Meet the 2026/2027 PCI Fellows Cohort

Bernard is originally from Ghana and received his B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Cape Coast. He earned his M.S. in Chemistry at East Tennessee State University, studying plant peptide trafficking through fluorescence imaging.

At Penn, Bernard studies alpha-synuclein, a protein implicated in Parkinson’s disease, using chemical biology and biophysical tools.

Outside the lab, he is passionate about education access and volunteers with NGOs, including digital library projects for underprivileged communities in Ghana.

• 3^rd year PhD student in Chemistry at Penn Arts & Sciences
• PIs: E. James Petersson, PhD, Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry & Biophysics at Penn Arts & Sciences, and Elizabeth Rhoades, PhD, Professor of Chemistry at Penn Arts & Sciences

Silvani was born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia and completed her B.A. in Biology, with minors in Chemistry and Cognitive Science, at Penn.

Her thesis focuses on echocardiogram-derived risk stratification for bicuspid aortic valve surgery. Silvani is passionate about translating software-driven discoveries into scalable, compassionate health solutions, combining project management, image analysis, and machine learning expertise.

Outside school, she enjoys travel, hiking, new cultures, Philadelphia restaurants, cafes, nachos, and ice cream shops.

• 3^rd year PhD student in Bioengineering at Penn Engineering
• PI: Alison Pouch, PhD, Assistant Professor of Radiology and Bioengineering in Penn Medicine

Jafar is originally from Queens, New York, and received his B.S. in Neuroscience from Lafayette College. He later worked at the NIH studying the effects of normal aging on cognition. At Penn, he is studying how the brain supports simple decision-making behaviors.

Jafar is passionate about basic and translational science and hopes to pursue a career in intellectual property and technology commercialization.

Outside the lab, he enjoys squash, pool, reading, the gym, electronic music, and Rubik’s cubes.

• 5^th year PhD student in Neuroscience at Penn Medicine
• PIs: Long Ding, PhD, Research Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Penn Medicine, and Joshua Gold, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience at Penn Medicine

Originally from Hong Kong, Tiffany received her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University. At Penn, her research focuses on structural color in systems ranging from bacteria to photonic crystals, as well as their applications in sensing.

Tiffany aims to leverage her technical background to translate innovative materials research into practical, commercially viable products.

Outside of the lab, Tiffany is training for her first marathon along the Schuylkill River Trail!

• 2^nd year PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering at Penn Engineering
• PI: Shu Yang, PhD, Joseph Bordogna Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Penn Engineering

Jiayi is originally from Shanghai, China, and received her B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Johns Hopkins University. At Penn, she focuses on Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology. Her research uses next-generation sequencing to study the human virome and its relationship to health and disease.

Jiayi aims to leverage her knowledge in life science to facilitate the transfer knowledge from the bench-side innovations to the bed-side.

In her free time, she enjoys swimming, embroidery, J-pop, cooking, Chinese dim sum, and is always looking for potluck opportunities with friends!

• 4^th year PhD student in Cell and Molecular Biology at Penn Medicine
• PI: Frederic D. Bushman, PhD, William Maul Measey Professor in Microbiology at Penn Medicine

Taylor grew up in South Jersey outside of Philadelphia and earned her B.S. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry from the University of South Carolina.

Taylor studies the mechanisms by which maternal obesity programs offspring obesity, focusing on the role of extracellular vesicles during early pregnancy.

Outside of the lab, Taylor enjoys weightlifting and cycling, and participates in endurance fitness events. She also loves walking her dog, Cooper, and growing and cooking with fresh herbs, tomatoes, peppers and lettuces from her indoor hydroponic garden.

• 4^th year PhD student in Pharmacology at Penn Medicine
• PI: Rebecca A. Simmons, MD, Hallam Hurt Professor in Neonatology at Penn Medicine

Originally from Los Angeles, Suzana received her B.S. in Biochemistry & Cell Biology at the University of California, San Diego. She also earned her M.S. in Biology at UCSD.

At Penn, her thesis work focuses on developing an mRNA-LNP vaccine for a bacterial pediatric pathogen that has no commercial vaccine available.

In her free time, you’ll find Suzana curating a perfectly vintage wardrobe inspired by fashion from the 60s, 70s, and early 2000s.

• 3^rd year PhD student in Cell and Molecular Biology at Penn Medicine
• PI: Joseph W. St. Geme, III, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at Penn Medicine

Hira is originally from Canada and grew up in the Philadelphia area, where she got her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and Politics from Ursinus College. She is currently a Pharmacology PhD candidate and is pursuing a certificate in Law from Carey Law School.

Her passions at Penn include her work on modular CAR T therapies and the development of radioligand-based approaches to track and image cellular therapies.

When not working, Hira enjoys crocheting and taking on various crafting projects when at home with her cats, Maple and Dota. She also is actively involved in two non-profits, one that works to build a hospital in KPK, Pakistan, where her family is from, and one that hosts interscholastic tournaments for high school students across the country.

• 3rd year PhD student in Pharmacology at Penn Medicine
• PI: Michael Farwell, MD, Associate Professor of Radiology at Penn Medicine

Melissa Kim is originally from Los Angeles and earned her B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She then completed a one-year postbaccalaureate fellowship at the National Cancer Institute in Frederick, Maryland. At Penn, her research focuses on the relationship between telomere fidelity and intestinal stem cell biology.

Melissa has a strong interest in business development and technology transfer, particularly in translating scientific discoveries into real-world applications.

Outside of her academic work, she enjoys drawing cats and has a cat named Koopa S. Cholupa, named after Koopa Troopa.

• 7^th year PhD student in Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group at Penn Medicine
• PI: Chris Lengner, PhD, Harriet Ellison Woodward Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Penn Veterinary Medicine

Originally from India, Nidhi completed her bachelor’s in computer science at Vellore Institute of Technology. She has a background in AI and medical imaging and has startup experience in the healthcare space.

At Penn, Nidhi’s focus is on AI and computer vision applications.

Outside of academics, you’ll find Nidhi exploring different types of coffee, dancing, or keeping up with her favorite sports!

• 1^st year Master’s student in Computer & Information Science at Penn Engineering

Jianhua (Hua) grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia before moving to the U.S. He received his B.S. in Bioengineering, with a minor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, from UC Berkeley.

Hua is passionate about biotech entrepreneurship and commercialization, with aspirations to build his own biotech venture. At Penn, he develops precision medicine platforms in non-viral CAR-T cell engineering and saliva-based molecular diagnostics.

Outside academics, Hua enjoys traveling, staying active, exploring restaurants, scenic hikes, cocktails, and omakase experiences worldwide.

•  4^th year PhD student in Bioengineering at Penn Engineering
• PI: Jina Ko, PhD
• Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory, Penn Medicine and Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Penn Engineering

Patience is originally from Ghana and holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from KNUST, focused on medical devices, and an M.S. from Arizona State University, focused on Neural Engineering.

Patience is passionate about global health, equity, and expanding access to assistive devices for people with disabilities.

Outside the lab, she enjoys fashion, photography, sewing with African prints, street photography, and dancing to afrobeat music.

• 5th year PhD student in Bioengineering at Penn Engineering
• PI: Michelle Johnson, PhD, Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Penn Medicine and Associate Professor in Bioengineering at Penn Engineering