Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)

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We plan to hold our summer program in person in 2023. The program is designed for 10 to 20 outstanding undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing a career in biomedically related sciences. Applicants must be a current freshman, sophomore, or junior and have research experience.

Students in the program have the opportunity to:

  • Obtain hands-on research experience in cutting-edge laboratories.
  • Interact with faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students.
  • Attend a weekly luncheon/seminar series of presentations by faculty.
  • Attend skills development workshops to hone presentation and interview skills.
  • Attend and present at works-in-progress sessions with the cohort of SURP students.

Students who are accepted into the summer program will be offered a stipend of $6,000 and housing accommodations. All students deliver research presentations at a poster session at the end of the program. Please note that participants in the program must be fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.

2019 Shaps Scholars

Alexandra Corbin

Alexandra Corbin, a junior majoring in Biological and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University. She was mentored by Richard White, Cancer Biology and Genetics. Her project was Determining the Mechanism of Fatty Acid-Mediated Epigenetic Reprogramming in Melanoma.


Conor Johnson

Conor Johnson, a sophomore majoring in Neuroscience at Yale University. He was mentored by Frederic Geissmann, Immunology. Conor’s research project title was Characterization of the Spatiotemporal Distribution of Macrophage Development using Whole-Embryo Imaging.


Allison Rerick

Allison Rerick, a junior majoring in Chemistry and Mathematics at Baylor University. He was mentored by Derek Tan, Chemical Biology. She worked with the Development of a Direct Diazo-Transfer Protocol to Amides and Subsequent Chemoselectivity Studies Toward the Development of Acid-Specific Cross-Linkers.


Yibing Yao

Yibing Yao, a junior majoring in Biological Sciences at Cornell University. She was mentored by Mary Baylies, Developmental Biology. Yibing worked on Analyzing Organelle Positioning in Healthy Muscle and Nemaline Myopathy.


2018 Shaps Scholars

Thilaka Arunachalam

Thilaka Arunachalam, a sophomore majoring in Biology at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She was mentored by Frederic Geissmann, Immunology. Her project was ACK1 and BRK Kinase Mutations in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.


Azim Dharani

Azim Dharani, a sophomore majoring in Chemistry and Political Science at Duke University. He was mentored by John Chodera, Computational Biology. Azim’s research project title was Using Human Serum Albumin domains as model binding systems to evaluate alchemical free energy calculations.


Zachary Kaplan

Zachary Kaplan, a junior majoring in Applied Mathematics at Brown University. He was mentored by Christina Leslie, Computational Biology. He worked on the Analysis of Hematopoietic Differentiation Trajectories via Diffusion Mapping of Single Cell ATAC-seq Data.


Ena Oreskovic

Ena Oreskovic, a junior majoring in Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at the University of Rochester. She was mentored by Maria Jasin, Developmental Biology. Ena worked on BRCA2 deficiency activates cGAS-dependent surveillance of cytosolic DNA and an innate immune response.

2017 Shaps Scholars

Mary Clare Beytagh

Mary Clare Beytagh, a junior majoring in Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was mentored by David C. Allis, Molecular Biology. Her project was identifying acquired epigenetic dependencies in acute leukemia upon disruption of the MLL-Menin interaction.


Justin Cheung

Justin Cheung, a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering at SUNY Stony Brook. He was mentored by Daniel A. Heller, Molecular Pharmacology. Justin’s research project title was a nanosensor quantifies metabolite-enzyme interaction at the single molecule level.


Aiza Malik

Aiza Malik, a junior majoring in Biochemistry at Mount Holyoke College. She was mentored by Jayanta Chaudhuri, Immunology. She worked on insights into the mechanism of activation induced cytidine deaminase through immunoblot analysis.


Matthew McGoldrick

Matthew McGoldrick, a junior majoring in Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. He was mentored by Frederic Geissman, Immunology. Matthew worked on regulation of drosophila metabolism by macrophages.

