Two School of Graduate Studies (SGS) students were recognized with this year’s SGS Community Engagement Award at the Collaborative Center for Community Engagement’s End-of-the-Year Celebration, held on April 9, 2026, at the Rutgers Club. Assistant Dean Dr. Ramazan Gungor presented the awards on behalf of SGS.
Premal Shah's career has spanned both academia and industry, he spent over six years as an Assistant Professor of Genetics at Rutgers University, where he was a member of the Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey and led research on the dynamics and evolution of gene regulation and protein synthesis. Since transitioning to industry in 2022, he has held Director-level roles at Ananke Therapeutics and a stealth-mode biotech firm, where he led computational biology, RNA design, and target discovery efforts to advance the next generation of RNA-based therapeutics. SanegeneBio is a global biotech with a singular vision: Best-in-class RNAi medicines. They are focused on discovering and developing best-in-class genetic medicines for obesity, cardiometabolic, and autoimmune diseases using RNA interference (RNAi) technology. Their proprietary technology platform, LEAD™ (Ligand and Enhancer Assisted Delivery), enables tissue-specific silencing of disease-driving genes in the liver, adipose tissue, muscle, and immune cells—achieved through safe, infrequent subcutaneous dosing. Throughout his career, he has built and led interdisciplinary teams of molecular biologists, computer scientists, and statisticians, integrating high-throughput genomics with bioinformatics and computational approaches.
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By Renata Torres da Costa
By Joshua Stuckey
Congratulations to the winners of the Molecular Biosciences Graduate Student Organization (MBGSO) symposium on Friday March 6, 2026.
There were a total of 48 posters and 6 oral presentations, all of which were excellent.
2026-2027 SGS Fellowship for Excellence
By Megan Schupp
This is your chance to peek inside the walls of Merck’s headquarters. We will tour two different labs and hear from a panel of PhD level employees in a variety of roles followed by networking time. The areas of focus at Merck Research Laboratories include oncology, vaccines, infectious diseases, cardio-metabolic disorders, immunology, neuroscience and ophthalmology. At Merck they believe that research is the will to conquer the impossible and that science will lead the way.
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201 S Broadway
Joint Health Sciences Center, Room 104BC
Camden, NJ 08103
A Contract Research Organization (CRO) is a great place for a fresh PhD to land their first job. More and more pharmaceutical companies are outsourcing parts of their projects to these CROs so it is a growing industry. Come meet PhD-level panelists who work at CROs to learn how you can get this kind of job and the benefits of working there to get your foot in the door of industry.
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