Read the news articles below to learn more about what our students are up to in the world of undergraduate research, fellowships, and scholars programs! This is a great way to learn more about the types of research and fellowships students are participating in.
The Present Is Our History
Heejae Lee (‘28), an Economics and Psychology double major, conducted research on gender equality and policy in South Korea with mentorship from Dr. Soosun You (Political Science) This research was supported by the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program.
A Puzzle Without the Box
Claire Shepley ('26), a Biology major, studied the MAGE protein family. Claire was mentored by Dr. Xiaolu Yang and his lab members, and this research was supported by a College Alumni Society Undergraduate Research Grant. She is now conducting clinical research at the University of Wisconsin's Department of Dermatology.
Where Biology Meets Architecture
Gabriella Lucarelli (’28), a dual degrees in Biology (SAS) and Economics (WH), conducted research on 3D-printed building materials made from mycelium with mentorship from Dr. Laia Mogas Soldevila (Architecture) and PhD student Sophia Chen. This research was supported by the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program.
A Catalytic Summer
Manny Levine ('28), a Computer Science major, spent the summer in Prague studying catalytic computing, an area of theoretical computer science that asks what a computer can do with memory that is already full. He was mentored by Dr. Ian Mertz and worked within Dr. Michal Koucký's research group at Univerzita Karlova. This research was supported by a Paul and Kathleen Barthmaier Award.
Finding Their Own Questions: Penn’s Beckman Scholars Grow as Independent Researchers
Penn’s current Beckman Scholars, Quindy Pan and Jaimie Ha, are learning to embrace unexpected results, navigate setbacks, and take greater ownership of the questions driving their research.
Getting Comfortable with Not Knowing
Kevin Wu ('27), a Neuroscience major, uses fruit flies as a model system to study how sensory processing and sleep are connected in neurodevelopmental disorders. In the laboratory of Dr. Matthew Kayser, Kevin was mentored on a daily basis by postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Jani Bilchak, and this research was supported by the Pincus-Magaziner Family Undergraduate Research and Travel Fund.
From Patient to Researcher
Maria Evancho ('27), a Biology major, researches immunotherapies for pediatric solid tumors, including Wilms tumor and neuroblastoma, in the Maris Lab at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Maria was mentored by Dr. John Maris, Pediatrics (Oncology), and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Amber Hamilton, and this research was supported by a College Alumni Society Undergraduate Research Grant.
Learning to Be Taken Seriously
Thomas Sharrock ('26), an International Relations major, conducted 42 interviews across India, Serbia, Hungary, Belgium, and the United Kingdom to examine how countries respond when China invests in critical infrastructure in their regions. Thomas was mentored by Valeriya Kamenova (International Relations), and this research was supported by a College Alumni Society Undergraduate Research Grant .
Five Penn students named 2026–2028 Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholars
Five University of Pennsylvania students have been selected for the 2026–2028 cohort of the Voyager Scholarship, the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service.
Learning Through Involvement
Griffin Pitt ('26) reflects on her time at Penn and in the Benjamin Franklin Scholars Program. Griffin was a Benjamin Franklin Scholar and the President of the BFS Undergraduate Advisory Board, an SNF Paideia Fellow, an Environmental Economics Research Fellow at The Water Center, and much more. She writes on the importance in exploring opportunities and experiential learning. Griffin is a recipient of the Thouron Award and is currently at Oxford pursuing her Masters of Science in Water Science, Policy and Management.
The Importance of Trying New Things
Sophia Jorgensen (‘26), a Neuroscience and Healthcare Management and Policy double major, studied time discounting, a psychological phenomenon that describes the decreased value that individuals assign to rewards the further away they are in time. Sophia was mentored by Dr. Joseph Kable (Department of Psychology), and this research was supported by a College Alumni Society Undergraduate Research Grant. Following graduation, Sophia started working in biopharmaceutical consulting at ClearView Healthcare Partners.