Research Experiences for Undergraduates at The RNA Institute

2023 REU in RNA Cohort in front of the Life Sciences Building. — 2023 REU in RNA Cohort.

Overview

The REU in RNA program is a 10-week long rigorous program, aligned with the RNA Institute's mission of training the next generation of RNA scientists. The 2026 summer program will be held at the University at Albany from May 26 to August 1, 2026.

Students will participate in hands-on research focused on scientific discovery in and around ribonucleic acid (RNA) science and RNA-based technologies. The broad potential of RNA means that advancing RNA science and RNA-based technologies benefits society by generating innovation and building infrastructure capacity for future research, diagnostic, and therapeutic applications.

Engaging students in RNA research, especially those underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), creates a pool of diverse interdisciplinary scholars who will ultimately lead future scientific endeavors and help address STEM disparities at all levels.

The REU in RNA program is supported by NSF REU grant, SUNY Chancellor's Summer Research Excellence Fund, Center of Excellence in RNA Research and Therapeutics, and the RNA Institute.

REU in RNA

Support Provided

$6,000 stipend
On-campus housing in University at Albany dorms
$1,500 meal plan allowance
Up to $750 in travel support

Eligibility

Undergraduates who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents,
Majoring in biology, biological sciences, biomedical sciences, chemistry, physics (other science and engineering majors may be considered),
Rising juniors (will have completed their sophomore year at the start of the summer) or rising seniors (will have completed junior year by the start of the summer program). Students who graduate prior to the summer are not eligible.

The program welcomes the participation of first-generation college students, students from community colleges, and students from groups that are underrepresented in science and engineering, including women, historically underrepresented minorities (African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Alaskan Native/Native American/Native Hawaiian, Pacifica Islander), veterans, and persons with disabilities.

Research Projects

REU participants will have the opportunity to match to one of our many REU research projects. The REU application will allows applicants to select their three preferred research lab choices.

Screening small molecules for myotonic dystrophy - a toxic RNA disease with Professor Andrew Berglund (Biological Sciences/RNA Institute)
DNA as a material to build nanoscale structures, with applications in drug delivery, data storage and crystallography with Senior Research Scientist Arun Chandrasekaran (RNA Institute)
Using RNA folding to predict high-resolution RNA tertiary structures with Associate Professor Alan Chen (Chemistry/RNA Institute)
Investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of head and face development in vertebrates with Assistant Professor Soma Dash (Biological Sciences).
Investigate the genetic/molecular basis of cellular diversity and organogenesis using zebrafish as a model system with Senior Research Scientist Dylan Farnsworth (The RNA Institute).
Analysis of expression and subcellular localizations of Male-specific lethal 3 (MSL3) during mammalian gametogenesis with Associate Professor Paolo Forni (Biological Sciences)
Translational regulation by ribosomal subpopulation with Assistant Professor Gabriele Fuchs (Biological Sciences/RNA Institute).
DNA nanotechnology and biomolecule analysis with Senior Research Scientist Ken Halvorsen (RNA Institute)
Analysis of the intersection of developmental biology and regenerative medicine with Professor Melinda Larsen (Biological Sciences)
Analyzing spatiotemporal patterns of in vivo Notch signaling responses during development and aging with Assistant Professor ChangHwan Lee (Biological Sciences).
Role of RNA Structure in viral function with Associate Professor Cara Pager (Biological Sciences)
Investigate the molecular basis of fatal human ITPase enzyme deficiency with Kaalak Reddy, Research Faculty (RNA Institute) and Adjunct Assistant Professor (Biological Sciences).
DNA and RNA-encoded cellular regulatory response network with Associate Professor Morgan Sammons (Biological Sciences)
Structural and Functional Diversity of 2′-5′ Linked RNA with Associate Professor Jia Sheng (Chemistry)
RNA-mediated mechanisms of disease pathogenesis and therapeutic intervention for rare neurodegenerative diseases with Assistant Professor Hannah Shorrock (Biological Sciences/RNA Institute)
Using molecular modeling and simulations to investigate RNA:drug interactions with Research Scientist Sweta Vangaveti (RNA Institute).
Synthesis of biological active natural products and pharmaceutically relevant biomolecules for human diseases with Assistant Professor Ting Wang (RNA Institute/Chemistry).
Toehold RNA-switch and CRISPR for paper-based pathogen detection with Associate Professor Mehmet Yigit (Chemistry).