2016 Shaps Scholars

Ryan J. Le Tourneau

Ryan J. Le Tourneau, a sophomore majoring in Chemistry at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He was mentored by Jan Grimm, Molecular Pharmacology.


Gargi Mishra

Gargi Mishra, a sophomore majoring in Biochemistry at Mount Holyoke College. She was mentored by Frederic Geissmann, Immunology.


Ian R. Outhwaite

Ian R. Outhwaite, a junior majoring in Biology at Williams College. He was mentored by Prasad V. Jallepalli, Molecular Biology.


Morgan Sehdev

Morgan Sehdev, a junior majoring in Spanish at the College of William and Mary. She was mentored by Alexandra L. Joyner, Developmental Biology.


2015 Shaps Scholars

Matthew Boudreau

Matthew W. Boudreau, a junior majoring in Chemistry at North Carolina State University. He was mentored by Derek S. Tan, Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry.


Lauren W. Dennison

Lauren W. Dennison, a junior majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Genetics at University of Georgia. She was mentored by Ross Levine, Human Oncology and Pathogenesis.


Kristin Hsieh

Kristin Hsieh, a junior majoring in Biological Sciences at Cornell University. She was mentored by Andrea Ventura, Cancer Biology and Genetics.


Melissa Shaw

Melissa Shaw, a junior majoring in Biological Sciences at University of Notre Dame. She was mentored by Marc Ladanyi, Human Oncology and Pathogenesis. 


2014 Shaps Scholars

Isabella Gaeta
Isabella Gaeta, a junior majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology at University of Michigan Ann Arbor. She was mentored by Michael S. Glickman, Immunology.


Peter J. Larson
Peter J. Larson, a junior majoring in Pathobiology at University of Connecticut. He was mentored by Eric G. Pamer, Immunology.


Brian K. Randall
Brian K. Randall, a junior majoring in Biochemistry at University of Notre Dame. He was mentored by Cole Haynes, Cell Biology.


Kelsey J. Roberts
Kelsey J. Roberts, a junior majoring in Biochemistry at Columbia University. She was mentored by Alexandra Joyner, Developmental Biology.

2013 Shaps Scholars

Paige Arnold
Paige Arnold, a junior majoring in Biology at Duke University. She was mentored by Maria Jasin, Developmental Biology.


Owen Dean
Owen Dean, a junior majoring in Biological Sciences, Neuroscience at Cornell University. He was mentored by Songhai Shi, Developmental Biology.


Roger Smith
Roger Smith, a junior majoring in Biological Sciences at University of Notre Dame. He was mentored by Marc Ladanyi, Human Oncology & Pathogenesis.


Chen Wei
Chen Wei, a freshman majoring in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at University of California Berkeley. He was mentored by Ross Levine, Human Oncology & Pathogenesis.

2012 Shaps Scholars

Christopher Gerry
Christopher Gerry, a sophomore majoring in Chemistry at Amherst College. He was mentored by Derek Tan, Molecular Pharmacology & Chemistry.


Hannah Johnsen
Hannah Johnsen, a junior majoring in Bioengineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was mentored by Minkui Luo, Molecular Pharmacology & Chemistry.


Ariana Levin
Ariana Levin, a sophomore majoring in Biology at SUNY Stony Brook. She was mentored by James Fagin, Human Oncology & Pathogenesis.


Dylan Neel
Dylan Neel, a freshman majoring in Chemical Biology at Harvard University. He was mentored by Neal Rosen, Molecular Pharmacology & Chemistry.

2011 Shaps Scholars

Daniel Holohan
Daniel Holohan, a sophomore majoring in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology at the University of Pittsburgh. He was mentored by Alexander Rudensky, Immunology.


Mary Klein
Mary Klein, a junior majoring in Biochemistry, Molecular Biophysics and Molecular & Cellular Biology at the University of Arizona. She was mentored by Stephen Nimer, Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry.


