August 7, 2026
Eight undergraduates put their skills to work advancing emerging technologies
Now in its fourth year, the Q Summer Scholars Program gives Northwestern undergraduates the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in deep-tech entrepreneurship while making meaningful contributions to early-stage companies.
Selected from a competitive pool of more than 70 applicants, this year’s eight Scholars were embedded within Northwestern startups, most of them current or former resident companies at the Querrey InQbation Lab.
Rather than observing entrepreneurship from the sidelines, the Scholars became part of the teams working to solve the scientific, engineering, and manufacturing challenges that come with translating new technologies from research into products.
For Arjun Luthra, a 2026 Summer Scholar who worked with HIDENN-AI, the experience offered a level of independence and ownership that went beyond a traditional classroom setting.
Working at HIDENN-AI gave me the opportunity to take ownership of my own project—a research problem with practical real-world implications. Unlike a classroom environment where answers are often abstract and predefined, this summer I had the freedom to shape the direction of my work, develop an idea into a tangible product, and gain insight into the inner workings of a startup. This combination of independence, research, and entrepreneurial experience is what made the Summer Scholars program such a unique experience.
That experience is at the heart of the Summer Scholars Program. Deep-tech commercialization rarely follows a straight path from scientific discovery to finished product. It requires teams to continually test, refine, troubleshoot, and make decisions at the intersection of science, engineering, customer needs, manufacturing, and business.
By working directly on those challenges, the Scholars gained a firsthand look at what it takes to move promising technologies beyond the lab.
Demo Day marked the conclusion of eight weeks of work, experimentation, and learning, but also highlighted what can happen when students are given an opportunity to contribute to innovation as it is happening.
The Scholars leave the program with more than a completed summer project. They leave having experienced what it means to be part of an early-stage technology team—and with a deeper understanding of the many paths through which science and engineering can make an impact beyond the university.
2026 Summer Scholars & Project Summaries
Automating Multiplex Biosensor Strip Production at ARMA Biosciences
Hannah Tian, WCAS ’27 | ARMA Biosciences
Mentors: James Nolan and Surath Gomis
Hannah developed and tested an automated dispensing process for multiplex biosensor strips, helping improve the precision and scalability of a key production step.
Advancing Sustainable Paper-Based Food Packaging at GoEco
Aram Park, McCormick ’28 | GoEco
Mentor: Timothy Wei
Aram evaluated graphene oxide-based formulations for water and oil resistance, helping identify a promising formulation for sustainable food packaging.
Teaching a Metal 3D Printer to Detect and Repair Its Own Mistakes at HIDENN-AI
Arjun Luthra, McCormick ’28 | HIDENN-AI
Mentor: Joseph Leonor
Arjun developed algorithms and simulations to detect defects during metal 3D printing and generate repair paths, advancing the potential for real-time defect correction.
Improving the Manufacturing Process for DURAMESH™ Surgical Sutures
Gabriela Hernandez, McCormick ’27 | Mesh Suture, Inc.
Mentors: Randa Dumanian and Allison Margulies
Gabriela tested a new manufacturing process designed to make needle attachment easier, stronger, and more consistent, generating data to support potential implementation in production.
Recovering Nylon from Complex Textile Waste at NylaNova
Khushi Poddar, McCormick ’29 | NylaNova
Mentors: Yosi Kratish and Naveen Malik
Khushi developed and tested a pretreatment approach for separating Nylon-6 from complex textile waste, successfully recovering materials from carpets and blended garments.
Advancing More Efficient Protein Production at Opera Bioscience
Ethan Loredo, McCormick ’28 | Opera Bioscience
Mentor: Julie Ming Liang
Ethan tested a bacterial protein secretion platform across different proteins and explored a self-cleaving purification approach that could simplify protein production.
Improving Sensor Manufacturing and Testing at Rhaeos
Joshua Lin, McCormick ’27 | Rhaeos
Mentor: Chase Correia
Joshua developed tools and procedures to improve wearable sensor manufacturing and evaluated materials for more realistic skin-mimicking test models.
Accelerating Viral Vector Screening for CAR T-Cell Therapy at Syenex
Emmanuella Agho, McCormick ’28 | Syenex
Mentor: Devin Stranford
Emmanuella evaluated a high-throughput approach for screening multiple viral vectors simultaneously, helping assess its potential to accelerate vector development for in vivo CAR T-cell therapies.