The SEED Team
Faculty Directors and Staff
Stephen Choi
Bernard Petrie Professor of Law and Business
Director, Pollack Center for Law & Business
Stephen Choi is the Bernard Petrie Professor at NYU School of Law. He graduated first in his class from Harvard Law School in 1994 and received his PhD in economics from Harvard in 1997. His research interests focus on the theoretical and empirical analysis of corporations and capital markets as well as on judicial performance. He is the co-author of Securities Regulations: Cases and Analysis (West Academic, 4th ed. 2015). He has published in the Yale Law Journal, Stanford Law Review, University of Chicago Law Review, Michigan Law Review, Southern California Law Review, Duke Law Journal, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and Virginia Law Review, among others, and has presented papers at numerous conferences and symposia.
David Yermack
Albert Fingerhut Professor of Finance and Business Transformation at the NYU Stern School of Business
Director, Pollack Center for Law & Business
David L. Yermack is the Albert Fingerhut Professor of Finance and Business Transformation at New York University Stern School of Business. He serves as Chairman of the Finance Department and Director of the NYU Pollack Center for Law and Business. Professor Yermack has been with NYU Stern since 1994. His primary research areas include boards of directors, executive compensation, and corporate finance. Professor Yermack has published more than 25 articles in leading academic journals in Finance, Accounting, Economics, and Law. He is a Faculty Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and has been a Visiting Scholar at the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank. Professor Yermack received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics (1985), Master of Business Administration (1991), Juris Doctor (1991), Master of Arts in Business Economics (1993), and Doctor of Philosophy in Business Economics (1994) from Harvard University.
Anat Carmy-Wiechman
Associate Director, Pollack Center for Law & Business
Anat Carmy-Wiechman is the Associate Director of the Pollack Center for Law and Business. She graduated magna cum laude from Tel-Aviv University School of Law in 2006. Upon graduation, she worked in the litigation group of Amit, Pollak, Matalon & Co., one of Israel’s leading law firms. She earned her LLM degree from NYU School of Law in 2011, and worked as an associate at Tuckner, Sipser, Weinstock & Sipser Sipser until joining the Pollack Center in September 2013. She has published in the American Law and Economics Review, and in Precedent and the Law: Reports to the XVIIth Congress International Academy of Comparative Law, Utrecht, 16–22 July 2006. Carmy-Wiechman’s research interests include corporate law, empirical legal scholarship, law and finance, and securities regulation.
Giovanni Patti
Associate Director of SEED Research, Pollack Center for Law & Business
Giovanni Patti is the Associate Director of SEED Research. He graduated summa cum laude from the Università degli Studi di Palermo School of Law (Italy) in 2008 and received his PhD in Corporate Law from the Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata (Italy) in 2013. Following graduation, he worked for four years as an associate at Ranieri, Guaccero, Cornetta, a boutique law firm in Rome specializing in corporate and banking law. In 2018, he earned his LLM degree in Corporate Law from NYU School of Law, where he received the Dean’s Graduate Award scholarship. He has published in The Business Lawyer, Capital Markets Law Journal, and NYU Journal of Law & Business, among others. His research interests include corporate law and securities regulation.
Vanessa Villanueva Collao
Wagner Fellow, Pollack Center for Law & Business
Vanessa is an interdisciplinary scholar whose research examines the intersection of corporate law, financial markets, and emerging technologies. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in journals including the American Business Law Journal, Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property, and the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Law Review, and has been featured in the Columbia Blue Sky Blog, Oxford Business Law Blog, and other outlets. She has presented her research to financial regulators and international organizations, including the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).
Graduate Student Research Fellows
SEED depends on the contribution of students from NYU School of Law and the NYU Stern School of Business. Graduate student fellows from the institution perform all research, including gathering enforcement action documents from the Securities and Exchange Commission website and collecting variables for review. We anticipate student research fellows will use our data for their individual research projects.
