MIX Innovators Launchpad Student Entrepreneurs Receive 2026 COVES Policy Fellowship

Yingjie Zhang (left) and Xiaorong Shan (right) holding checks from the Final Pitch competition of the Fall 2025 MIX Innovators Launchpad program. Both were among the winning teams.

Among the 2026 cohort of the COVES Policy Fellows are two Ph.D. candidates, Yingjie Zhang and Xiaorong Shan, who completed the Fall 2025 MIX Innovators Launchpad program and the October cohort of the Mason I-Corps.

The Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine created the COVES Policy Fellowship to bridge the gap between scientific expertise and public policy by giving emerging researchers meaningful access to real‑world decision‑making. Through a 12‑week summer placement, fellows serve as science and technology advisors in legislative offices, executive agencies, companies, and nonprofits, supported by a policy bootcamp, mentorship from Academy members, and participation in high‑level briefings and events. This experience equips graduate students from across the Commonwealth with the skills, networks, and hands‑on policy exposure needed to make substantive contributions at the intersection of science and governance.

Out of 19 Fellows, Yingjie Zhang and Xiaorong Shan are the only two from GMU who will serve in legislative offices, executive agencies, and non-profit organizations contributing to policy work that directly impacts the Commonwealth, receiving a minimum summer stipend of $9,000 and access to $2,000 in professional development funds.

EDUCATION

• Ph.D. Candidate, Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, George Mason University

• M.S., Data Science, New England College

• M.S., Biomedical Informatics, University of Chicago

• M.S., Chemistry, DePaul University

• B.Sc., Chemistry, Nanjing Tech University

Yingjie is a first-year doctoral student in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at George Mason University. He holds graduate degrees in Biomedical Informatics from the University of Chicago, Data Science from New England College, and Chemistry from DePaul University. As an interdisciplinary researcher, Yingjie’s current interests span AI-driven drug discovery, computational biology, and the application of artificial intelligence in biomedical research. Previously, his work focused on single-cell RNA sequencing for cancer studies at Northwestern Medicine, cancer-related research at the University of California, Irvine, and spatial transcriptomics in Alzheimer’s disease at AbbVie. He is currently completing a lab rotation with Dr. Iosif Vaisman at George Mason University, where he works on AI-assisted drug discovery projects involving AI-generated small-molecule drug candidates. In parallel, Yingjie is participating in an entrepreneurial program at the Mason Innovation Exchange (MIX), where he further explores AI-enabled prediction of clinical trial outcomes across different drug candidates. Through his research, industry experience, and entrepreneurial training, Yingjie has developed a strong interest in science policy, particularly the regulation and governance of AI in drug discovery and development. He is excited to apply his research background to the COVES Fellowship while deepening his understanding of the intersection between science, AI, and state-level policy.

EDUCATION

• Ph.D. Candidate, Civil & Environmental Engineering, George Mason University

• M.Sc., Environmental Engineering, Hohai University

• M.Eng., Industrial & Hygiene Safety Engineering, Institute-Mines-Telecom-North-Europe (IMT Nord Europe)

• B.Sc., Environmental Engineering, Hohai University

Xiaorong is a doctoral candidate in environmental engineering at George Mason University, specializing in long-term air pollution exposure and environmental health. Her research integrates large-scale environmental data, modeling, and population analysis to understand how historical pollution affects public health outcomes. She is particularly interested in translating scientific evidence into policy-relevant insights that support environmental justice and public health decision-making.

Additionally, Yingjie and teammate Hsuanchih (Nico) Kuo will be off to MIT Hacking Medicine GrandHack, from March 13-15, to further develop AccelP3, a venture developed during the MIX Innovators Launchpad Fall 2025 cohort. During the hackathon, they will use field experience and feedback from ecosystem players to refine AccelP3.