UAlbany to Host National Summer Research Programs in Emerging Tech and RNA Science

Andy Berglund and Abdullah Canbaz stand in front of a Minerva wood panel at ETEC.

Andy Berglund (left) and Abdullah Canbaz will both host REU programs on campus. (Photo by Patrick Dodson)

ALBANY, N.Y. (June 24, 2026) — The University at Albany is now home to two nationally competitive summer research programs after receiving new funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Each summer, the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program gives undergraduate students opportunities to participate in hands-on research at colleges and universities across the U.S. and the world.

Students from across the U.S. apply directly to REU Sites through the NSF Education and Training Application portal and receive stipends for their participation, along with on-campus housing and assistance with meals and travel expenses.

UAlbany’s RNA Institute has hosted REU students for the past three years. This spring, the program received more funding to support hands-on student research in RNA science and technology for an additional three years.

New this year, UAlbany’s Department of Information Sciences and Technology received funding to launch a brand new REU Site. Students in the program, which will officially kick off in Spring 2027, will explore the intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

Both programs are currently funded for three years. Each program will select 8–10 students each summer to work on independent research projects under close faculty mentorship.

“NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Sites are among the most competitive and prestigious summer research programs in the nation. We are thrilled to now host two of them on our campus,” said UAlbany Vice President for Research and Economic Development Kesh Kesavadas. “By creating opportunities for students to conduct hands-on research in fields ranging from RNA science to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, these programs will help prepare the next generation of researchers while addressing some of society’s most pressing challenges.”

Training future tech leaders

UAlbany’s newly funded NSF REU Site will prepare undergraduate students to address increasingly sophisticated cybersecurity threats driven by rapid advances in artificial intelligence.

The program’s research portfolio includes cyber deception, industrial control systems security, trustworthy AI, cyber training and human–AI interaction in cyber incident decision-making.

Andy Berglund and Abdullah Canbaz chat inside the AI in Complex Systems Laboratory. — Andy Berglund (left) and Abdullah Canbaz discuss ideas for collaboration from inside the AI in Complex Systems Laboratory. (Photo by Patrick Dodson)

Students will receive primers on the AI–cybersecurity intersection, as well as skill-building in Python programming and data science to prepare them for AI-driven decision-making on real datasets.

Abdullah Canbaz, an assistant professor in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology, is leading the new site.

“This award is not just about the research—it’s about the students we’ll bring into this space,” Canbaz said. “Through this REU site, we’ll work closely with undergraduate researchers and immerse them in real, messy, interdisciplinary problems that define today’s cybersecurity landscape.”

Canbaz directs UAlbany’s AI in Complex Systems Laboratory, a cutting-edge research facility on the second floor of the ETEC research and development complex that is dedicated to the study and advancement of AI within the context of complex systems and networks.

Students in the REU Site program will participate in research projects from inside the AI lab, and other ETEC facilities, such as the Cyber Range and Cyber Cascade Risk labs.

Canbaz’s team plans to host eight undergraduates each summer for three years, beginning in Summer 2027. Students will be selected through a national application process, with the goal that approximately half of the cohort will come from UAlbany and other SUNY campuses.

“We are excited to give students the opportunity to spend time at our facilities, learn and gain hands-on experience that can help prepare them to be future leaders in these emerging fields,” Canbaz said.

Preparing for careers in biotech

UAlbany's RNA Institute has been running the Research Experiences for Undergraduates in RNA (REU in RNA) Site for three years. Since the program’s inception, each summer, ten applicants funded by the NSF are invited to the RNA Institute to conduct independent research projects under close faculty mentorship, focusing on ribonucleic acid (RNA) science and RNA-based technologies. Students in the program enjoy 10 weeks of hands-on research experience, professional development opportunities and pathways to graduate study.

This year’s cohort will be the largest yet at 18 strong with ten REU students directly supported by the NSF grant. Additionally, five REU students will be supported by the SUNY Chancellor's office and three more through internal funding and the generosity of local donors. Students are selected from across all fifty states with six UAlbany students participating in this year’s program.

Past projects have focused on topics as diverse as building DNA nanostructures for applications in biotech, developing rapid testing systems to detect foodborne pathogens, creating new tools to support disease surveillance, and studying repeat expansion diseases that lead to various forms of muscular dystrophy and spinocerebellar ataxias.

Beyond research skills, professional development is a pillar of the program. New opportunities this year will include a visit from speakers at Boston Children's Hospital who work on rare disease analysis using genomics, and a first-ever RNA startup event hosted with Life Sciences New York, which aims to expose students to the growing RNA startup ecosystem in New York State.

“It’s been a pleasure to grow the ‘REU in RNA’ program over the past three years, and this year, the program’s fourth, is set to be the strongest yet,” said RNA Institute Director and Keith Hynes Endowed Professor in STEM Andy Berglund. “We received 460 applications for 18 open positions, and the cohort is very impressive with an average GPA of 3.9.”

“We are excited to continue developing this program as a way to train undergraduates in the research skills needed to succeed in any number of careers in biotech.” said UAlbany Provost Carol Kim, who leads the REU in RNA with Berglund “Whether they go on to positions at top universities or undertake industry jobs in the biotech sector, our REU alums already have a strong track record of positive career outcomes. We also aim to create opportunities for students from non-research-intensive undergrad environments to gain experience in research that might not be available at their home institutions. Broadening access to this sort of training is intrinsic to the program and critically needed to advance the field of RNA research.”

These programs — together with a range of other innovative summer research opportunities available at UAlbany — expand the university’s undergraduate research environment by affording students the chance to do high-quality, hands-on research while building career-ready skills and contributing to work that addresses major challenges facing society.