Vivian Bear ’28
Vivian is a JD Candidate at NYU School of Law, Class of 2028. Prior to law school, Vivian worked as a Finance Associate at Fannie Mae in Washington, DC. She graduated from Villanova University with a B.B.A. in Economics and a minor in Arabic. At NYU, Vivian is a member of Law Women and the Law & Business Association, and she serves as a Staff Editor for the NYU Journal of Law & Business.
Valentine Bensimhon-Baudat ’27
Valentine Bensimhon-Baudat is an LL.M. student at NYU School of Law, where she focuses on corporate law, with a particular interest in mergers and acquisitions. She holds a dual Master’s degree in Law and Finance from Sciences Po Paris, France. Her professional experience spans both law and finance, including internship in the M&A practice at White & Case in Paris and as a Financial Analyst for an equity fund at an asset management firm in Boston. Her interdisciplinary background in law and finance has shaped her interest in corporate transactions and securities regulation.
Lily Bragin ’28
Lily Bragin is a J.D. candidate at NYU School of Law, Class of 2028. Prior to law school, she worked in quantitative trading compliance at Millennium Management in New York City. She graduated from Vanderbilt University, where she majored in Law, History & Society and in History of Art, with a minor in Data Science. At NYU, she serves as a staff editor of the Journal of Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law.
Divyaa Cherian ’28
Divyaa Cherian is a JD student at NYU School of Law, Class of 2028. Prior to NYU, she was a Commercial & Specialized Industries Analyst at JPMorgan Chase, where she worked on various multi-billion-dollar investment opportunities, including M&A, direct lending, and sponsor finance transactions. Divyaa graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2023 with a degree in Economics, a minor in Finance, and an Applied Statistical Modeling certificate. At NYU, she serves as a Staff Editor for the Journal of Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law, Co-President of the South Asian Law Students Association, Co-Vice President for Substantial Performance Acapella, and is a part of the Curriculum Committee for the NYU High School Law Initiative.
Tanika Deuskar ’28
Tanika Deuskar is a J.D. candidate at NYU School of Law, Class of 2028. Prior to law school, she worked at a software company in the governance, risk, and compliance space. She graduated from Emory University with a double major in Biology and English & Creative Writing. At NYU, she serves as a staff editor on the Journal of Legislation and Public Policy.
Jianhao Cui ’28
Jianhao Cui is a JD Candidate at NYU School of Law, Class of 2028. He attended UCLA, where he majored in Political Science and Economics. At NYU Law, he serves as the Alumni Chair for both the Asian Pacific Allied Law Students Association and West Coast Connections.
Charles Drucker ’28
Charles Drucker is a J.D. candidate at NYU School of Law. Prior to law school, Charles was a Fulbright grantee in South Korea, where he taught English at a publicly-funded secondary school for the U.S. Department of State. He graduated cum laude from the University of Florida with a major in Economics. At NYU Law, Charles serves as a Staff Editor of the Journal of Legislation and Public Policy.
Jack Fowler ’28
Jack Fowler is a J.D. candidate at NYU School of Law, Class of 2028. Before law school, he worked in the California State Legislature and graduated cum laude from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, earning bachelor’s degrees in History and English. He is currently on the board of NYU High School Law Institute and will participating in the NYU Law in Latin America: Buenos Aires program next semester.
Gemyla Huang ’27
Gemyla Huang is a JD candidate at NYU School of Law, Class of 2027. She earned her undergraduate degree from NYU in 2022 and went on to work as a case manager with the Anti-Trafficking Initiative at Sanctuary for Families. At NYU Law, she serves as a staff editor for the Tax Law Review and as Community Co-Chair of the Women of Color Collective.
Dia Jing ’27
Dia Jing is a JD/MBA Candidate at NYU School of Law and NYU Stern School of Business, Class of 2028. Before law school, she founded and operated a livestreaming and e-commerce company, where her exposure to both the business and legal aspects of running a small business inspired her to pursue a JD/MBA. At NYU, Dia is a member of the Law & Business Association. She aspires to become a transactional attorney who advises clients with both their legal and business objectives in mind.
