PhD student Alisa Omelchenko is making strides in the community as a 2026 Pittsburgh 40 under 40 honoree. She is a student in the Joint Carnegie Mellon-University of Pittsburgh PhD Program in Computational Biology (CPCB), a graduate researcher in Jishnu Das’s lab, and a fierce advocate for causes she believes in. 

Since 1999, Pittsburgh Magazine has recognized high-performing individuals who are making an impact in the region through their leadership. The 40 selected individuals, all under the age of 40, will be honored at an annual awards event in November. 

“There’s a lot of really amazing people on the list doing amazing work across Pittsburgh, so it’s an honor to be among them,” Omelchenko said. 

Omelchenko is a member of the bargaining committee for the Pitt Grad Union and is bargaining the first union contract for Pitt graduate workers. When her peers at the University of Pittsburgh lost NIH funding for research, she was on the front lines as a member of the United Steelworkers’ Rapid Response Team. She engaged in roundtable discussions with elected officials like Summer Lee and Chris DeLuzio in support of funding for higher education. In the past, Omelchenko has also served as a first-year ambassador and a book club mentor for new CPCB students to guide them through their first year in the program. 

Outside of her advocacy on behalf of graduate workers, Omelchenko mentors women who are reentering the work force through Pennsylvania Women Work. Recently, she was elected to the Allegheny County Democratic Committee in her ward. She leads community efforts to register voters and raise awareness of upcoming elections. Her efforts, both on campus and off, are making a difference by amplifying the voices of communities she belongs to.  

“I think it’s easy for me to speak up and ask for help,” Omelchenko said. “I’ve realized a lot of people in my community and in my program have a hard time speaking up and asking for help, so that has fueled me to advocate more.” 

Omelchenko, who is in the fifth year of her PhD program, is interested in applying her computational biology skillset in a nonprofit setting. She previously interned at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and found the combination of processing data with a clear clinical translation inspiring. She says that communication and outreach are passion projects for her, and she plans on continuing to mentor others while advocating on behalf of science. 

For others who are interested in community outreach, Omelchenko offers some advice: “I think if you’re passionate about something, it’s a lot easier to give your time toward it. Start small and remember that you can always step back or give more based on how much time you have in the moment.”