UAlbany RNA Institute hosts RNA Institute Retreat

RNA Institute 2025 Retreat

The Lodge at Schroon Lake on Monday, June 16, and Tuesday, June 17 hosted the RNA Institute Retreat with close to 180 attendees. This two-day event was organized by the Center of Excellence in RNA Research & Therapeutics (CERRT) in partnership with the University of Rochester’s Center for RNA Biology and UAlbany’s RNA Institute. The retreat provided a venue for faculty, postdocs, students, and alumni across various institutions sharing cutting-edge discoveries and engaging in cross-disciplinary discussions in RNA science and research.

The retreat featured keynote presentations from current leaders in RNA research:

  • Dr. Dragony Fu, Professor of Biology at the University of Rochester, presented “RNA Modifications in Development and Disease”, exploring how RNA chemical changes influence gene expression and contribute to health and disease.
  • Dr. Silvi Rouskin, Assistant Professor of Microbiology at Harvard Medical School, delivered “Uncovering Hidden Regulatory Elements in Viral and Human Genomes”, illuminating the structural biology of RNA and its implications for virology and therapeutic targeting.

UAlbany faculty also presented institutional research strengths and possible opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

  • Dr. Alan Chen, Professor of Chemistry – “Access and Use of the UAlbany AI Plus Supercomputer”
  • Dr. Andres Melendez, Chair, Department of Nanoscale Science and Engineering – “CNSE Overview”
  • Dr. Morgan Sammons, Associate Dean, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics – “College Overview”
  • Dr. Allison Appleton, Chair, College of Integrated Health Sciences – “CIHS Overview”

A highlight of the RNA Institute Retreat was the Career Panel discussion, “Where Are They Now, and How Did They Get There?” featuring UAlbany PhD alumni and moderated by Dr. Jeanette Altarriba, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The session offered a look into the diverse career paths taken by UAlbany graduates in RNA and biochemical sciences. The panelists shared their thoughts on how their education and training at UAlbany prepared them for numerous post-doctoral research opportunities in academia, industry, and government.

The panelists included the following:

  • Dr. Jesus Frias, Postdoctoral Fellow, Cooper Lab, Baylor College of Medicine
  • Dr. Christopher Smith, Mid-Level Scientist, ECS & Scientific, Engineering, and Technology Advisor (SETA)
  • Dr. Nicole Ralbovsky, Associate Principal Scientist, Merck (Pennsylvania)
  • Dr. Ed Taroc, Postdoctoral Fellow, NIDCR – National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research 

The program also included 125 submitted posters. During the event, the retreat announced the recipients of the 2025 Poster Presentation Awards and the Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards.

 

Faculty & Staff Excellence Award Winners

2025 Excellence in Service

  • Sangeetha Selvam
  • Claudia Lennon

2025 Excellence in Mentoring

  • Andres Melendez
  • Ken Halvorsen

2025 Excellence in Research & Entrepreneurship

  • Scott Tenenbaum

2025 Excellence in Research & Service

  • Morgan Sammons

 

Poster Presentation - Dean Altarriba's Excellence Award Winners

Undergraduate Student Category

  • Hailey Mulvihill (Shorrock Lab)

Graduate Student Category

  • Dwiti Das (Cady Lab)
  • Asmer Aliyeva (Berglund lab)

Postdoctoral Fellow Category

  • Cecilia Legare (Berglund Lab)

 

Poster Presentation - RNA Institute's Excellence Award Winners

Undergraduate Student Category

  • Massa Masri (Berglund Lab) 
  • Nada Elniel (Wang Lab)
  • Lauren Anderson (Chandrasekaran Lab)

 Graduate Student Category

  • Amy Mascorro (Sheng & Berglund Labs)
  • Brianna Nelthripe (Shorrock Lab)
  • Jacob Schroader (Reddy & Berglund Labs)
  • Haley MacNeil (Fuchs Lab)
  • Tia Swenty (Tenenbaum Lab)
  • Kate Hayes (Dash Lab)
  • Fin Morris (Melendez Lab)

 Postdoctoral Fellow Category

  • Ashif Bhuiyan (Shorrock Lab)

 

Congratulations to all participants and awardees of the 2025 RNA Institute Retreat!

Please click on this link for additional information on UAlbany’s Department of Biological Sciences: https://www.albany.edu/biology.

Click on this link for information on UAlbany/s RNA Institute: https://www.albany.edu/rna.