How to apply

The 2026 Application Portal will open in early winter 2026. Please continue to monitor this webpage for more information in 2026. **
Complete the online application form (including statement of future plans and your ability to contribute to diversity in RNA research, statement of prior research experience (if applicable), unofficial transcripts, and resume)
Ask one professors/scientist to email letters of recommendations to: [email protected]

J. Andrew Berglund

Principal Investigator

Professor and Director of the RNA Institute

Phone: 518-591-8814

[email protected]

Grant & Funding Sources

News

Summer Spotlight: UAlbany Undergrads Study Myotonic Dystrophy, Breast Cancer
Alongside researchers in the RNA Institute and the Cancer Research Center, Sanjida Ahmed and Sakthi Muthukrishnan spent their summers inside the lab, wielding pipettes and advanced analytical equipment to further our understanding of important disease processes with the goal to inform new therapeutics and improve lives.
Summer of Science: RNA Institute Hosts First Cohort of ‘Research Experiences for Undergraduates’ Students
Undergraduate students from colleges and universities across the U.S. partnered with scientists at the University at Albany’s RNA Institute to undertake hands-on research projects as part of the RNA Institute’s inaugural Research Experiences for Undergraduates in RNA (REU in RNA) program.

REU in RNA Cohorts

Success Stories of REU in RNA Trainees

Emmett Hanson (2025 REU in RNA Trainee)

Award: Best Poster Award, 2025 RNA Day Summer Celebration

Award: 2025 Minerva Center Award – Endowed Undergraduate Research

Award: Best Poster Award, Capital Region STEM Showcase by Regeneron

Award: Best Poster Award, 2024 RNA Day Summer Celebration (Undergraduate Researcher Category)

Publications: Emmett Hanson, Nabeel Kalla, Ram Jeevan Tharu, Mikail M. Demir, Betul H. Tok, M. Abdullah Canbaz, and Mehmet V. Yigit* " CRISPR-Responsive Reprogrammable Label-Free Fluorescent Nanoclusters for ML-Assisted Pathogenic Genome Detection on Solid Substrates". Small, 2025, 21 (15), 2500784.

Publication: Ram Jeevan Tharu, Emmett Hanson, and Mehmet V. Yigit* " Target-Responsive DNA Hydrogels with Encapsulation and Release Properties Using Programmable CRISPR-Cas12a". ACS Chemical Biology, 2025, 20, 7, 1805-1812.

Todd Goudeau (2025 REU in RNA Trainee)

Award: Best Poster Award, 2025 RNA Day Summer Celebration

Natalie Hinrichsen (2025 REU in RNA Trainee)

Award: Best Poster Award, 2025 RNA Day Summer Celebration

Ethan Krupa (2025 REU in RNA Trainee)

Award: Class of 1905 Natural Sciences Bazzoni Fellowship for the 2025-2026 academic year, UAlbany

Massa Masri (2025 REU in RNA Trainee)

Award: Best Poster Award, Dean's Excellence Award Category, RNA Institute Retreat 2025

Award: Best Poster Award, Biological Sciences Department, University at Albany Showcase 2025

Hailey Mulvihill (2025 REU in RNA Trainee)

Award: Best Poster Award, 2025 RNA Day Summer Celebration

Sophia Boler (2024 REU in RNA Trainee)

Award: 2025 Goldwater Scholarship in Mathematics, Sciences, and Engineering

Award: Best Poster Award, 2024 RNA Day Summer Celebration

Tanner Poissant (2024 REU in RNA Trainee)

Award: Best Poster Award, 2024 RNA Day Summer Celebration

Mona Zeghal (2024 REU in RNA Trainee)

2025 MERRITT fellow at Icahn School of Medicine

Camryn Beckles (2023 REU in RNA Trainee)

Publication: Iranna Annappa Todkari, Arun Richard Chandrasekaran, Jibin Abraham Punnoose, Song Mao, Phensinee Haruehanroengra, Camryn Beckles, Jia Sheng, Ken Halvorsen, Resolving altered base-pairing of RNA modifications with DNA nanoswitches, Nucleic Acids Research, Volume 51, Issue 20, 10 November 2023, Pages 11291–11297.

