Summer 2026 PEAK Fellows Explore Big Questions
Undergraduate Research and Fellowships is pleased to announce the Summer 2026 PEAK Fellowships Cohort. This group of students from across the university will explore a wide variety of topics and questions, from developing a prosthetic hand, investigating digital health services abroad, exploring the effects of siege on cuisine, and more. Congratulations Huskies!
Base Camp Fellows
Transient Bioelectric Disruption Induces Heritable H3K27me3-Mediated Silencing of Wnt Target Genes in Dugesia japonica
Awardee: Andre Bancu, COS’29
Mentor: Julian Sosnik, COS, Biology
Research Assistance on a Behavioral Economics Study on Exercise Incentives
Awardee: Rafael Cochrane, CSSH’29
Mentor: Shariq Mohammed, CSSH, Economics
Structure, Spirit, and Nature: An Interdisciplinary Investigation of Biomimicry in Religious Experience
Awardee: Esther Cohen, COE’29
Mentor: Andrew Gillen, COE, Civil & Environmental Engineering
More than a Tool? AI Chatbot Perceptions on Academic AI Use
Awardee: Aidan Henderson, COS’29
Mentor: Qianqian Zhang-Wu, CSSH, English
Sentiment Divergence and Price Dynamics in Cryptocurrency Markets
Awardee: Xinyi Li, DMSB’26
Mentor: Xiaochuan Tong, DMSB, Finance & Insurance
Synthesis of Olefin–Diborene Heterocycles through Diboryne [4+2] Cycloadditions
Awardee: Sasha Litvak, COS’29
Mentor: Jesse Peltier, COS, Chemistry & Chemical Biology
3D Prototype Design for Improved Active Marker Attachment and Efficient Human Movement Data Collection
Awardee: Ivy Lu, COE’29
Mentor: Eugene Tunik, Bouvé, Physical Therapy, Movement, and Rehabilitation Science
Deployable Solar Arrays (PROVES+)
Awardee: Sandhya Moorthi, Khoury’29
Mentor: Stefan Kautsch, COS, Physics
Actuated Prosthetic Hand with Flexible Electrical Technology
Awardee: Mahika Sharma, COE’27
Mentor: Ravinder Dahiya, COE, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Spillovers and Contagion in Financial Intermediaries
Awardee: Aryan Sinha, COE’27
Mentor: W. Paul Chiou, DMSB, Finance & Insurance
Lunar Rover – Lunabotics
Awardee: Bryan Thomas, COE’27
Mentor: Juner Zhu, COE, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
CRISPR-Cas9 Promoter Replacement of the PER Gene in D. melanogaster to Investigate Circadian Sleep
Awardee: Sanketh Udupa, COS’27
Mentor: Matthias Schlichting, COS, Biology
The Human Element: Analyzing Social Support Systems in Modern Health Interventions
Awardee: Deren Ulutuna, Bouvé’29
Mentor: Robert Leeman, Bouvé, Health Sciences
Digital Health Services in Seoul’s Healthcare Environments
Awardee: Yejin Yang, Bouvé’29
Mentor: Rupal Patel, Bouvé, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Summit Fellows
A Cryptocurrency Database Integrating On-Chain, Market, and Alternative Data: Construction and Exploration
Awardee: Noah Corcoran, DMSB’28
Mentor: Xiaochuan Tong, DMSB, Finance & Insurance
Elucidating the Genetic Basis of Survival in a Marine Invertebrate Aquaculture Species in the Field
Awardee: Anna Eaton, COS’26
Mentor: Katie Lotterhos, COS, Marine & Environment Sciences
Multifunctional Thermal-Release Liquid Crystal-Based Pressure Sensitive Adhesives
Awardee: Kevin Charles Felicitas, COE’27
Mentor: Ruobing Bai, COE, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
Not All Ribosomes Are Created Equal: Investigating Ribosomal Differences in Bacterial Gene Expression
Awardee: Janani Ganesh, COS’27
Mentor: Veronica Godoy-Carter, COS, Biology
Investigating Signaling Bias of Synthetic Cannabinoids at the CB1 Receptor
Awardee: Ruiru Guo, Bouvé’26
Mentor: Hideaki Yano, Bouvé, Pharmaceutical Science
Precipice Project
Awardee: Jimin Han, COS’29
Mentor: Jared Young, COS, Biology
Multi-Objective Reinforcement Learning for Topological Quantum Materials Discovery
Awardee: Benjamin Marler, Khoury’27
Mentor: Qimin Yan, COS, Physics
An Investigation of Carbene Thermal Decomposition
Awardee: Gabi Martin, COE’29
