Fujifilm Fellowship Program

I grew up in New York City and attended Stanford University, where I earned my BS in Bioengineering and MS in Computer Science. Previously, I conducted research in bioengineering, immuno-oncology, computational biology, genetics, and AI at Stanford University, Karolinska Institutet, ETH Zürich, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Rockefeller University. My undergraduate and master’s research focused on characterizing and therapeutically targeting an immune checkpoint protein implicated in cancer and autoimmune diseases. I also completed software engineering internships at Verily Life Sciences and Microsoft. For my PhD, I was excited to return to the East Coast and immerse myself in the unique biotech scene encompassing Harvard Medical School and Boston. The network of hospitals and academic institutions here offers me an incredible opportunity to pursue research in cellular therapy.

CAR T cell therapy has revolutionized the treatment of hematological malignancies and can lead to cancer remission. Although progress has been made in CAR T cell therapy for liquid tumors, solid tumors pose challenges. The effects of CAR T cell therapy are limited in solid tumors due to a combination of factors, including an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, inadequate tumor trafficking and infiltration, tumor heterogeneity, and antigen escape. I aim to engineer CAR T cells to improve the treatment of solid cancers.

I was absolutely thrilled to receive a Fujifilm Fellowship. Thank you so much for this honor.

I grew up near Los Angeles, CA, studied molecular biology at Brigham Young University, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Before graduate school, I had accrued research experience in epigenetics, structural biology, and immunology. Harvard’s immunology PhD program offered a unique opportunity to conduct research at the intersection of these fields and allowed me to pursue basic research in a therapeutically relevant discipline.

The genes in the Major Histocompatibility Complex locus play critical roles in an immune response. They are also major risk factors for various autoimmune diseases, and their regulatory elements that contribute to disease susceptibility are poorly understood. My work aims to paint a better picture of how these genes are regulated differently across individuals, and how variable regulation contributes to autoimmunity. The results of this work can advance autoimmune diagnostics and provide insight for early-intervention therapeutics.

I was surprised and excited! I’m grateful to be a FujiFilm fellow during my fifth year, as it gives me the freedom to pursue multiple directions emerging from my PhD work.

I was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware. I completed my B.S. and M.S. in biochemistry at Brandeis University, where I investigated the biosynthetic mechanisms of sesquiterpene synthases in the lab of Dr. Daniel Oprian. This experience, combined with recent advances in protein structure prediction, sparked my interest in using powerful new computational methods to investigate novel protein-ligand interactions. I chose to pursue this interest at HMS because it offers a uniquely collaborative and multidisciplinary environment for translating insights from computational modeling into therapeutic development. 

Deubiquitinases comprise a family of proteases that catalyze the cleavage of ubiquitin from other proteins, thereby altering the fate of their substrates. Deubiquitinases are important modulators of cell cycle control, apoptosis, and DNA damage repair, and are implicated in cardiomyopathies, neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, and more. My research combines bioinformatic techniques with protein structure prediction to identify the roles deubiquitinases have in human disease. I also employ protein-ligand co-folding and molecular dynamics simulations to accelerate the development of small-molecule therapeutics that specifically modulate deubiquitinase activity.

I felt honored to be named a Fujifilm Fellow. I am grateful for the recognition and funding that this fellowship provides, and I feel even more energized and motivated to advance my research.

I grew up in the suburbs of Massachusetts, then earned my B.S. in biochemistry at Boston College in Newton, Massachusetts. I also completed a two-year research assistantship at Harvard Medical School before pursuing my graduate work. I came to Harvard for my PhD because of the incredibly talented community of mentors and peers that I could learn from and alongside. The research here is at the cutting edge of chemical biology, and I knew that the training would teach me how to think critically and independently about key scientific questions in my field.

My research addresses a fundamental bottleneck in the discovery of the class of small molecules known as molecular glues. To date, glue discovery has been serendipitous and has often required extensive small-molecule screening, which is expensive and impractical to scale. The goal of my project is to convert a laborious compound-screening problem into a facile, portable DNA sequencing platform that uses mutations that approximate small molecules to discover and tune interactions between E3 ligases and their substrates. This platform has the potential to discover new degradable substrates for any E3 ligase in any cell line, hugely expanding the degradable proteome.

I was so excited to hear I was a Fujifilm Fellow! I have had rich conversations with several representatives from Fujifilm at the TGP symposia throughout the years, and I have always loved their insight and feedback. I am so grateful for the financial support from TGP and Fujifilm through this fellowship, and I am looking forward to continued involvement in this community throughout the year and beyond!

