Next Gen Colloquium
Outstanding postdoctoral fellows, instructors and research faculty who are ready — or almost ready — to make the jump to their first tenure-track faculty position attend this two-day event that brings together rising scientific leaders conducting research relevant to cancer immunotherapy. Participants have the opportunity to:
- Present their research to peers and senior investigators
- Network with top scientists across institutions
- Learn about opportunities to contribute to immunotherapy research at the Allison Institute and UT MD Anderson
Second Next Gen Colloquium: January 22–23, 2026
The following is the cohort of the second Next Gen Colloquium:
Muhammad Aminu, Ph.D.
Muhammad Aminu is an instructor of Imaging Physics at UT MD Anderson working with Jia Wu. He integrates machine learning, medical imaging and spatial omics to study early tumor evolution and immune remodeling in cancer.
Elizabeth Cooper, Ph.D.
Elizabeth Cooper is a senior research fellow at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, working with Richard Gilbertson. She investigates developmental neuroimmunology and how meningeal and skull-associated immune niches influence pediatric brain tumor biology.
Hala Estephan, Ph.D.
Hala Estephan is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford working with Amato Giaccia and Ester Hammond. She studies how hypoxia-driven stress pathways alter antigen presentation and enable immune escape in solid tumors.
Jovanka Gencel-Augusto, Ph.D.
Jovanka Gencel-Augusto is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, mentored by Jennifer Grandis and Daniel Johnson. She studies how loss of p53 rewires metabolic and immune programs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Adam Grippin, M.D., Ph.D.
Adam Grippin is a radiation oncology resident and NIH T32 fellow at UT MD Anderson working with Steven Lin and Wen Jiang. He develops innate immune stimulants and mRNA vaccine approaches to enhance responses to immune checkpoint blockade.
Yuyan Jiang, Ph.D.
Yuyan Jiang is an instructor in Radiation Oncology at Stanford University working with Quynh-Thu Le. She develops molecular therapeutics and imaging strategies designed to enhance radiation and immunotherapy responses.
Nicholas Kuhn, Ph.D.
Nicholas Kuhn is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco in the laboratory of Matthew Krummel. He studies stromal–immune interactions and fibroblast cell states that shape the tumor microenvironment.
Haoxin Li, Ph.D.
Haoxin Li is a postdoctoral fellow at the Scripps Research Institute mentored by Benjamin Cravatt. He develops chemical proteomic strategies to map functional protein networks and discover new therapeutic targets.
Xiaoling Li, Ph.D.
Xiaoling Li is an associate research scientist at Yale School of Medicine working with Ping Mu. She studies genomic instability, lineage plasticity, and extrachromosomal DNA in therapy-resistant prostate cancer.
Adriana Mujal, Ph.D.
Adriana Mujal is a postdoctoral fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center working with Joseph Sun. She investigates innate lymphocyte biology and how tissue environments shape natural killer cell responses in infection and cancer.
Ray Pillai, M.D.
Ray Pillai is a clinical instructor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine working with Thales Papagiannakopoulos and Sergei Koralov. He studies how tumor-intrinsic signaling pathways shape immune evasion in lung cancer.
Robert Saddawi-Konefka, M.D., Ph.D.
Robert Saddawi-Konefka is a head and neck surgical oncology fellow at UT MD Anderson mentored by Jeff Myers. He studies how tumor-draining lymph nodes and lymphatic biology regulate antitumor immunity and will join the faculty at the University of California, San Diego in 2026.
Yuqi Tan, Ph.D.
Yuqi Tan is a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University working with Garry Nolan. She develops machine learning approaches to interpret high-dimensional spatial and single-cell data in complex tissues.
Kathryn E. Yost, Ph.D.
Kathryn Yost is a postdoctoral fellow at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research working with Jonathan Weissman. She develops genomic and lineage-tracing technologies to map tumor evolution and immune cell dynamics.
First Next Gen Colloquium: 2024
The following is the cohort of the first Next Gen Colloquium:
Erez Baruch, M.D., Ph.D.
