MMRI accepted 13 students into its Summer Fellowship Program this year, each of whom will study in the laboratories of MMRI’s principal investigators (PIs), to gain invaluable scientific research experience.

 

This rigorous and competitive 10-week program selects students based on academic excellence and demonstrated drive in STEM-based fields. At MMRI, students will embark on cutting-edge research in areas of cardiovascular disease biology, autoimmunity, PTSD, and autism.

 

“We are delighted to welcome these impressive students into MMRI’s coveted Summer Fellowship program,” said Maria I. Kontaridis, Ph.D., Executive Director and Gordon K. Moe Professor and Chair of Biomedical Research and Translational Medicine at MMRI. “We look forward to seeing how much they grow and the culmination of their research experiences at the end of this program. Students are at the heart of our mission, and we are committed to training the future generation of science and medicine.”

 

The Summer Fellows will also engage in state-of-the-art technologies, including induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and use of targeted drug delivery systems. They will also participate in professional development workshops and didactic lectures on scientific topics in which MMRI excels. The graduation ceremony will be held on Friday, July 17, 2026, where Fellows will present their research to MMRI staff, colleagues, families, and community members.

 

MMRI is proud of its legacy and the success of its Fellows, with many of them moving on to top-tier graduate, medical, pharmacy, and veterinary schools, among others.

 

The 2026 MMRI Summer Fellowship Program includes:

Maria Kontaridis, Ph.D.:

• Karoline Litke, Vanderbilt University

• Hay Marn Lwin, SUNY Polytechnic Institute

 

Chase Kessinger, Ph.D.:

• Jes Mukkatt, Binghamton University

 

Zhiqiang Lin, Ph.D.:

• Lauren Sfeir, Alfred University

 

Jason McCarthy, Ph.D.:

• Lydia DeTraglia, Hamilton College

• Zachary Jablonski, Daemen College

• Sawyer Michel, Cornell University

• Anna Petersen, Binghamton University

• Aksel Reid, Hamilton College

• Adin Terovic, SUNY Polytechnic Institute

 

Matthew Nystoriak, Ph.D.:

• Olivia Kalil, St. John Fisher

• Aaron Katz, Binghamton University

 

Tongbin Wu, Ph.D.:

• Edmond Yang, Johns Hopkins University

 

The 2026 MMRI Summer Fellowship Program was made possible thanks to the generous support from its sponsors, including:

• Alera Group

• IBEW Local Union #43

• Excellus BlueCross Blue Shield

• Burrows Foundation

• Drs. Atul and Amita Butala

• First Manhattan Masonic District

• RW Walter R. Leong

• M&T Bank / Partners Trust Bank Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation

• The Give Back to Utica Fund/Steven H. Oram

• Utica Lodge #47 F. & A.M.

 

“We’d like to thank our generous 2026 Summer Fellows Program supporters,” said Stephen F. Izzo, Principal Development Officer at MMRI. “Once again, their support is enabling our world-class faculty to train the next generation of scientists to understand and overcome some of the world’s most pernicious diseases.”

Read more about the MMRI Summer Fellowship here: https://www.mmri.edu/summerfellow/