Texas A&M Hosts Third Annual Lindau Scholars Spring Meeting

This summer, from June 30-July 3, 35 graduate students, professional students, postdoctoral researchers and undergraduates from institutions across the United States will travel to Lindau, Germany, to participate in one of the world’s most prestigious scientific gatherings: the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings. There, they will join approximately 650 other young scientists and 75 Nobel Prize laureates from around the globe for a week intended to educate, inspire, and connect the next generation of scientists. 

Before heading to Germany, the group convened April 16 and 17 in College Station on the campus of Texas A&M University for the Lindau Scholars Spring Meeting. Now in its third year, the two-day event helps scholars arrive in Lindau prepared to engage with laureates, build international networks, and represent U.S. research on a global stage — while also introducing them to Texas A&M’s research strengths and campus resources. 

The spring meeting was created by Dr. Jörg Steiner, Regents Professor and University Distinguished Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Speaking at the closing dinner at the Texas A&M Agrilife Center, Steiner said he wanted to create a program that opens doors for Texas A&M students, helps scholars from across the U.S. make the most of Lindau and elevate the university’s international profile. 

“Lindau is the premier gathering of its kind,” Steiner said. “We are thrilled to be partnered with Lindau to support such a transformative experience for these young scholars.” His vision, Steiner said, is for College Station to be part of the pipeline — a place where scholars can practice telling their research story, build confidence, and begin forming the relationships that will shape their week in Germany. 

JonSavannah Carter, Lindau Program Coordinator for the Graduate and Professional School, said the spring meeting also strengthens long-term connections with future scientific leaders. “It also gives us a chance to expand the Aggie Network. Some of these scholars may end up Aggies. Even for those who don’t, for the rest of their careers, they will associate Lindau and Texas A&M,” Carter said. 

Founded in 1951, the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings bring together Nobel Prize laureates and promising young scientists to foster dialogue across disciplines and generations. Through lectures, workshops, and informal discussions, the meetings emphasize mentorship, collaboration, and the shared responsibility of advancing scientific research worldwide. Nobel Laureate Meetings alternate each year between the natural Nobel Prize disciplines: physiology and medicine, physics, and chemistry. Economic sciences is cycled in every three years and an interdisciplinary meeting is held every five years. This year, the 75th iteration of the meeting, is interdisciplinary.

Spring Meeting Agenda

The 2026 spring meeting in College Station featured research-focused breakout sessions, campus tours, and opportunities to engage with Texas A&M faculty and facilities. Programming included visits to the Chemistry Department and Physics and Astronomy Department research facilities, the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study, the Cyclotron Institute, and the Naresht K. Vashisht College of Medicine. 

New to this year’s program was Falling Walls Lab Aggieland, a pitch-style competition that challenges participants to present breakthrough research ideas in three minutes. The event is part of the global Falling Walls initiative, which aims to identify and support innovative solutions to major scientific and societal challenges.  

The competition was won by Ridwan T. Ayinla, a Lindau Scholar and postdoctoral researcher from Mississippi State University. Ayinla presented research on developing sustainable energy storage materials derived from biomass, with applications in next-generation batteries and supercapacitors. He said he hopes his work can help “make a meaningful contribution to the global transition toward renewable energy,” including through devices that could support large-scale grid infrastructure.

After winning Falling Walls Lab Aggieland, Ayinla will travel to Berlin, Germany, this November to present his research at the 2026 Falling Walls Summit. Reflecting on the Texas A&M campus tour and conversations with faculty, Ayinla said he was “deeply impressed by the scale and ambition of development across campus,” which he viewed as a sign of the university’s commitment to innovation. He also described Texas A&M’s partnership with Lindau — and the spring meeting itself — as “an extraordinary act of investment in the next generation of scientists.” “As a scholar, I simply cannot tell my story without acknowledging the profound role Texas A&M has played in it,” Ayinla said. 