Baruch is a hematology/oncology fellow at UT MD Anderson, specializing in the regulation of anti-tumoral immunity, with a focus on the gut microbiome. He completed his M.D. and Ph.D. at Tel Aviv University (through 2015) and is board-certified in internal medicine following his residency at UT Houston (2020–2022). He led a pioneering clinical trial on fecal microbiota transplantation for metastatic melanoma and holds the ASCO Young Investigator Award.
Meriem Belabed, Ph.D.
Belabed is a postdoctoral research scientist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (2019–present), working with Miriam Merad, M.D., Ph.D. Belabed's research focuses on dendritic cell regulation and antigen cross-presentation in cancer immunology. She earned her Ph.D. in immunology at Paris Descartes University (2016–2019), studying the role of Kinesin-1 in dendritic cell processes. She has been recognized for her impactful research, including winning first place in the Basic Research Award at the 2024 SITC Sparkathon.
Daniela Cerezo-Wallis, Ph.D.
Cerezo-Wallis is a postdoctoral associate at Yale University’s School of Medicine in the Immunobiology Department (2020–present), mentored by Andrés Hidalgo, Ph.D. Cerezo-Wallis completed her Ph.D. in molecular biosciences at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (2012–2019), researching tumor-secreted factors that promote metastasis. She has been honored for her work by SITC and as an Irvington Fellow by CRI.
Rebecca Delconte, Ph.D.
Delconte is a postdoctoral fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, supported by a Cancer Research Institute fellowship. Her current research investigates the metabolic programming of natural killer (NK) cells and their role in cancer immunotherapy. She earned her Ph.D. from The University of Melbourne and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (2015–2018), where she explored the regulation of NK cell responses in cancer. Her expertise has been recognized through numerous awards throughout her Ph.D. and postdoctoral work. In September 2025, Rebecca joins the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center as a group leader in the Department of Cancer Immunology. Her lab will focus on improving cancer therapies by defining the transcriptional, cellular, and metabolic signals that govern the NK cell response to cancer.
James Seongjun Han, Ph.D.
Han is a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, where he works in the laboratories of Arlene Sharpe, M.D., Ph.D., and Marcia Haigis, Ph.D. His research explores T cell metabolism and aging, particularly in cancer and immune regulation. Han earned his Ph.D. in immunology at the University of Toronto (2014–2021), where he was mentored by Pamela Ohashi, Ph.D. His achievements include the AACR Gilead Scholar-in-Training Award and the CIHR Banting Fellowship.
"The Allison Institute Next Gen Colloquium is a top-notch program that brings together top senior postdoctoral fellows and instructors from across the United States, offering unparalleled exposure to the institute’s cutting-edge resources and world-class mentorship," Han said. "The program is also an excellent opportunity to get to know your future colleagues and community in the field of cancer immunology as an independent investigator. I highly recommend this program to any senior postdoc seeking an academic career in the field!"
Samarth Hegde, Ph.D.
Hegde was a postdoctoral fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the lab of Miriam Merad, M.D., Ph.D., from 2019 to 2025 and is now an instructor at Mt. Sinai in the Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy. He received his Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis in 2019 under David DeNardo, Ph.D., studying T cell immune surveillance in pancreatic cancer. Hegde’s work, supported by the National Cancer Institute's F99K00 Fellowship, focuses on the regulation of myeloid cells in cancer, utilizing high-dimensional tools to explore their differentiation and function.
"I really enjoyed being part of this very interactive and focused series dedicated to bringing senior-stage postdocs on the verge of starting their independent career," Hegde said. "I left with several fresh ideas after interacting with top research labs at UT MD Anderson and potential collaborations with peers at the forefront of onco-immunology, all while learning about the thrust areas of the burgeoning Allison Institute. It is clear that the Allison Institute is laser-focused on building and nourishing top talent in cancer immunology spanning clinical and discovery science."
Jyh Liang Hor, Ph.D.
Hor is a visiting fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the Laboratory of Immune System Biology, led by Ronald Germain, M.D., Ph.D. Hor earned his Ph.D. in immunology at the University of Melbourne (2012–2016), under the guidance of Scott Mueller and William Heath. His research emphasizes the spatiotemporal dynamics of T cell activation and PD-1 regulation in tumor immunity. Hor has received awards such as the NIH FARE Travel Award and the QIAGEN PhD Achievement Award.