Mireylin Cordones (2023 REU in RNA Trainee)

Award: Best Poster Presentation, 2023 RNA Day Summer Celebration

Publication: Bharath Raj Madhanagopal, Arlin Rodriguez, Mireylin Cordones, and Arun Richard Chandrasekaran, Barium Concentration-Dependent Anomalous Electrophoresis of Synthetic DNA Motifs, ACS Applied Bio Materials 2024 7 (5), 2704-2709.

Phuc Duong (2023 REU in RNA Trainee)

Award: Best Poster Presentation, 2023 RNA Day Summer Celebration

2025

Trainees of the 2025 REU in RNA program

Rebecca Bachenheimer
Major: Cell and Molecular Biology; Connecticut College
REU Mentor: Dr. Andy Berglund
Project title: Cytokine Regulation in Myotonic Dystrophy Types 1 and 2
Jonathan Colon
Major: Chemistry; CUNY Lehman College
REU Mentor: Dr. Ting Wang
Project title: Design and synthesis of small molecule drugs to rescue mis-splicing in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1
Jack Erickson-King
Major: Cell and Molecular Biology; The College of Wooster
REU Mentor: Dr. Kaalak Reddy
Project title: Investigating the role of spliceosome components and their modulation in myotonic dystrophy.
Gwenyth Gallagher
Major: Chemistry; University at Albany
REU Mentor: Dr. Arun Richard Chandrasekaran
Project title: Hydrated ionic liquids as solvents for DNA nanostructure self assembly
Vanessa Gentile
Major: Biochemistry; SUNY New Paltz
REU Mentor: Dr. ChangHwan Lee
Project title: Investigating germline stem cell maintenance in the presence of loss of function glp-1 mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans
Alisa Gorham
Major: Biochemistry; Hood College
REU Mentor: Dr. Gabriele Fuchs
Project title: Ribosomal protein RACK1 aids in IRES-mediated translation of p53 under cellular stress
Todd Goudeau
Major: Biology; Belhaven University
REU Mentor: Dr. Paolo Forni
Project title: Comprehensive Examination of the Olfactory Epithelium at a Single-Cell Resolution
Emmett Hanson
Major: Biochemistry and Biophysics, University at Albany
REU Mentor: Dr. Mehmet Yigit
Project title: Simultaneous detection of multiple pathogenic genomes on paper-substrate using CRIPSPR Cas12a and label-free fluorescent DNA nanoclusters
Natalie Hinrichsen
University of Vermont
REU Mentor: Dr. Kaalak Reddy
Project title: Developing Multiple Experimentally Tractable Cellular Models for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2.
Sydney Johnson
Major: Biology; St John’s University New York
REU Mentor: Dr. Gabriele Fuchs
Project title: IRES-mediated Translation in SARS-CoV-2 Dual Luciferase Constructs
Ethan Krupa
Major: Biology; University at Albany
REU Mentor: Dr. Cara Pager
Project title: Development of a Zika virus single cell fluorescent reporter
Massa Masri
Major: Biology; University at Albany
REU Mentor: Dr. Andy Berglund
Project title: Exploring Immune Gene Expression in SCA2 Whole Blood
Hailey Mulvihill
Major: Biology; Wittenberg University
REU Mentor: Dr. Hannah Shorrock
Project title: Novel Small Molecule Screening of CAG Expansion Clonal Inducible Cell Lines
Cristina Pedorella
Major: Chemistry; College of the Holy Cross
REU Mentor: Dr. Cara Pager
Project title: The Relationship of 3' UTR Structures and Translation of the Kamiti River Virus
Kaiden Salaz
Major: Biochemistry & Biophysics; Southwestern University
REU Mentor: Dr. Ken Halvorsen
Project title: Integration of a photoactive element into a DNA tetrahedron for light-controlled disassembly
Maya Valdez
Major: Biology; McDaniel College
REU Mentor: Dr. Soma Dash
Project title: The Role of the Mediator Complex in Craniofacial Development
Angela White
Major: Chemistry; University at Albany
REU Mentor: Dr. Jia Sheng
Project title: Preliminary Development of ASO-based RiboTAC for the Treatment of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2

