AIRFoundry Fellows: Research and Training in RNA-LNP

July 31, 2025

Andrea Hernández-Díaz and Jorelys De Jesús González from University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez served as the inaugural undergraduate AIRFoundry fellows at University of Pennsylvania in Summer 2025. Throughout the 10-week program, the fellows worked in AIRFoundry research labs and participated in hands-on training in LNP Formulation and Microfluidic device fabrication.

Andrea is currently a rising senior in theoretical physics. She interned in Daeyeon Lee’s lab and will continue her work on endotoxin detection in Claribel Acevedo’s lab at UPRM.

Andrea presenting her final talk (July 31, 2025).

Jorelys is a rising junior in chemical engineering and has worked in Camilo Mora’s lab since 2024. She interned in David Issadore’s lab, developing new methods to reduce fouling in microfluidic devices.

Jorelys presenting her final talk (July 30, 2025).

In addition to rigorous research in labs, the AIRFoundry Fellows participated in skill-building workshops and seminars from Center trainees and faculty.

Microfluidics workshop included participants from other Penn summer programs, such as the NSF CEMB.

Dr. Drew Weissman speaking to Penn Engineering summer students (June 5, 2025).

Thanks to all the mentors in the Issadore and Lee labs for guiding our Fellows: Emery Hsu, Jihyuk Yang, Gijung Kim, Ravi Ramjee, Isabel Navarro, and Julia Radzio; and to our collaborators at the LRSM for including Andrea and Jorelys in the LRSM REU programming.