Lara Ozkan, a senior at MIT hailing from Oradell, New Jersey, has been honored with the prestigious 2025 Marshall Scholarship. This award, funded by the British government, offers exceptional American students the chance to pursue advanced studies across various disciplines at any university in the United Kingdom. Each year, a select group of up to 50 scholarships is conferred upon deserving candidates.
“We are incredibly proud that Lara will represent MIT in the U.K.,” stated Kim Benard, the associate dean of distinguished fellowships. “Her impressive track record thus far is remarkable, and we eagerly anticipate her future contributions.” Ozkan, alongside several other MIT Marshall candidates, received invaluable guidance from the distinguished fellowships team within the Career Advising and Professional Development office, supported by the Presidential Committee on Distinguished Fellowships, co-chaired by esteemed professors Nancy Kanwisher and Tom Levenson.
Ozkan is majoring in computer science and molecular biology, and through her Marshall Scholarship, she aims to obtain an MPhil in biological science at Cambridge University’s Sanger Institute. This will be followed by a master’s degree focused on research in artificial intelligence and machine learning at Imperial College London. She is dedicated to enhancing women’s health through innovative technologies and computational research applications.
Before her MIT journey, Ozkan contributed to computational biology projects at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. At MIT, she’s made her mark as an undergraduate researcher in the MIT Media Lab’s Conformable Decoders group, innovating in wearable ultrasound technology for breast cancer detection. Additionally, she collaborates with Professor Manolis Kellis in the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, where her excellence in computational biology earned her the MIT Susan Hockfield Prize in Life Sciences.
While studying at the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, Ozkan delved into the ethical dimensions of genomic projects and created curricula focused on AI ethics for MIT’s computer science courses. Her internships with Accenture Gen AI Risk and various pharmaceutical firms equipped her with practical knowledge regarding responsible AI applications in healthcare.
Ozkan is not only an academic achiever but also a leader at MIT, serving as the president and executive director of MIT Capital Partners, an organization that bridges the gap between the entrepreneurial ecosystem and venture capital firms. She is also president of the MIT Sloan Business Club, contributes as an undergraduate research peer ambassador, and plays a role in the MIT EECS Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Through her involvement in the Undergraduate Advisory Group at the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, she advises on initiatives aimed at enhancing the student experience within interdisciplinary computing.
Beyond her academic and leadership roles, Ozkan actively volunteers with MIT CodeIt, where she teaches computer science to middle-school girls, and serves as a counselor with Camp Kesem, mentoring children affected by cancer.
Photo credit & article inspired by: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
