WASHINGTON — The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has unveiled the first group of 10 participants selected for its newly established Biotechnology Regulatory Fellowship Program. Launched in 2025, the initiative is designed to bring together early-career researchers and professionals to help build the scientific foundation needed to address emerging regulatory issues related to advanced biotechnological innovations.

From February through July 2026, the fellows will be based at the National Academies, where they will examine potential regulatory approaches for next-generation biotechnology products that are likely to shape industries and society in the coming decades. Their work aims to provide government agencies with practical options for overseeing these rapidly evolving technologies.

During the fellowship, participants will attend expert-led seminars, engage in forward-looking analyses to identify biotechnology developments that lack clear regulatory pathways, and collaborate with specialists to define and carry out capstone research projects in pairs.

The outcomes of these projects will be showcased at a public presentation scheduled at the conclusion of the program.

The inaugural cohort includes:

Alekhya Govindaraju, University of California, Berkeley
Alicia Johnson, Rice University
Ashley Kim, University of California, San Diego
Hayley McCausland, University of California, Berkeley
Ruby Miller, University of Michigan
Nicholas “Cole” Mueth, Washington State University
Sammy Mustafa, Northwestern University
Shatha Salameh, The George Washington University
Kaitlyn “Katie” Schroeder-Spain, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi
Nolan Speicher, North Carolina State University

This fellowship class will work closely with a specially appointed advisory committee responsible for evaluating applicants, shaping the program’s academic focus, and providing guidance on the fellows’ final research projects.

The National Academies operate as independent, nonprofit organizations dedicated to offering objective research, analysis, and policy recommendations on critical scientific and technological issues.