Shixin Ma, Ph.D.?
Ma is a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, where she works under the mentorship of Susan Kaech, Ph.D. Her research centers on the epigenetic and metabolic regulation of CD8 T cells in the tumor microenvironment, unveiling the role of nutrient-driven histone modifications in T cell exhaustion. She obtained her Ph.D. in immunology from Soochow University (2010–2016), with joint research at the Institute Pasteur of Shanghai, focusing on dendritic cell responses and viral immunity. She has been honored with the Salk pioneer and CRI Irvington fellowships.?
Thomas H. Mann, Ph.D.
Mann is a senior research associate at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis Lab under Susan Kaech, Ph.D. He completed his Ph.D. in biochemistry at Stanford University (2011–2017), mentored by Lucy Shapiro. Mann's research focuses on chronic antigen signaling and its impact on T cell exhaustion. His work has been recognized with accolades such as the AAI Young Investigator Award and the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fellowship.
“Attending the NextGen Colloquium at the Allison Institute was a scientific highlight of my year," Mann said. "It was inspiring to see the amazing work happening at the Allison Institute and in the broader UT MD Anderson community. I loved getting to meet my colleagues of the future, both among UT MD Anderson scientists and among the cohort of other invitees. I felt certain that everyone in the room was going to make an impact in the fight against cancer.”
Rodrigo Romero, Ph.D.
Romero is a postdoctoral fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the Sawyers Laboratory, part of the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program. He earned his Ph.D. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (2013–2019) under the mentorship of Tyler Jacks, focusing on the genetic drivers of lung adenocarcinoma and immune interactions. Romero’s groundbreaking work includes developing transplantable organoid models of prostate cancer, showcasing his dedication to advancing cancer research and therapy. Romero later joined the James P. Allison Institute as an assistant member and the Department of Genetics at UT MD Anderson as an assistant professor.
Benjamin R. Schrank, M.D., Ph.D.
Schrank was the chief resident in the Department of Radiation Oncology at UT MD Anderson (2021–2025). He earned his M.D. and Ph.D. from Columbia University (2012–2020), where his research on DNA double-strand break repair was published in Nature. Schrank has received multiple accolades, including the American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship Award and the ASCO Young Investigator Award. His current work investigates the immunogenic potential of the DNA damage response. As of July 2025, Schrank is an assistant professor of CNS Radiation Oncology at UT MD Anderson.
Yifan Wang, Ph.D.
Wang is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Radiation Oncology at UT MD Anderson, mentored by Wen Jiang and Betty Kim. He earned his Ph.D. in cancer biology from UT MD Anderson (2013–2018). His work focuses on novel cancer immunotherapy strategies and the role of aging in cancer treatment efficacy. Wang’s contributions have been recognized with the 2023 Odyssey Outstanding Research Publication Award and the 2022 Marie Curie Award.
"Although I have been at UT MD Anderson for so many years, I still gained exciting new knowledge about the institution and the fantastic Allison Institute," Wang said. "I’m also excited for the opportunity to connect with the leading experts in immunotherapy at the Allison Institute and hear about the exciting work of other candidates."
Kipp Weiskopf, M.D., Ph.D.
Weiskopf is a Valhalla Whitehead Fellow at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, where he leads a laboratory focused on studying macrophage and myeloid immune checkpoints in the tumor microenvironment. He completed his M.D. and Ph.D. at Stanford University (2008–2016), contributing significant research on the CD47/SIRPa interaction as an immune checkpoint under Irving Weissman. Weiskopf also maintains a clinical appointment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (2018–present) and has co-founded multiple biotech companies.
Benjamin Y. Winer, Ph.D.
Winer is a postdoctoral fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (2021–present) and affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco working with Morgan Huse, Orion Weiner and Jason Cyster. He earned his Ph.D. in molecular biology at Princeton University (2013–2019) under Alexander Ploss, where he developed advanced humanized models for viral infections. His current research on immune cell signaling in the tumor microenvironment has garnered significant recognition, including the NIAID DP2 Directors New Innovator Award and a Cancer Research Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship.