobile infant daughter.