Nucleate DojoGrants Annual Virtual Symposium
Join us for an afternoon celebrating undergraduate research and the next generation of life sciences innovators.
The inaugural DojoGrants Annual Online Symposium brings together our grantees, alumni, mentors, partners, and the wider Nucleate community to celebrate the impact of accessible undergraduate research opportunities.
Explore the programme highlights below, including conversations with life sciences leaders, reflections from DojoGrants alumni, and presentations from our current grantees showcasing research made possible through a year of funding and mentorship.
Featured Panel: Betting Early: How Undergraduate Research Shapes Scientific Careers
Moderated by Oliver Dodd (Executive Director & Co-Founder, Nucleate), this conversation will bring together an incredible panel of leaders:
V. Sherice Nivens — Program Director, Intuitive Foundation
Jo Viney, Ph.D. — Founder & CEO, Seismic Therapeutic
Stephen Linderman — Founder & CEO, Absco Therapeutics
Jocelyn (Josie) Kishi, PhD — Co-Founder & President, Digital Biology, Inc.
The panel will explore the early research experiences and mentors that shaped their careers, what happens when talented students receive meaningful opportunities before graduate school, and why expanding access to undergraduate research matters for the future of science and biotechnology.
Research as a Launchpad: Where the Dojo Journey Can Lead
Three 2024/25 DojoGrants alumni will share how their undergraduate research experiences created opportunities that continued to compound:
Dimitar Ivanov — PhD student in the Song Lab at Harvard
Rutendo Kahari — Researcher whose work has been presented at Harvard, Stanford, and ABRCMS
Alisa Shmidt — Materials Scientist at Formlabs
Together, they will discuss how they built upon their original projects, navigated pivotal career decisions, and transformed early research experiences into pathways across academia and industry.
What else to expect:
Research presentations from our current DojoGrants cohort
Opportunities to connect with the DojoGrants and wider Nucleate community
About DojoGrants
Nucleate DojoGrants is the first institution-agnostic, year-round life sciences research funding program for undergraduate students, made possible by The Intuitive Foundation. By lowering barriers to research funding and prioritising students from underrepresented and minority backgrounds, DojoGrants is expanding access to hands-on research opportunities and supporting the next generation of scientists, founders, and innovators.
About the Host:
Nucleate is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the next generation of biotech leaders. With chapters spanning 41 geographic regions and participation from over 280 academic institutions, Nucleate sparks new intellectual communities and embeds emerging talent within a global biotech community. Through open-access educational programming, Nucleate helps democratize biotech innovation — removing barriers and helping founders concentrate on building transformational technologies. Visit www.nucleate.org for more information, and visit https://nucleate.org/privacy-policy/ to read our privacy policy.
We want to thank our HQ supporters for championing our open-access mission and empowering the next generation of biotech entrepreneurs!
Platinum: Eli Lilly and Company, Genentech, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, MilliporeSigma
Philanthropic Support: Lyda Hill Philanthropies
Preferred Partners: Pillar VC, Amino Collective, Fenwick, Mercury, Fedsprout, Citrin Cooperman
In-Kind Support: AcademicLabs, Lens.org