Name: Paola Kotori, 2026 Winner of SAS Excellence Award
Major(s) and Minor: Major in Chemistry
Year: 2026
What are your post-graduation plans?
I plan to apply to either a combined M.D./Ph.D. program or a traditional M.D. program. I deeply value research and understand its role in advancing medical knowledge, which is why research experience is central to both of these career paths.
Which lab are you working with for your research?
KiBum Lee's Lab. In the KBLee group, I have begun working on my undergraduate thesis, which uses the CRISPR-Cas system for Alzheimer’s disease detection.
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
I am proud to have been the fourth Rutgers student accepted into the DAAD RISE program in the past several years. I am grateful for the opportunity to conduct research abroad, which allowed me to engage with the international scientific community, learn new laboratory techniques, and immerse myself in a new cultural and scientific environment. Within the Rutgers community, I am honored to support underclassmen as they adjust to a completely new environment and to pay forward the support I once received. Whether serving as a Resident Assistant, participating on the Rutgers Chemistry Society Executive Board, or teaching a chemistry FIGS course in Fall 2026, I am grateful for the opportunity to mentor and guide students as they begin their college journey.
How does this scholarship help you achieve your goals?
Receiving this scholarship provides meaningful support and affirms my passion for chemistry, research, and active involvement within my community.
Looking back, what classes or experiences at Rutgers would you point to as contributing to your successes?
I started in organic chemistry courses my freshman year, so I was immediately introduced to spectroscopy, which was very interesting to me. It was trying to reverse engineer the spectra and create algorithms to simulate them that ultimately led me down my path.
The most significant contribution to my success from Rutgers was the support of the faculty. The chemistry department is large and many talented scientists are there to help students. Having been to many institutions, I can say that students aren’t always the first priority when research is concerned, but at Rutgers, there is a real concern for the success of the students. Faculty members like Dr. Heinz Roth, Dr. Roger Jones and Dr. Karsten Krogh-Jespersen must have wasted hours entertaining my personal programming projects. Their support encouraged me to continue.
What advice do you have for our current Arts and Sciences students?
Know the difference between pursuing knowledge for the sake of reaching a goal and pursuing knowledge because you enjoy it and are curious. It may take a while to fully discover who you are and what your interests are, but that is part of what college is about. The most successful individuals are masters at what they do. This is because they worked tirelessly to expand their knowledge and have significantly more experience than anyone else. This drive comes from a true passion to learn more about what interests you and to find answers to questions that no one else has yet answered. Rutgers is a great place to discover that passion.