Sam Merrow

A launchpad for young scientists
Sam Merrow. a postbaccalaureate researcher in the lab of Guoping Feng -the James W. (7963) and Patricia T. Poitras Professor at MIT – showcases the best of scientific tradition: nurturing and sating curiosity in the next generation.
Merrow is part of the K. Lisa Yang Postbaccalaureate Scholar Program at MIT, which provides education, mentorship, and paid laboratory experience to enrich young scientists seeking to apply to graduate programs in neuroscience and neuroengineering.
“I still have so many questions about how things work,” Merrow says. Excitingly, Merrow will pursue their PhD studies in neuroscience at New York University starting in the fall of 2025. “The Yang Scholar Program has been a critical part of my preparation for grad school – I’ve gained a lot of technical experience and have developed my ability to be more of an independent thinker. These past two years have left me confident in pursuing my PhD,” they say.
Merrow largely credits undergraduate mentors at Simmons University for their current drive and success. “My early mentors were really invested in my success, which is why I think I was so successful.” says Merrow. “Simmons was particularly empowering for me as a non binary person in STEM,” Merrow says. “That’s when I made it my mission to operate as authentically as I can in professional spaces.”
This was a huge mental shift for Merrow. Their mother is a Brazilian immigrant who taught Merrow to keep their head down, work hard, and not draw too much attention. “The lesson was if I stand out in any way, I’m not going to succeed,” Merrow says.
Merrow is now standing out for the best reasons. In the last few months, they have garnered two awards: the Trainee Professional Development Award, presented by the Society for Neuroscience to postbaccalaureate and postdoctoral scholars who demonstrate scientific merit and excellence in research, and the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS) travel award, presented by the American Society for Microbiology to first-time presenters at the conference.
The first award gave Merrow financial support to attend the most recent conference, where they presented a research poster at a limited session. “It was also nice to warm up a bit” before the open-to-all poster session and networking with attendees in broader study areas.
The ABRCMS award, meanwhile, is focused entirely on minoritized undergrads, postbacs, and graduate students. “I think it will be an empowering experience to meet people like me in science,” Merrow said before attending the November conference.
While Merrow prepares for the next step in their career, they envision that they’ll one day “probably be a very successful professor and Pl.” working with undergraduate students.