PCI Fellows is an experiential education program open to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and in exceptional cases, junior research staff at Penn. PCI Fellows get exposure to a wide range of emerging technologies and commercialization opportunities in the life sciences, physical sciences, nanotechnology, and more. The program runs on an annual cycle.
Upon graduating, fellows go on to careers in technology commercialization in fields such as IP Law, technology transfer, medical writing, consulting, industrial research, and startup founding. Many fellows continue in academic careers with a deep understanding of commercialization opportunities for their research.
Read about our incredible Fellows, their areas of research, and their background below:
2024/2025 Fellows
Originally from Nigeria, Adeola received his B.Pharm from Igbinedion University. After working as a pharmacist and business developer, he received his M.Sc. in Cancer Biology from Georgetown University and the University of DC. Adeola’s research specializes in genomics and cancer biology.
His thesis work focuses on understanding molecular interactions driving genome instability and DNA repair mechanisms.
He is an avid traveler, always seeking new cultures and cuisines. When not in the lab, he enjoys hiking and photography, capturing moments of natural beauty.
- BGS/PSOM/BMB/ 4th year Ph.D. candidate
- PI: Dr. Kara Bernstein Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics/PSOM
Originally from California, Ai received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Bioengineering at Penn, and her research focuses on understanding immune cell motility. Outside the lab, Ai enjoys running and baking.
- DOC/SEAS / Bioengineering/4th year
- PI: Dr. Daniel A. Hammer Professor of Bioengineering / Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
enn.edu
Amanda was raised in Connecticut before receiving her B.S. in Biology form Gettysburg College. After matriculating from college Amanda conducted research at Yale University in the Biomedical Engineering Department leveraging single cell technologies to understand CAR T cell biology.
At Penn, her thesis work focuses on improving solid tumor-directed CAR T cells to improve their persistence and antitumor efficacy.
Outside of the lab, Amanda likes kickboxing and trying new restaurants in Philly with friends. As one of three sets of twins, she also enjoys visiting with her large family.
- BGS/PSoM / Immunology / 5th year
- PI: Dr. Carl June Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine/ Center for Cellular Immunotherapies
Maura grew up outside of Philadelphia and received her B.A. chemistry from Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH. At Penn, her research focuses on the upcycling of discarded plastic to more valuable specialty polymers. In her free time, Maura enjoys playing grass volleyball and listening to live music around Philly.
- DOC/SAS / Chemistry / 4th year
- PI: Karen Goldberg SAS/Chemistry
Born in Canada, Oliver lived in Japan for 7 years before returning to Canada prior to high school. He received a dual degree in Mechatronic Systems Engineering and Medical Biophysics at Western University in Canada and is currently pursuing his MSE in Bioengineering at UPenn. Oliver has worked on multiple research projects in the past, such as leveraging machine learning methods to study mTBIs. Outside of academics, Oliver enjoys playing tennis and chess.
- MSE/SEAS / Bioengineering / 1st Year
- PI: Kai Wang Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Shreya was born and raised in India, and received her Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering, and Biotechnology from Shiv Nadar University. She worked as a Business Technology Solutions Associate at a pharma consulting firm before moving to the US to pursue her Master’s in Bioengineering.
Shreya is interested in developing technologies for the early diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. At Penn, she is working on tissue engineered neural networks to restore nigrostriatal pathway in Parkison’s disease.
She is the happiest when traveling and exploring new places, especially the mountains, and loves going on solo trips. She also enjoys reading biographies and trying different cuisines.
- MSE/SEAS / Bioengineering / 1st Year
- PI: D. Kacy Cullen Professor of Neurosurgery/ PSoM
Born in South India and raised in New Jersey, Sravana obtained a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. After working as a Systems Application Engineer in NYC, he is now pursuing his Master’s degree in Bioengineering.
Sravana’s research lies at leveraging AI to analyze neural activity. His research focuses on developing deep learning models to explain brain activity in rodents. In his free time, Sravana enjoys traveling, snowboarding, and reading books.
- MSE/SEAS / Bioengineering / 1st Year
- PI: Minghong Ma Professor of Neuroscience PSoM
medicine.upenn.edu
Stephanie grew up in Florida and received her bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science at the University of Central Florida. She participated in the Penn Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SUIP) in 2019 and 2020 in Dr. Sunny Shin’s lab and returned in 2021 to continue her work in Dr. Shin’s lab.
She’s interested in studying how the innate immune system responds to bacterial infection with hopes to identify pathways to mitigate sepsis. In her free time, she enjoys watching shows on Neflix, hanging out with her partner and two cats, and playing video games. She also owns a small business that sells science themed merchandise online.
- BGS / PSoM/ Department of Immunology/ 3rd year PhD
- PI: Dr. Sunny Shin Professor of Microbiology / Department of Microbiology
Vuppalapatti
Sekar
vstharu@seas.upenn.edu
Tharunika grew up in India and graduated with B.Tech in Biotechnology from Vellore Institute of Technology. Her interest lies in disease research and vaccine development, driven by a curiosity about disease mechanisms and advancing human health. She enjoys immersing herself in nature through activities like hiking and traveling to diverse destinations.
- MBIOT/SEAS / Biotechnology / 1st year
- PI: Dr. Alexander C Huang/ PSoM
If you are interested in learning more about the PCI Fellows Program or applying, read here.