NAVS is proud to support the next generation of researchers transforming science with compassion. Through our funding of the International Foundation for Ethical Research (IFER), we’re helping advance human-relevant, non-animal approaches that redefine how science is done.
This year marks IFER’s largest fellow class ever, 16 in total, with nine new and seven renewed, reflecting the growing global momentum toward innovative, ethical, and effective non-animal methods.
After a record-breaking number of applications, these outstanding researchers were selected for projects that advance ethical research in fields such as neurology, cardiology, and reproductive medicine.
Their work includes:
- Brain organoids modeling neuronal development
- 3D bioprinted functional cardiac ventricles
- Endometrial organoids for reproductive biology
- Gut-pain-on-chip systems for IBD research
- Cartilage microphysiological models
- Novel Alzheimer’s disease models
- Cardiac fibrosis models for drug testing
- Clinical biomarker discovery approaches — all without animal use
NAVS is honored to fund IFER’s efforts to support these visionary scientists, whose work is advancing human-relevant research and compassion in science.
Meet the 2026 IFER Fellows and their mentors
New Fellows:
| Fellow Name | University | Mentor Name(s) |
| Alexis Fielder | University of Rochester | Dr. James McGrath |
| Cora Ferguson | University of Oregon | Dr. Gabriella Lindberg and Dr. Nick Willett |
| Cheick Sissoko | University of Cincinnati | Dr. Ricardo Barrile |
| Elizabeth Maar | Tufts University | Dr. Juan S. Gnecco |
| Lucy Luo | Northwestern University | Dr. Alexander Misharin |
| Nisan Sele | Emory University | Dr. Fikri Birey |
| Yuhao (Lauren) Gao | Emory University | Dr. Fikri Birey |
| Virginia Bruno | University of Amsterdam | Dr. Jianbo Zhang |
| Zixie Liang | Yale University | Dr. Michael Mak and Dr. Stuart Campbell |
Renewed Fellows:
| Fellow Name | University | Mentor Name |
| Dowlette Alam El Din | Johns Hopkins University | Dr. Lena Smirnova |
| Eliska Rehurkova | Masaryk University, MUNI RECETOX | Dr. Iva Sovadinová |
| Eunho Choi | KAIST | Dr. Woojung Shin |
| Filipa Ribeiro | University of Delaware | Dr. Jason Gleghorn |
| Lunan Liu | New York University | Dr. Weiqiang Chen |
| Mingzhi Xu | Duke University | Dr. George Truskey |
| Vikram Surendran | Wake Forest University | Dr. Sean Vincent Murphy |
Together, they represent the future of science — one that’s driven by innovation, relevance, and compassion. We will be sure to update you on their progress as they continue to push human-relevant science forward.
