GS Bancroft Scholars Driving Innovation and Making an Impact Through Research
The Bancroft Research Scholars are an esteemed group of GS students participating in cutting-edge research alongside Columbia faculty.
Columbia GS is proud to announce the 2024-25 cohort of Bancroft Research Scholars, an esteemed group of GS students who are participating in cutting-edge research alongside Columbia faculty. This Program provides GS students with the opportunity and funding to engage in meaningful research during the academic year, fostering intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and scholarly development.
For Housen Akoush ‘26GS, the Bancroft Research Scholars Program is not just funding his project, it’s funding the impact it may have on future lives. His research with Carol A. Mason, (Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology, and Principal Investigator at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute), focuses on a cell axon imbalance that affects depth perception in people with albinism. Akoush was drawn to the research by the way neurons move from the eye to the brain. Studying the neurons’ fascinating journey “could help us fix damaged neurons in adults someday. The potential to turn these biological insights into treatments that could change lives is what really attracted me to this field,” he said.
Akoush reflected that the funding has created a space for him to focus on both his studies and his research, all while helping to grow and advance science. But more than that, the Program creates paid research opportunities for GS students, filling a gap where none previously existed.
“Many GS students are eager to explore their academic interests, but the lack of funding makes it difficult to dedicate time and resources to research. Establishing the Bancroft Research Scholars Program for GS students ensures they have the opportunity to pursue meaningful projects, gain valuable experience, and strengthen their academic and career trajectories,” said Jie (Jenny) Li, GS Senior Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs.
“Being a Bancroft Research Scholar has allowed me to pursue a project at the culmination of my education here.”
Since it was launched in Spring 2024, the Program provides GS students with the opportunity and funding to engage in meaningful research during the academic year, fostering intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and scholarly development.
Adrian Puga ‘26GS echoed how the funding helped him far beyond the initial goal. A Fall 2024 Bancroft Scholar, Puga’s research examines wetland paleoclimatic records to better understand past and present climate change dynamics. “We’ve widened the scope of our research to encompass multiple sites across the northeast and have been awarded additional grant funding designated to promote climate research between Columbia’s LDEO Climate Center and NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, allowing us to continue our research well into 2026,” he said. “Being a Bancroft Research Scholar has allowed me to pursue a project at the culmination of my education here.”
A GS student’s life experience is often never far from their educational pursuits. Such is the case for Ava Kamdem ‘25GS, a mother, wife, work-study employee, aspiring PhD candidate, and inaugural Bancroft Scholar. Kamdem’s research topic is deeply personal and close to her heart: community-based violence intervention programs. Her research, Project Restore Bed-Stuy (PRB), offers “an alternative to traditional policing by preventing urban gun violence through life skills, mentorship, and resource support,” Kamdem said. “I was attracted to this research as I am a formerly incarcerated survivor of human trafficking and have first hand experienced the benefit of supportive social networks thus wanted to investigate it in an empirical context. Additionally social networks, social norms, and social capital are all extremely intriguing to me and I aim to further investigate them post-graduation.”
Kamdem was invited to submit at the Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, an accomplishment she credits to the support of the Bancroft Research Scholars Program, and will be sharing her research at the first annual GS Research Festival in April.
“It’s wonderful to see more and more GS students engaging in the innovative and important research that is at the heart of our mission at Columbia. Under the thoughtful mentorship of our outstanding faculty, Bancroft Scholars have been working on fascinating projects, with the potential to advance knowledge, improve society, and make people’s lives better,” said Caroline Marvin, GS Dean of Academic Affairs. “I’ve been so impressed by Bancroft Scholars’ dedication not only to their own research but also to their roles as research ambassadors and peer mentors, encouraging their fellow GS students to dive into research.”
For GS students looking to get involved in research—perseverance and curiosity are key. Kamdem advised: “the only failure is to stop trying. Put yourself in there, know you don’t know anything, and be open to learning, growing, and working really hard!”
Puga added: “By exploring our different interests, we may find what truly engages us, learning more about ourselves as students, researchers, and people along the way.”
Advice such as this has led these students and their peers to a program that will influence their research practices for years to come. Learn more about the research GSers are doing at the First Annual GS Research Festival Reception on April 25!
Spring 2025 Bancroft Scholars
Jiahui Zhu ‘26GS, Mathematics-Statistics
Developmental Dynamics
Emily Lee ‘27GS, Biochemistry
Investigating Microglia Population Structure in Alzheimer’s Disease Among African Americans
Jeremy Steven Switzer ‘26GS, Archaeology
Rice in Madagascar: Searching for Evidence of Human Migration
Housen Akoush ‘27GS, Neuroscience and Behavior
Impact of Cx43 Gap Junction Knockout on Cyclin D2-Mediated Cell Cycle Regulation
Shearee Zangmo ‘27GS, Economics & Astrophysics
Sustainable Helicopter Air Ambulance in Bhutan's Gelephu Mindfulness City
Ernest Hunter ‘26GS, Computer Science & Film
Design and Development of a Hoverboard for Personal Transportation
Fall 2024 Bancroft Scholars
Marianna Visconti Wrona ‘25GS, Biological Sciences
The 3 I’s of immunity and aging: immunosenescence, inflammaging, and immune resilience
Taylor Moani Akemi Moniz ‘25GS, Neuroscience and Behavior
Hormone Rescue of the Prophylactic Effects of Bay 55-9837 in Ovariectomy Induced Menopause
Adrian Puga ‘26GS, Earth Science
Expanding AMS Carbon-14 Chronology for the Paleoecological and Paleoclimatic History of Southern Laurentide Deglaciation
Liyuan Zhang ‘25GS, History & English Literature
The Russell Tribunal and the Vietnam War
Luiz Henrique Gabiatti Backes ‘27GS, Mathematics & Astrophysics
Revealing Gravitational Wave Sources via X-Ray Halo Observations
Xiaochuan Qin ‘25PBPM
Do Experienced Spine Surgeons Have Better Outcomes in Malpractice Litigations Compared to Their Less Experienced Counterparts?
Spring 2024 Bancroft Scholars
Luke Cheng ‘25GS, Mathematics & Physics
A Mathematical Theory of Exceptions in Relational Generalization
Sofia Skopina ‘25GS, Chemical Physics
Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Directly On Top of Boron Nitride for Optical STM Measurements
Amael Jillean Vaisse ‘25GS, Neuroscience and Behavior
Mapping the Origin of Stimulation-Evoked Feeding Behavior in Cerebellar White Matter
Durga Rajiv Chaloli ‘25GS, History
From the Plantation to the City of Bones: The Poetics of Imagined Space and Fugitivity in August Wilson's “Seven Guitars” and “Gem of the Ocean"
Peter John Gorman ‘25GS, Neuroscience and Behavior
Mapping the Cortical Circuits Regulating the Adrenal Medulla During Stress
Ava Ann Kamdem ‘25GS, Psychology
Social Network Access and Growth: Building Relational Resilience for Street Crew-Involved Men through a Community-Based Intervention
About the Bancroft Research Scholars Program
The Bancroft Research Scholars Program aims to provide GS students with the opportunity and funding to participate in undergraduate research during the regular school year. The Program selects a limited number of GS students who collaborate with a Columbia faculty member on a research project during the academic year. Each scholar receives $2,200 in funding for one academic term to support their research efforts. This support helps cover essential research-related expenses, including supplies, materials, and travel costs, ensuring that scholars can fully immerse themselves in their projects without financial barriers.
Stay tuned for updates on their research endeavors and achievements throughout the year!