Columbia BME Graduate Student Named 2026 Marshall Scholar

Columbia biomedical engineering graduate student, Brianna Przywozny has been selected as a 2026 Marshall Scholar. One of the most prestigious international scholarships, the 2- year program supports outstanding U.S. scholars pursuing graduate study in the United Kingdom.

Started in the early 1950’s, the program was created to strengthen the ties between the U.S. and U.K. in the post-war era. The scholarships are awarded to American students seeking any graduate-level education at any British university. Students are selected based on academic merit, leadership skills and ambassadorial potential.

After transferring from Boston University, Brianna earned her B.S in biomedical engineering in May 2025 and will graduate with her M.S in December 2025. Przywozny began her research journey with the Columbia Space Initiative's Space Microbiology (now Astrobiology) Mission. After honing her essential lab techniques and scientific writing skills, she joined the department of biomedical engineering and the Biomaterials and Interface Tissue Engineering Lab (BITEL).

Alongside Dr. Helen Lu, Brianna’s outlook on research transformed and deepened her interests in biomaterials for scaffold design and tissue engineering. In the lab, she has been able to explore a variety of different projects, conducting in vitro studies of functionalized scaffolds for cartilage regeneration and performing finite element modeling of the osteochondral interface.

“I am deeply honored to be selected as a Marshall Scholar, as this opportunity allows me to pursue research within the UK’s extraordinary scientific community,” said Brianna. “I am so excited to be learning alongside biomedical engineers whose commitment to innovation and service I greatly admire!”

Brianna will begin a three-year DPhil in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford in fall 2026, where she will pursue research in tissue engineering and biomaterials. Her Marshall-supported work will focus on advancing translational tissue-engineering strategies at the intersection of biomaterials and bioprocessing. Under the mentorship of Dr. Cathy Ye and Dr. Zhanfeng Cui, she aims to develop tissue-engineered systems that will help bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and translation, while contributing to Oxford’s collaborative research environment and the broader UK-US scientific partnership. At the program’s completion, she plans to continue research and development roles in the biotech industry.