2024

Trainees of the 2024 REU in RNA program

Sanjida Ahmed
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; University at Albany
REU Mentor: Dr. Jia Sheng and Dr. Andy Berglund
Activation Study and screening of an RNA guided RiboTac System for the cleavage of CUG Repeat RNA in DM-1 using vitro model
Sophia Boler
Major: Biophysics; Minerva University
REU Mentor: Dr. Gabriele Fuchs
The role of RACK1 in cellular internal ribosome entry site (IRES) mediated translation during cell stress
Karolina Cardenas
Major: Bioengineering; San Diego Mesa College
REU Mentor: Dr. Melinda Larsen
Defining Changes in Mouse Salivary Gland Epithelial Cells Post Radiation Treatment
Abigail Goldman
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Drew University
REU Mentor: Dr. Morgan Sammons
Using CRISPR Technology to Identify Distal Elements Regulating RNA Synthesis
Amelia Harper
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Dickinson College
REU Mentor: Dr. Cara Pager
Exploring the relationship between PUS1 and ZIKV in a cell culture model
Cecelia Lawyer
Major: Biology; The College of New Jersey
REU Mentor: Dr. Cara Pager
Discovering the Relationship between Zika Virus and PUS3
Tanner Poissant
Major: Biochemistry; Western Connecticut State University
REU Mentor: Dr. Paolo Forni
Notch Signaling in Determining Cell-Fate of Vomeronasal Keratinocytes in Rodents
Carlos Rodriguez-Bornot
Major: Biology; Onondaga Community College
REU Mentor: Dr. Andy Berglund
Modified Polycyclic Compounds Rescue Spliceopathy in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2
Maria Tamayo
Major: Bioengineering; Southwestern College
REU Mentor: Dr. Kaalak Reddy
Combinatorial knockdown of core spliceosome proteins rescues MBNL1 mediated mis-splicing and toxic CUG RNA levels in DM1
Mona Zeghal
Major: Biomedical Engineering; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
REU Mentor: Dr. Ken Halvorsen
Enhancing DNA Nanoswitch Performance through ligation

2023

Trainees of the 2023 REU in RNA program

Camryn Beckles
Major: Chemistry; University at Albany
Mentor: Ken Halvorsen
Project title: Probing Thermodynamics & Stoichiometry of DNA Intercalators
Meghna Chandrasekar
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; University of California, Santa Barbara
Mentor: Alan Chen
Project title: RNA’s Mechanism of Gene Regulation: Molecular Dynamics of the Fluoride Riboswitch
Mireylin Cordones
Major: Biology; The College of Saint Rose
Mentor: Arun Chandrasekaran
Project title: Barium-induced Aggregation of a Multi-crossover DNA Motif
Phuc (David) Duong
Major: Biology; Jamestown Community College
Mentor: Melinda Larsen
Project title: Determining the Role of miRNAs in Salivary Gland Fibrosis
Max Kugler
Major: Biology; Rosemont College
Mentor: Andy Berglund
Project title: Probing Transcript Levels of Genes of Interest in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 to Assess Possible Mechanism of Action of Small Molecule Therapeutics
Sarah Perez
Major: Biomedical Biology; University of Puerto Rico Aguadilla
Mentor: Cara Pager
Project title: Modulation of Pseudouridylation RNA Marks and Zika Virus Infection
Ashley Ramirez
Major: Forensic Science - Criminology; St. Mary's University
Mentor: Gabriele Fuchs
Project title: Influence of Untranslated Regions on RACK1 Translation Efficiency
Anne Roy
Major: Biochemistry and Computer Science; Pace University
Mentors: Sweta Vangaveti and Andy Berglund
Project title: Exploring Quercetin for Treating Type 2 Myotonic Dystrophy: Combined in Vitro and in Silico Study
Carolina Saldivar
Major: Forensic Science – Chemistry; St. Mary's University
Mentor: Rabi Musah
Project title: I Found Myself in a Sticky Situation: Mass Spectral Analysis of Earwax
Luke Simpson
Major: Biology; Hendrix College
Mentor: Paolo Forni
Project title: The Expansion of Vomeronasal Horizontal Basal Stem Cells in Developing Rodents
Darelys Soto
Major: Industrial Chemistry; Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
Mentor: Jia Sheng
Project title: Cellular Characterization of Natural Products in Model Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 Cell Line
Barbara Zazueta
Major: Biochemistry; Southwestern Community College
Mentor: Andy Berglund
Project title: Testing New DM1 Small Molecule Therapeutics Effects on Alternative Splicing; Are They Specific to the Disease-causing CTG Repeat Expansion or Not?