IIBM PhD student receives Fellowship from The Protein Society and is invited to their annual conference in Boston

D. student from the Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering, Aransa Griñen, was selected by The Protein Society to participate in its annual conference, winning the prestigious “2026 Protein Society Journal Young Investigator Travel Award”, sponsored by Wiley Publishing.

This international recognition includes a grant of USD $1,100 to attend the Annual Symposium of The Protein Society, one of the most important events worldwide in the field of protein and molecular biology research.

The distinction acquires a special significance considering the high competitiveness of this year’s call, marked by a high number of international applications. For Aransa, this achievement represents not only a recognition of his scientific career, but also the possibility of being reunited with an academic community that has been key in the development of his doctoral research.

“This is my third time participating in The Protein Society and the second time I have received a fellowship. Last year I won the ‘2025 Diversity Equity and Inclusion Travel Award,’ so I am very grateful to be able to participate again, especially considering how competitive this process was,” she said.

The Protein Society is recognized as one of the most important scientific organizations in the study of proteins, bringing together researchers from diverse disciplines and promoting international collaboration and the exchange of frontier knowledge.

In this context, Aransa highlighted the impact that this experience has had on his academic and professional training:

“The Protein Society has been particularly important to me. Not only because it allows you to stay on the cutting edge of how the protein world is moving, but also because you generate ties and new perspectives on your work. Many conversations I had there helped guide my research and broaden my scientific outlook.”

One of the most significant milestones in his academic career arose precisely thanks to this conference. During one of his first participations, in his first year of graduate school, he met the researcher who would later become his internship tutor in Boston, an experience that profoundly marked the development of his doctoral thesis.

“It is particularly special to participate again in Boston, considering also that it will be my last participation representing my graduate thesis, as I will defend it before traveling. In a way, it is also a farewell to a research topic that accompanied me for four years,” he said.

From the IIBM, this recognition reflects the international impact of the research developed by its students and the Institute’s commitment to scientific training of excellence, global collaboration and the development of interdisciplinary research at the intersection between engineering, biology and medicine.