Whitehead Institute Researcher Kathrin Kajderowicz Receives Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans

Kathrin (Kat) Kajderowicz, a research assistant in the lab of Whitehead Institute Member Siniša Hrvatin and graduate student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been named a recipient of a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship provides merit-based support for the graduate school programs of highly promising immigrants and children of immigrants. This year’s Fellowship class comprises 30 individuals who were selected from a pool of nearly 2,000 applicants. The young scholars were each chosen for their achievements and their potential to make meaningful contributions to the United States.

Kajderowicz’ PhD research—for which she is advised by both Hrvatin and Institute Member Jonathan Weissman—focuses on understanding why hibernating animals can survive extreme cold temperatures. She envisions her research could eventually lead to improved organ transplantation and therapeutic hypothermia technologies for humans.

“I’m thrilled to be a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow because it gives me access to a community of individuals whose experiences as new Americans resonate with my own,” Kajderowicz says. “As a first generation American and college graduate, having access to great mentors was pivotal to me getting to where I am today, and I look forward to being able to be a mentor for future fellows.”

Kajderowicz is passionate about mentorship and community building. She co-founded a biotechnology group called DNA Deviants, which hosts biweekly science podcasts and virtual mentorship programs designed to demystify academia and biotech. And she co-founded the Whitehead Institute Graduate Student Society, which organizes social and scientific meetings, data clubs, and networking events for all Whitehead graduate students. 

Founded by Hungarian immigrants, The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans program honors the contributions of continuing generations of immigrants in the United States. Since the program was launched in 1998, 776 young scholars have been named Fellows.