2026 Sternberg lab retreat

August 7th- 10th, 2026

The lab spent a weekend in the lovely Pennsylvania Poconos to enjoy fresh air, delicious home cooked meals, and spanking-new science, lightning talk style! We fished, we swam, we droned, and we even Kubb-ed!

another successful year for cutting edge science camp

August 3rd- 4th, 2026

A dozen Sternberg lab volunteers and 120 incoming sixth graders met up for a 2-day science camp in the East Meadow School District in Long Island. We extracted DNA, we sampled our microbiomes, we ate pizza, and we shared our passion for science!

sofia markham gifts the lab ai-art

August 27th, 2026

Sofia, an outstanding undergraduate summer research student from Wesleyan University, generated this “somewhat disturbing” lab photo— with pics of the current team pulled from the lab website— as a parting gift. Thanks, Sofia!

John yin takes on leading role for Columbia’s rna day

August 1st, 2026

John, along with other PhD student organizers, brought us the 2026 Columbia RNA Day symposium, an event to exchange ideas and celebrate RNA science. The symposium is typically held on August 1—a playful reference to AUG, the start codon on messenger RNAs that initiates protein synthesis. Read more here

one, two, three strikes you’re out!

July 20th, 2026

Field trip to Yankee Stadium! We enjoyed a big win over the Pittsburgh Pirates! Great food, fun, and friends! And free t-shirts!

Edan Mortman presents at nybig

June 26th, 2026

Edan presented her work at the New York Bacillus (and more!) Interest Group meeting at the NYU Center for Genomics and Systems Biology this June.

au revoir, egill!

June 19th, 2026

The Sternberg lab enjoyed great American BBQ and passing around the cowboy hat at our send-off for Dr. Egill Richard, as he heads back to France and the Institut Pasteur!

Dr. QIxiang he presents at nysbdg

June 11th, 2026

Qixiang presented “Structural insights into mechanism of tandem-repeat DNA synthesis by an antiviral reverse transcriptase” as part of the New York Structural Biology Discussion Group summer meeting. Love those crab claws!

six! count ‘em six! successful qualifying exams celebrated this may/june

May 19th, May 22nd, and June 8th, 2026

Six Sternberg lab Ph.D. candidates passed their qualifying exams this spring. Congratulations to Louie Kulber, Hilina Bekele, Asim Khan, John Yin, Henry Le, and Megan Wang!! We also had a special visit from the lab’s newest (and littlest) lab member by proxy :)

Sternberg lab members honored at rna society meeting and beyond

May 30th, 2026

Edan Mortman, was awarded an RNA Society poster prize for her presentation on IStron biology, and Dr. Stephen Tang received the prestigious RNA Society Scaringe Award. Congratulations to you both!

Stephen was also awarded the Columbia Dean's Award for Excellence in Research for "RNA-templated DNA synthesis in antiviral immunity and genome evolution".

Laces get bases! the wang and sternberg labs send off diego

May 28th, 2026

Members of both Dr. Diego Rivera Gelsinger’s postdoctoral labs gathered for delicious food and a few friendly games of kickball. Diego is heading to start his own lab in UCLA’s Department of Human Genetics. We wish you the best!

SHaring science at SISB

May 5th- 7th, 2026

The Sternberg lab enjoyed great representation at the Symposium in the Immune System of Bacteria (SISB) held this year at Rockefeller University. Dr. Egill Richard and Megan Wang presented posters, and Dr. George Lampe and Josephine Ramirez shared their joint work “Structural and mechanistic insights into the functions of diverse antiviral reverse transcriptases.”

The return of valentin

May 2nd, 2026

Former Sternberg lab visiting master's student, Valentin Conte, graced Hammer Health Sciences with a quick visit this May before heading back to Institut Pasteur. À bientôt Valentin!

“most outstanding research by a graduating senior”

April 22nd, 2026

Daniel (Yonggi) Moon was awarded Columbia’s Bridges and Sturtevant Prize in Biological Sciences, a prize awarded to one or more graduating seniors whose experimental or computational research is deemed to have been both highly original and fruitful. Congratulations, Daniel!

in which: diego accepts a faculty offer and Josephine receives AN NSF fellowship

April 14th, 2026

We celebrated Diego Rivera Gelsinger’s acceptance of a faculty offer in UCLA’s Department of Human Genetics where he’ll start his own lab this fall, AND, Josephine Ramirez’s reception of a graduate student fellowship from the NSF! Congratulations, Diego and Josephine!!!

spare parts, featuring matt walker!

April 3rd, 2026

The lab embarked on an off-Broadway field trip to see our former lab mate star in a Spare Parts, a new play “that collides cutting-edge science with unchecked ambition.” We enjoyed discovering a few lab Easter eggs hidden in the set and dialogue and Matt’s amazing performance of course!

TWO lab members heading to Stanford, one joins our ranks

April 3rd, 2026

We celebrated the news that two outstanding lab members, Josephine Ramirez and Daniel Moon, will be heading to Stanford in the fall. And officially welcomed Viggo, a new PhD student, with his very own lab fleece!

Career development seminar series: Beth tuck!

March 31st, 2026

As part of our internal career development seminar series, Beth Tuck (Genspace, NIH, Biotech CEO Sisterhood and so much more!) spent time with the lab discussing science outreach—how to evoke curiosity, measure impact, and make it fun! Thank you to Rimantė, Tanner, and Tracy for organizing.

RNA pirate in the house!

March 25th, 2026

We welcomed our cryo-EM collaborator, Dr. Israel Fernández from Biofisika Institute, to share a week of incredible science and camaraderie with the Sternberg lab. Thanks for joining us!

making headlines: Bacteria Invent Another Way to Turn on Genes

March 25th, 2026

CUIMC features our newest Nature article on an RNA-guided gene activating system. “VP&S biologists now show that Jacob and Monod were on to something.”

The sternberg lab is on a roll

March 13th, 2026

Strikes, spares, and science-themed bowling names, we had a great time throwing down at the bowling alley! (Over the line!)

sometimes..

February 6th, 2026

..we order a whole flock of chicken nuggets.

Stephen wins 2026 RNA Society / Scaringe Young Scientist Award

January 9th, 2026

Congratulations to Dr. Stephen Tang, who won this year’s RNA Society / Scaringe Young Scientist Award in the Graduate Student category. He follows in the footsteps of other notable award recipients — former lab members Sanne Klompe (2022) and Chance Meers (2025), and Samuel Sternberg himself (2015)!