UAlbany Summer: Pursuing a Future in Biomedical Research
ALBANY, N.Y. (Aug. 26, 2026) — UAlbany senior Winnie Ou has made a habit of seeking out new research experiences.
As a high school student in Brooklyn, Ou knew she was fascinated by science and human health. What she did not yet know was what kind of career would allow her to pursue those interests.
So she started researching possibilities online.
When Ou came across biomedical science, she found a field centered on understanding disease, making discoveries and developing new approaches to improving human health.
“I jumped for joy because everything about the occupation was what I wanted to do,” said Ou, a biology major with a minor in business administration. “I decided right there and then that this was the career I'm pursuing.”
This past summer, Ou took another step toward that goal in the lab of Professor of Nanoscale Science and Engineering Yubing Xie as part of UAlbany's Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP). Her work was co-mentored by research scientist Pujhitha Ramesh and graduate student Andrea Valarezo.
There, Ou worked on 3D models designed to help researchers better understand glaucoma.
For Ou, the summer project was another in a series of experiences she has deliberately sought out to learn what it means to be a scientist — in the laboratory and beyond it.
Finding a Place in Research
Ou, a first-generation college student and only child of immigrant parents, chose UAlbany in part because its status as an R1 research institution offered opportunities for undergraduates to get involved in hands-on research.
Her first opportunity came as a sophomore, when she began shadowing Associate Professor Gabriele Fuchs at UAlbany's RNA Institute.
“Walking through the doors of the RNA Institute for the first time was eye-opening, and I never felt more alive,” Ou said. “This is everything I wanted to do, and I was finally learning foundational laboratory techniques and how to think critically like a scientist.”
Ou later joined the lab of Associate Professor ChangHwan Lee through UAlbany's NIH-funded Maximizing Access to Research Careers program. There, she investigated the role of glutamine tracts in Notch transcriptional regulation using C. elegans, a tiny roundworm commonly used as a model organism in biological research.
“One of the most meaningful aspects of my experience at UAlbany has been the opportunity to participate in the NIH MARC program,” Ou said. “This program had a significant impact on my development by providing mentorship, professional development opportunities and a supportive community.”
Taking Research Beyond the Lab
During a winter study abroad program through Stony Brook University, she traveled to the Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory in Jamaica, where she designed an independent project focused on coral reef ecology and conducted underwater surveys and species identification across reef and lagoon habitats.
After spending most of her undergraduate research experience in academic laboratories, Ou wanted to try something different. The program combined her interest in science with her love of travel and placed her directly in the environment she was studying.
“Being in a tropical reef/ecology lab and being so close to the marine life organisms I am studying was a completely new setting for me,” Ou said.
The experience also broadened the way she thought about research.
“Scientific discovery can take on many forms,” Ou said.
Building Toward a Career in Biomedical Science
That broader perspective followed Ou back to UAlbany, where this past summer she returned to her primary interest in biomedical research in Xie’s lab.
Her work examines the relationship between cells involved in the eye's drainage system and uses engineered scaffolds to better recreate their natural environment. The research could help scientists better understand cellular changes associated with glaucoma.
“Winnie brings curiosity, perseverance and a real passion for scientific discovery to her research,” Xie said. “From her early laboratory experiences to her work developing 3D glaucoma models, she has shown the dedication and ability needed to build a promising career in biomedical science and engineering.”
Ou is now continuing her biomedical training as a protein co-op intern at GenScript and was selected as a 2026 GSMI Scholar, a competitive national program that supports students pursuing graduate study in STEM.
She plans to pursue a PhD in a biomedical field. Her business minor, she said, has helped her develop leadership, communication and strategic thinking skills that she hopes will complement her scientific training.
“My long-term goal is to lead my own research laboratory, where I can combine scientific discovery with mentorship and collaboration,” Ou said.
She encourages her fellow students to explore different opportunities and give themselves time to figure out what path fits them best.
“Never be afraid to ask questions, because people in the field often have experiences and advice you will never hear about if you don’t ask,” Ou said.