Summer program opens doors for tomorrow’s scientific leaders

Undergraduate Madison Chisolm studies tissue engineering as a biomedical engineering major at Clemson University, hoping to one day design and grow replacement organs so people needing life-saving transplants won’t have to linger for years on waiting lists. 

A summer research opportunity with the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) is bringing her closer to that goal.

“The resources here are just incredible in terms of advancing my research in preparation for grad school, but the program also helped me know what my options are,” Chisolm said. “I always had this preconceived notion that if you get your PhD, it's either industry or academia, and it was interesting hearing and learning about all the different avenues my career could take.”

Chisolm was one of six undergraduates from universities and colleges across the United States who spent the summer working in UChicago PME labs through the annual Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. She spent 10 weeks in the Immunoengineering and Bioengineering Institute lab of Prof. Aaron Esser-Kahn researching how lipid-based nanomaterials may rewire naïve immune cells for enhanced immunological outputs.

“I had never done anything with that before, but I have done work with macrophages, so I was excited to lean more heavily on the immune cells,” Chisolm said.

The resources here are just incredible in terms of advancing my research in preparation for grad school, but the program also helped me know what my options are.

Undergraduate Madison Chisolm

Beyond the opportunity to conduct hands-on research under the guidance of graduate student mentors, the program offers a slate of resources on topics such as lab safety, ethics, science communication, and the grad school application process.

“Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs are one of the best investments we can make in the future of science,” said UChicago PME Assistant Dean of Education and Outreach Laura Rico-Beck. “For students, these opportunities provide hands-on research experience, close mentorship, and a clearer understanding of what the next step in a career in science can look like. Host institutions benefit from welcoming talented students who bring fresh perspectives, ask thoughtful new questions, and contribute meaningfully to ongoing research. Those experiences don't just shape individual careers – they strengthen the research community and help build the next generation of scientists.”

Asst. Prof. Juan Mendoza, who runs UChicago PME’s REU program, said he owes his career to a similar opportunity when he was an undergraduate.

“Like many students, I worked my way through school, which meant I didn’t have the opportunity to get the undergraduate lab experience that PhD programs require. I am where I am today because of programs like the UChicago PME REU,” said Mendoza, who works on cancer research, bioinformatics, protein engineering, structural biology, and immunology for UChicago PME and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Mendoza is also a 2023 Freeman Hrabowski Scholar, a program supporting outstanding early career faculty who are committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in science.

“This program is an investment by UChicago PME in the future,” he said. “We’re helping build tomorrow’s scientists, opening our labs and our expertise to the students who – sooner than you think – will be leading scientific innovation.”

Each undergraduate is paired with a UChicago PME graduate student mentor, someone who works with and advises them on both lab skills and what it takes to build a career in science. 

Chisolm’s mentor, Esser-Kahn Lab PhD student Emily Azcue, said she “jumped at the opportunity.”

“It aligned well with where I’m at in my own program and my own graduate studies, and I had the capacity to take on somebody,” Azcue said. “It would benefit me in certain ways – help me become a better mentor, etc. – but I wanted to, hopefully, pass on some knowledge to younger generations of scientists. I know that I've benefited a lot from mentorship in the past.”

Successful applicants receive a stipend, a small travel allowance and housing and meals for the duration of the 10 weeks. But Chisolm said she and the rest of her cohort found something more valuable – a community of young scientists starting their journeys in STEM. 

“We’re all really close now,” she said. “We have a big group chat, we invite each other out to attend talks or explore the city – who doesn’t love Chicago? We talk about what we’re working on and how our application processes are going. It’s very welcoming, another wonderful part of a fantastic research experience.”

• Explore UChicago PME’s Research Experience for Undergraduates Program