Mentor: Jesse Peltier, COS, Chemistry & Chemical Biology
Differences in Cocaine Self-Administration in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat Substrains
Awardee: Rhea Newnaha, COS’28
Mentor: Camron Bryant, Bouvé, Pharmaceutical Science
How Investor Sentiment Affects Market Liquidity in Financial Institutions
Awardee: Dang Nguyen, Khoury’28
Mentor: Mikhail Oet, CSSH, Economics
Research on Neighborhood-Level Flu Forecasting
Awardee: Atharva Nilapwar, Khoury’27
Mentor: Rajagopal Venkatesaramani, Khoury, Computer Science
Testing the Scalability of CRISPRa-Mediated Gene Activation
Awardee: Inesh Parikh, COS’27
Mentor: Matthias Schlichting, COS, Biology
The Effect of Fibrosis on Lymphatic Function in Mice
Awardee: Alexander Rachlinski, Bouvé’28
Mentor: Katarina Ruscic, Bouvé, Pharmaceutical Science
Provider Characterization of Psychosocial and Medical Factors in Glp-1 Prescribing for Adolescents
Awardee: Trisha Reddy, Bouvé’27
Mentor: Idia Thurston, Bouvé, Health Sciences
The Role of vlPAG Mu-Opioid Receptor Expressing Neuron Activation in Sex Dependent Fear Responses
Awardee: Catherine Scullen, COS’27
Mentor: Rebecca Shansky, COS, Psychology
Financial Signal Processing and Baseball
Awardee: Daniel Sheehan, Khoury’27
Mentor: Eric Gerber, Khoury, Computer Science
A Cultural Study of Madrid’s Food Customs since the Siege of Madrid
Awardee: Andrew Stanger, CSSH’28
Mentor: Cristina Perez-Arranz, CSSH, World Languages Center
Searching for Understanding: Clarifying Sustainability Across the Disciplines
Awardee: Fresno Swindle, COS’29
Mentor: Sara Wylie, CSSH, Sociology and Anthropology
Trail Blazer Fellows
Force Prediction in NMES: A Machine Learning Approach to Parameter Optimization
Awardee: Nubaha Ahsan, COS’26
Mentor: David Sherman, COS, Physical Therapy, Movement, and Rehabilitation Science
Developing a Standardized Biogas Planning and Design Platform for the Small-Scale Sector in Rural Uganda
Awardee: Dhwani Bhatt, COE’27
Mentor: Annalisa Onnis- Hayden, COE, Civil & Environmental Engineer
Neighborhood-Level Influenza Forecasting in Boston Using a Mobility-Aware Graph Neural Network
Awardee: Mateo Biggs, Khoury’27
Mentor: Deahan Yu, Khoury, Data Science
Automated Determination of Femoral Angles and Cam Morphology from MRI Scans: Novel Metrics for Assessing 3D Bone Shape
Awardee: Tess Buckley, COE’27
Mentor: Sandra Shefelbine, COE, Mech & Industrial Engineering
Development of a Four Wave Mixing Spectrometer
Awardee: Faith Degawa, COE’27
Mentor: Alberto De la Torre Duran, COS, Physics
Reconstructing Particles in a Future Muon Collider
Awardee: Sarah Douglass, COE’27
Mentor: Johan Bonilla Castro, COS, Physics
Death in an Empty Room: Stories
Awardee: Adeline Hanson, CSSH’28
Mentor: Jeremy Bushnell, CSSH, English
Untapped Techniques in Extreme Longevity Research
Awardee: Avery Kelly, COS’27
Mentor: Javier Apfeld, COS, Biology
Does Maternal Sleep Health Buffer Behavioral Stress Responses during Pregnancy?
Awardee: Gloria Mancera-Sortillon, Bouvé’27
Mentor: Brie Reid, CSSH, Psychology
Mechanistic Investigation of C-O Cross Coupling Using Supramolecular Ir-Ni Photocatalysis
Awardee: Sunay Patel, COS’27
Mentor: Hannah Sayre, COS, Chemistry & Chemical Biology
Immersive Experiences: From Development to Daily Management
Awardee: Jude Riley, Khoury’27
Mentor: Caitlin Smith Rapoport, CAMD, Theatre
Parameter Mapping, Performance Optimization, and Stationary Phase Control of Porous Layer Open-Tubular (PLOT) Columns for Ultrahigh Sensitivity LC-MS Proteomics Applications
Awardee: Lukas Rosipko, COS’27
Mentor: Alexander Ivanov, COS, Chemistry & Chemical Biology
Evaluating How UV-induced G-Quadruplex DNA Support a UV-resistant Phenotype in Human Cells
Awardee: Charlotte Walborsky, COS’27
Mentor: Tovah Day, COS, Biology
Playable Philosophy: Designing AI-Assisted Puzzle Systems Inspired by Eastern Thought
Awardee: Zijen Wang, Khoury’27
Mentor: Annalisa Cai, CSSH, World Languages Center