January 24, 2025
Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Peter Karches Mentorship Prize — Shandon Amos, Christina Cabana, Ivan Pires, and Jason Yu.
The Peter Karches Mentorship Prize is awarded annually to up to four Koch Institute postdoctoral associates, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students or research technicians who demonstrate exemplary mentorship of undergraduate researchers or high school students in their labs. The prize allows the Koch Institute community to celebrate and recognize the critical role that mentors play, both personally and professionally, in the early stages of a scientist’s career.
Shandon Amos, a graduate student in the Soto-Feliciano Lab, was nominated by visiting scholar Oindrila Sarkar and research support associate Arianna Arroyo-Ortega, who say that Amos’s mentoring style was “geared towards giving us the tools to become independent scientists,” while never letting “us feel unsupported or untethered.” Yadira Soto-Feciano, Amos’s advisor, adds that “from the moment Shandon joined my lab, she expressed a genuine interest in not only advancing her research but also in fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and supportive environment for all team members.”
Christina Cabana, a graduate student in the Jacks Lab, was nominated by former high school summer student Ava Jeffs, undergraduate student Katelyn Lee, and graduate students Emma Dawson, Sam Nelson, and Carrie Rodriguez. ““Her kindness, patience, and compassion left a lasting impression on me, and she stands out as the most influential scientific mentor I've had,” says one of Cabana’s mentees. “Christina's mentorship was unmatched in shaping my passion and approach to research.”
Ivan Pires, who recently completed his doctoral work in the Hammond Lab, was nominated by former undergraduate researchers Ezra Gordon, Jack Suggs, and Isabella Carlo. “Ivan’s ability to lead by example is profoundly inspiring to those he teaches, empowering me to ask questions of my own without insecurity,” remarked one of his nominators remarked. “This skill is especially important as Ivan mentors students with varying levels of research experience, and he has been able to use his unabashed curiosity to nurture ours.” His advisor Paula Hammond agrees that “he promises to be an outstanding teacher and leader for developing the next generation of scientists and engineers.”
Jason Yu, a postdoctoral researcher in the Manalis Lab, was nominated by undergraduates Gianfranco Yee and Isabella Zheng Wo, one of whom says that “Jason’s constant reminder to ‘be curious’ has shaped the way I approach challenges and experiments. Even when things don’t go as planned, I now see the value in every result and how it contributes to my understanding of science.” Scott Manalis adds that, “He demonstrated an exceptional ability to align [his mentees’] evolving interests with the lab’s goals, fostering both personal and academic growth.”
The Karches Prize was established in 2018 by Jim Goodwin, a close friend of the Karches family, to honor the legacy of Peter Karches. Mr. Karches spent his career at Morgan Stanley, rising to become president and chief operating officer of the company’s institutional securities and investment banking group. After a long battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Mr. Karches passed away in April 2006. Recipients of the prize exemplify Mr. Karches’s generosity, intellect, and commitment to friends and family.