I am from Middletown, Connecticut, and attended the University of Connecticut for my bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and psychological sciences. After graduation, I worked for two years as a research technician in Dr. Anthony Letai’s lab at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, studying apoptotic cell death in cancer. I chose the Biological and Biomedical Sciences program at Harvard because of its strong cancer research community and collaborative environment.

The PI3K/AKT intracellular signaling pathway is one of the most frequently dyregulated pathways in cancer. While PI3K/AKT inhibitors have been developed to treat cancer, they are commonly limited by side effects and resistance. Part of my thesis work is focused on identifying novel binding partners and substrates of the protein kinase AKT, to better understand its role in cancer development. I also work to better target the pathway in breast cancer through novel combination strategies and antibody-drug conjugates. The goal of this work is to develop less toxic treatments that improve patient outcomes.

I was so honored and excited to be named a Fujifilm Fellow! I’ve loved being a part of the Therapeutics Graduate Program community, and I’m incredibly grateful for the support I’ve received throughout my PhD training. I’m excited to continue pursuing research aimed at improving cancer treatment.

I grew up in Macedonia and moved to the United States to attend Columbia University, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. During this time, I worked in the lab of Dr. Anthony Fitzpatrick, investigating the molecular architecture of amyloid fibrils—insoluble, fibrous aggregates of misfolded protein that accumulate in the brains of patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. I was drawn to HMS by the opportunity to pursue fundamental mechanistic questions within a scientific ecosystem closely connected to translational research and public health.

Vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue pose an immense global health burden, creating an urgent need for new ways to prevent transmission. By understanding the molecular mechanisms of insect odorant receptor function, my research could inform the rational design of next-generation repellents and other compounds that selectively modulate these receptors to disrupt host-seeking behavior and reduce disease spread.

I was deeply honored to be named a Fujifilm Fellow. This recognition means a great deal to me, and I am excited to carry that motivation forward in my research! 

I grew up in the Aegean region of Turkey. I earned a bachelor's degree in molecular biology and genetics from Middle East Technical University in Turkey and a master's degree in cancer biology from the University of Heidelberg and the German Cancer Research Center in Germany. Throughout my training, I had the opportunity to experience translational research firsthand, from laboratory discoveries to their application in patient care. These experiences motivated me to pursue a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary PhD program focused on translating scientific discoveries into better treatments for patients. I joined the TGP at HMS because it provides unique opportunities to understand the entire therapeutic development process, from basic research to drug development and production, so that I can contribute to research aimed at improving treatment strategies and outcomes for cancer patients.

High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma is the most common and aggressive form of ovarian cancer, affecting more than 240,000 women worldwide each year. Because symptoms are often vague, many patients are diagnosed at advanced stages after the cancer has already spread throughout the body. Although most patients initially respond to treatment, nearly 80% experience disease recurrence and eventually develop resistance to the limited therapies currently available. Understanding why ovarian cancer returns and becomes resistant to treatment is critical for developing more effective therapies. My research focuses on uncovering the biological mechanisms that drive treatment resistance and recurrence. Through close collaboration with academic, clinical, and industry partners, I help develop and evaluate innovative therapeutic strategies to overcome these challenges.
Excitingly, one of the therapies we are studying is currently being tested in clinical trials for ovarian cancer patients, bringing our research one step closer to improving patient care.

I was thrilled and honored to be named a Fujifilm Fellow. This recognition is incredibly meaningful to me, and I am deeply grateful for the support and encouragement it represents. It has motivated me even more to pursue impactful research and to contribute to improving patients’ lives.

I grew up in Beijing, China. My interest in biology began in middle school, but during my undergraduate studies at Harvard College, I pursued a joint concentration in chemistry, physics, and computer science. While this might seem like a detour, my goal was to build a strong foundation in the physical sciences before applying them to systems biology. For graduate school, I chose to remain in Boston, drawn by the collaborative environment and the opportunity to pursue research with direct translational impact.

Modern spatial profiling technologies can measure the abundance and distribution of many molecules within tissues. However, most computational analyses focus primarily on individual cell phenotypes, often losing crucial tissue-level context. To bridge this gap, I develop interpretable machine learning methods to extract spatial features that align with established histopathology. By more quantitatively describing complex lesions in chronic diseases such as tuberculosis and cancer, this approach can improve our understanding of disease progression and help identify new treatment strategies.

I was deeply surprised and honored when my advisor shared the news with me—especially since I was in the middle of revising a manuscript nearing its eightieth version! Knowing that my research efforts are recognized in this way is incredibly validating. I am grateful for the generous support of the Fujifilm Fellowship and look forward to contributing to the diverse and talented TGP community.