Katie Spivakovsky, a senior at MIT, has been awarded the prestigious 2026-27 Churchill Scholarship. This accolade will enable her to pursue an MPhil in biological sciences at the Wellcome Sanger Institute at Cambridge University this fall.
Spivakovsky is double-majoring in biological engineering and artificial intelligence, complemented by minors in mathematics and biology. Her academic focus lies in integrating computation with bioengineering to develop scalable solutions that foster equitable health outcomes.
At MIT’s Bathe BioNanoLab, she explores therapeutic applications of DNA origami and DNA-scaffolded nanoparticles for gene and mRNA delivery. Her research contributions include co-authoring a manuscript currently in press at Science. Additionally, she leads a project aimed at developing an immune therapy for cancer cachexia, a work that garnered a silver medal at the international synthetic biology competition iGEM and was published in the MIT Undergraduate Research Journal.
Spivakovsky’s experience extends to her previous role on Merck’s Modeling & Informatics team, where she characterized a cancer-associated protein mutation. She also worked at the New York Structural Biology Center, enhancing models for cryogenic electron microscopy particle detection.
On campus, she plays a vital role as the director of the Undergraduate Initiative in the MIT Biotech Group. Her commitment to education is evident through her positions as a lecturer and co-director for class 6.S095 (Probability Problem Solving), a teaching assistant for classes 20.309 (Bioinstrumentation) and 20.A06 (Hands-on Making in Biological Engineering), and a lab assistant for 6.300 (Signal Processing).
“Katie is a brilliant researcher who has a keen intellectual curiosity that will make her a leader in biological engineering in the future. We are proud that she will be representing MIT at Cambridge University,” stated Kim Benard, associate dean of distinguished fellowships.
The Churchill Scholarship is a highly competitive fellowship that annually provides 16 American students the opportunity to pursue a funded graduate degree in science, mathematics, or engineering at Churchill College within Cambridge University. Established in 1963, the scholarship honors former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s vision for U.S.-U.K. scientific exchange.
For MIT students interested in the Churchill Scholarship, Kim Benard in MIT Career Advising and Professional Development is the point of contact.
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