Support and Impact

The 2026 Lindau Scholars Spring Meeting is a joint initiative of the Office of the Provost, the Graduate and Professional School, the Division of Research, the Office for Faculty Affairs, and the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study. The program is supported by corporate partners Nestlé Purina and Nutramax, whose sponsorship reflects a shared commitment to developing the next generation of scientific leaders. 

Several visiting scholars said the spring meeting helped them better understand Texas A&M’s research environment — and arrive in Lindau more prepared to engage. Hansen Tjo, a doctoral student from Princeton University, said he “knew of Texas A&M’s reputation as a top university for research,” but left impressed by “the level of investment for innovation.”

Benjamin Fellman, a doctoral student in atmospheric sciences at the University of Oklahoma, said his time in College Station provided “a new spark of inspiration and passion for research.” That momentum, he said, is exactly what he hopes “to carry into the conversations and collaborations in Lindau.” 

Grace Sweetak, a doctoral student at Lehigh University conducting her research at NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory, said the spring meeting helped her feel “less intimidated” about the days ahead in Lindau. She added that the visit left a lasting impression of Aggieland. “I don’t know if I’ll ever hear the term ‘Howdy’ again without thinking of Texas A&M.”  

2026 Lindau U.S. Scholars 

Texas A&M University  

• Dipankar Sen, postdoctoral scientist, physics and astronomy, Texas A&M University 
• Mailin Li, doctoral student, medicine, Texas A&M University 
• Isabella Oaks, undergraduate student, physics and astronomy, Texas A&M University 
• Kayla Goforth, postdoctoral scientist, biology, Texas A&M University 
• Ajithamithra Dharmasiri, doctoral student, physics and astronomy, Texas A&M University 
• Joshua Rushlow, doctoral student, chemistry, Texas A&M University 

Visiting Scholars 

Joseph Tsenum, doctoral student, biology, University of Florida     

Leticia Adao Gomes, doctoral student, chemistry, mathematics and computer science, Northeastern University 

Aranzazu Arias-Rojas, postdoctoral scientist, medicine/life sciences and chemistry, Broad Institute 

Simran Arora, postdoctoral scientist, chemistry and medicine/life sciences, Rice University 

Ridwan T. Ayinla, postdoctoral scientist, chemistry; physics, Mississippi State University 

Suvo Banik, postdoctoral scientist, physics; other scientific disciplines, Argonne National Laboratory 

Tandralee Chetia, doctoral student, physics and medicine/life sciences, Purdue University 

Ching Lam Choi, doctoral student, physics, mathematics and computer science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Jack Crowley, doctoral student, physics and medicine/life sciences, Cornell University 

Benjamin Fellman, doctoral student, physics and social sciences/humanities, University of Oklahoma (Institute for Public Policy, Research, and Analysis) 

Kapil Gangwar, doctoral student, physics; medicine/life sciences, Cornell University 

Adler Guerrero, MD/PhD student, medicine/life sciences andchemistry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine 

Daniela Koble, doctoral student, medicine/life sciences, University of Miami 

Matheus Kunzler Maldaner, master’s student, physics, mathematics and computer science, University of Florida 

Linh Le, postdoctoral scientist, chemistry, University of Chicago 

Vaibhav Pal, doctoral student, chemistry and medicine/life sciences, Pennsylvania State University 

Sangwoo Park, instructor, physics and medicine/life sciences, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital 

Teja Peddada, MD/PhD student, chemistry and medicine/life sciences, Stanford University 

David Saeb, doctoral student, chemistry and medicine/life sciences, University of Colorado – Boulder 

Nicholas Sims, postbaccalaureate researcher, medicine/life sciences and chemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine 

Yentli Soto Albrecht, MD/PhD student, medicine/life sciences, University of Pennsylvania 

Grace Sweetak, doctoral student, physics, Lehigh University 

Hansen Tjo, doctoral student, chemistry, Princeton University 

Emily Troutman, undergraduate student, physics, mathematics and computer science, Georgia Institute of Technology 

Meng Zhang, postdoctoral scientist, medicine/life sciences, Stanford University 

Jessica Bahena-López, postdoctoral scientist, medicine/life sciences, Oregon Health & Science University