Dorothy Kim ’28
Dorothy Kim is a J.D. candidate at NYU School of Law, Class of 2028. At NYU, she serves as the Private Professional Development Chair for the Asian-Pacific Allied Law Students Association. She spent her 1L summer as a Research Assistant to Professor Robert J. Jackson, Jr. and will join Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP as a Summer Associate in 2027. She graduated from Cornell University in 2025 with a B.A. in Government.
Valerie Kramer ’28
Valerie Kramer is a JD Candidate at NYU School of Law, Class of 2028. She earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science, with minors in Global History and Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences, from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. At NYU Law, she serves as Networking and Development Co-Chair of the Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Society and is involved with the Law and Business Association and Law Women.
Bruna Piccin ’28
Bruna Piccin is a JD candidate at NYU School of Law, class of 2028. Prior to law school, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and a minor in Communication Design from the University of Southern California (USC). During that time she interned internationally in Finland, Sweden, England, and Brazil in finance and consulting. Upon graduation, she spent three years working as an Enterprise Account Executive at Oracle. At NYU she serves as the president of the Latin American Law Student Association (LaLSA).
Joe Rosen ’28
Joe Rosen is a J.D. candidate at NYU School of Law, Class of 2028. Prior to law school, he worked in commercial real estate finance at Meridian Capital Group and distressed real estate at Case Equity Partners. He graduated from Yeshiva University’s Sy Syms School of Business with a B.S. in Finance. At NYU Law, Joe is a member of the Law and Business Association and Jewish Law Students Association. He will join Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP as a Summer Associate in 2027.
Sarah Scheinmann ’27
Sarah Scheinmann is a J.D. candidate at NYU School of Law, Class of 2027. She attended the University of Michigan, where she graduated in 2024 with a B.A. in Public Policy and a minor in Middle Eastern Studies. During her undergraduate summers, she worked at the Face to Face Germantown Legal Center, supporting low-income clients facing housing-related legal issues, and held additional legal internships in Tel Aviv and Philadelphia. At NYU, she is a member of Law Women and the Jewish Law Students Association, and serves as Community Co-Chair of the Law Business Association. She will join Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP as a Summer Associate in 2026.
Dalya Stokar ’27
Dalya Stokar is a JD candidate at NYU School of Law, Class of 2027. She graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis, majoring in Political Science and Hebrew. At NYU Law, she serves as a staff editor on the Tax Law Review and as the Treasurer of Law Students Against Antisemitism.
Ray Sun ’27
Ray Sun is a J.D. Candidate at NYU School of Law, Class of 2027. Prior to law school, Ray graduated cum laude from New York University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Media, Culture, and Communication and a minor in Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology. Currently, he serves as the Community Chair of Rights Over Tech at NYU Law.
Rachel Toma ’28
Rachel Toma is a J.D. Candidate at NYU School of Law, Class of 2028. Rachel graduated from the University of Michigan in 2025 with a B.A. in English and minors in German Studies and Crime & Justice. Prior to law school, Rachel worked in public policy research at the Youth Policy Lab. At NYU Law, she serves as a staff editor for the Annual Survey of American Law.
Lily Yang ’28
Lily Yang is a J.D. candidate at NYU School of Law, Class of 2028. Before law school, she worked as a litigation analyst at Lundin PLLC, where she focused on complex commercial litigation and whistleblower matters. She graduated magna cum laude from NYU with a double major in Journalism and Economics. At NYU Law, Lily serves as the Academic and Professional Chair of the Asia Law Society.
Zixin Zheng ’27
Zixin Zheng is a recent graduate of East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, one of China’s leading law schools, and is currently pursuing a Fall 2026 LL.M. in Corporation Law at NYU School of Law. Prior to joining NYU, she completed six legal internships at Dentons and other leading law firms in Shanghai, where she gained experience in M&A, investment and financing, and capital markets. Her academic and professional interests include corporate law, securities regulation, and cross-border transactions.
