MIT's Katie Spivakovsky Wins Churchill Scholarship for AI-Biology Research at Cambridge
Katie Spivakovsky, an MIT student double-majoring in biological engineering and artificial intelligence, has been awarded the prestigious Churchill Scholarship. The competitive fellowship will allow her to pursue an MPhil in biological sciences at Cambridge University's Wellcome Sanger Institute starting in autumn 2026.
The Churchill Scholarship supports 16 American students each year in science, mathematics, or engineering at Churchill College, Cambridge. Spivakovsky plans to expand her research on reinforcement learning and physics-based models to study the evolution of visual systems and neural circuits.
At MIT's Bathe BioNanoLab, she currently explores DNA origami for therapeutic uses and co-authored a paper soon to be published in Science. Earlier, she contributed to Merck's Modeling & Informatics team and enhanced cryogenic electron microscopy models at the New York Structural Biology Center.
Beyond research, Spivakovsky leads the Undergraduate Initiative in the MIT Biotech Group and has mentored peers in teaching roles. She also developed an immune therapy for cancer cachexia, winning a silver medal at the iGEM competition and publishing her findings in the MIT Undergraduate Research Journal.
Kim Benard, associate dean of distinguished fellowships, called Spivakovsky a standout researcher and a future leader in biological engineering. Spivakovsky aims to merge computation and bioengineering in her career to create scalable health solutions.
MIT students interested in the Churchill Scholarship can reach out to Benard in Career Advising and Professional Development for guidance.
Spivakovsky will begin her MPhil in 2026, focusing on computational models of neural and visual systems. Her work at Cambridge will build on her interdisciplinary background in AI, biology, and engineering. The scholarship recognizes her contributions to research and her potential to advance equitable health technologies.
Read also:
- Executive from significant German automobile corporation advocates for a truthful assessment of transition toward electric vehicles
- Crisis in a neighboring nation: immediate cheese withdrawal at Rewe & Co, resulting in two fatalities.
- United Kingdom Christians Voice Opposition to Assisted Dying Legislation
- Democrats are subtly dismantling the Affordable Care Act. Here's the breakdown
