University of Florida College of Pharmacy graduate student Samantha Ali has been elected co-chair of the 2026 Gordon Research Seminar on Extracellular Vesicles, or GRS. This marks the second consecutive iteration of the national conference to be chaired by a Gator pharmacy trainee.
Ali is a second-year doctoral student mentored by Mei He, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pharmaceutics in the UF College of Pharmacy, and she said following in the footsteps of Zachary Greenberg, her colleague who co-chaired this year’s GRS, is an immense honor.
“These back-to-back nominations highlight the individual achievements of our students, emphasize the collective strength of the UF College of Pharmacy’s research community, and serve as a testament to the rigorous training, our faculty’s world-class mentorship, and the innovative spirit fostered at our institution,” Ali said. “Moreover, the college’s presence at GRS solidifies our position as leaders in the field and reflects the broader impact of our work on the international stage.”
GRS is a forum for doctoral researchers and other early-career scientists to present work, compare methods, and collaborate with their peers. As co-chair of GRS, Ali will spend the next two years organizing the conference’s programming, which includes securing speakers, business sponsorships, and funding from the National Institutes of Health. Ali will add these responsibilities to her rigorous research schedule investigating how spaceflight affects extracellular vesicles in patient-derived muscle cells, yet there’s no other way she’d rather spend her days.
“It’s a lot of work to be chair, but it’s also incredibly exciting to help shape the direction of discussions in the extracellular vesicle field,” Ali said. “My passion for research is fueled by an enduring curiosity, a love for engineering innovation, and the promise of making a tangible impact on the world.”