Ruiying Zheng

Undergraduate researcher

A graduate of Julia R. Masterman High School, Ruiying is a member of the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 2030. At Penn, she is a scholar in the Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in the Molecular Life Sciences, a rigorous undergraduate program designed for students pursuing research and other careers in the natural and/or applied sciences. She plans to double major in biology and biochemistry, in addition to submatriculating in either biology or chemistry later in her undergraduate years. (Yes, she recognizes that this is an ambitious goal.) 

Ruiying’s interest in cancer research was sparked when she participated in Wistar’s High School Program in Biomedical Sciences in the summer of 2024. There, she was introduced to basic laboratory techniques and learned about TP53 mutations under the guidance of Dr. Jason Diaz. The following summer, she joined Dr. Y. Lynn Wang’s lab at the Fox Chase Cancer Center, where she studied the cell-in-cell phenomenon in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In May 2026, Ruiying joined Dr. Katherine Aird’s lab, working under the mentorship of Dr. Apoorva Uboveja to investigate the mechanisms behind high-grade serous carcinoma. 

For her next chapter, Ruiying is trying to figure out whether an M.D., a Ph.D., or both is the best 
path for her. 

Email: rzheng@wistar.org