Faruk Aktay ’14, Ruchin Jain (NYU Stern 2014), Hayden Bui ’15, Dylan Cassidy ’15, Caroline Dayton ’15, Leslie Hung ’15, Jingjing Wu ’15, Zhi Xia ’15, Hao Zhang ’15, Kuen Young (Anna) Park ’16, Michael Roberts ’16, Erik Andrén ’16, Will Clark ’16, Zhaohua (Josh) Huang ’16, Christopher Porcelli ’16, Dylan Service ’16, Nathan Trunnell ’16, Mark Bennett ’17, Yuan (Claire) Chen ’17, Yujia Feng ’17, Jiarui Li ’17, Run Bo Lu ’17, Melina (Lin) Meneguin-Layerenza ’17, Caitlin Stachon ’17, Ece Gizay Ban ’18, Danielle Kfir (Dulitzky) ’18, Yuan (Percy) Gao ’19, Avelino Garcia '19, David Kang ’18, Joann Park ’18, Carla Ruggero ’18, Theodore Tan ’18, Bozidar Bogosavljev ’19, Pedro Armando Castelar Pinheiro ’19, Shiyi Fan ’19, Pimvipa Kunanusorn ’19, Christine Lee ’19, Coty Lee ’19, Geoffrey Adonu ’20, Xiaoting An ’20, Edward Duan ’20, Ted Lee ’21, Gutemberg Pacheco Lopes Junior ’20, Eugenio Prosperi ’20, Victor Ricardo ’20, Courtney Sohn ’20, Ben Wertkin ’20, Zhongji Wu ’20, Brandon Ho ’22, Victoria Byler ’21, James Nirappel ’22, Zain Syedain ’22, William Walant ’22, Sotonye Belonwu ’21, Risa Das ’21, Arya Dhakal ’21, Jaskiran Kaur ’21, Joseph Ogunmodede ’21, Nathalie Bertha Louis Peeters ’21, Abiodun Rufai ’21, Rilwan Shittu ’21, Qibin Ying ’21, Neha Deshmukh ’22, Devansh Gupta ’22, Simran Kaur ’22, Tanaya Sanyal ’22, Rohini Sud ’22, Ariel Errar ’23, Pilar Laitano Ferreira ’23, Kyle Tebo ’23, Emad AI Mazyad ’23, Tanvi Durve ’23, Sonakshi Faujdar ’23, Malina Gulino ’24, Maria Matkou ’23, Elli Park ’24, Anushka Sanjay Shah ’23, Martin Stepanyan ’23, Alex Greenberg ’25, Ryan Oh ’25, Sudarshana Basu ’24, Jerry Chai ’24, Ryan Huck ’24, Samantha Hui ’25, Joaquin Jacome ’24, Alexandra Klein ’24, Zuliang “Patrick” Li ’25, Chuqiao Lily Liu ’25, Nastassia Merlino ’24, Shefali Murthy ’24, Oluwatumininu (Tumi) Odunuga ’24, Ifeatu Onyekonwu ’24, Gayatri Ramesh ’24, Anushka Mehul Shah ’24, Ritu Shah ’24, Vitória Vidal Serrano ’24, Wenyue Zhu ’24, Kheyransa Aliyeva ’25, Cooper Aspegren ’25, Theo Han ’27, Leo Kim ’26, Yuelin (Evelyn) Liu ’25, Yichun Liu ’26, Khushi Maheshwari ’25, Dhriti Mitra ’25, Favour Ogini ’25, Ashiqur Rahman ’26, Max Steiner ’27, Kevin Tsao ’25, Krish Amish Vadodaria ’25, Anushri Bhuta ’26, Aratrika Choudhuri ’26, Yuxiang (Ethan) Fei ’26, Ethan Goldman ’26, Yafei (Ellen) Guo ’26, Jason Katz ’26, Jane Kim ’26, Charlotte LeBarron ’26, María Salomé Perea ’26, Richa Prasad ’26, Aaryaki Rana ’26, Julián David Ríos Zuluaga ’26, Gina Tan ’26, Chima Uzochukwu-Obi ’26, Frank Wang ’26, Ruozhou Wang ’26, Yilin Wu ’26, Hanyi Xie ’26.