Hans Verkerke
Hans Verkerke, a sophomore majoring in Biological Sciences at the University of Virginia. He was mentored by Jerard Hurwitz, Molecular Biology.


Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams, a junior majoring in Biochemistry at Allegheny College. She was mentored by Joan Massagué, Cancer Biology and Genetics.

2010 Shaps Scholars

Jeannie Camarillo
Jeannie Camarillo, a junior majoring in physiology at the University of Arizona. She was mentored by Luca Cartegni, Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry.


Emily Grzybowski
Emily Grzybowski, a junior majoring in molecular genetics, and fine arts at the University of Rochester. She was mentored by Zhirong Bao, Developmental Biology.


Nathaniel Kim
Nathaniel Kim, a junior majoring in chemistry at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He was mentored by Jason Lewis, Radiology.


Daniel Triner
Daniel Triner, a junior majoring in biology at Walsh University. He was mentored by Cole Haynes, Cell Biology.

2009 Shaps Scholars

Adolfo Cuesta
Adolfo Cuesta, a junior majoring in biology at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. He was mentored by Scott Keeney, Molecular Biology.


Jenny Karo
Jenny Karo, a junior majoring biochemistry at Tufts University. She was mentored by Harold Varmus, Cancer Biology and Genetics.


Caitlin Sengelaub
Caitlin Sengelaub, a junior majoring in chemistry at Yale University. She was mentored by Minkui Luo, Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry.


Guangnan Tian
Guangnan Tian, a junior majoring in biochemistry at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He was mentored by Kat Hadjantonakis, Developmental Biology.

2008 Shaps Scholars

Luis Barraza
Luis Barraza, a junior majoring in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology at the University of Arizona, Tucson. He was mentored by Alexander Joyner, Developmental Biology.


Ellora Berthet
Ellora Berthet, a sophomore majoring in cellular and molecular biology at Harvard University. She was mentored by Xiaolan Zhao, Molecular Biology.


Carman Li
Carman Li, a junior majoring in molecular biology at Princeton University. She was mentored by Derek Sant’Angelo, Immunology.


Alison Spencer
Alison Spencer, a junior majoring in biochemistry at the University of Rochester. She was mentored by Johanna Joyce, Cancer Biology and Genetics.

2007 Shaps Scholars

Four 2007 summer students were named Rubin and Sarah Shaps Scholars. These students were selected on the basis of their outstanding undergraduate credentials and their performance in our summer program.


Cristina Irimia
Cristina Irimia, a junior majoring in chemistry at Amherst College. She was mentored by Jayanta Chaudhuri, Immunology.


Peter Ly
Peter Ly, a junior majoring in biology at Baylor University. He was mentored by Eric Lai, Developmental Biology.


Courtney Schroeder
Courtney Schroeder, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry at the University of Virginia. She was mentored by Kenneth Marians, Molecular Biology.


Amit Tailor
Amit Tailor, a junior majoring in chemistry at the University of Illinois. He was mentored by David Gin, Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry.

Areas of Research

The current explosion in knowledge driving recent progress in diagnosis and treatment of human disease reflects the vitality of ongoing research within the context of laboratory science at the Sloan Kettering Institute.

Students will learn from scientists conducting research in:

  • Developmental biology and genetics
  • Signals and pathways involved in the control of cell proliferation
  • Cell–cell interactions, adhesion, and protein targeting
  • Tumor immunology, immunotherapy, and transplantation biology
  • Genomic integrity and human cancer genetics
  • Drug development, drug resistance, and clinical therapeutics
  • Chemical biology and structural biology
  • Computational biology

The SURP mentors are drawn from departments and research programs of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. These include the Sloan Kettering Institute’s eight research programs — Cancer Biology and Genetics, Cell Biology, Computational Biology, Developmental Biology, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry, and Structural Biology — as well as the hospital’s departments of Medicine, Pathology, Pediatrics, Radiology, and Surgery, and the hospital-based Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program.

For more information, please email us at [email protected].