This summer, ARCS Foundation San Diego voted to add Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute to its family of educational partners. The ARCS Foundation will fund two ARCS Scholars at the Institute for the 2026-27 academic year, each receiving a $12,500 award to support their research.
“We are extremely grateful and excited to join the ARCS family to help advance graduate education in San Diego,” said Alessandra Sacco, PhD, dean of the institute’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. “This partnership will allow us to launch a new scholarship program providing direct support to exceptional PhD students at Sanford Burnham Prebys. The foundation’s legacy of impact on graduate education in our region is unmatched, and we are honored to be joining such a distinguished group of partner institutions.”
Sanford Burnham Prebys joins ARCS Foundation San Diego’s four existing university partners: San Diego State University, Scripps Research, UC San Diego, and the University of San Diego. In 2026–27, the chapter will provide $650,000 in Scholar awards to 52 graduate students at these five San Diego–area research institutions.
Following the completion of a competitive application process, Sanford Burnham Prebys has named graduate students Laurence Haddadin and Erik Hultenius as its inaugural ARCS Scholars. Each will receive an unrestricted $12,500 scholarship, renewable for up to three years.
“I am over the moon to be one of the first recipients of the ARCS Scholar award at Sanford Burnham Prebys,” said Laurence Haddadin, a graduate student in the lab of Xueqin Sun, PhD, assistant professor in the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program. “The support that comes with it will fuel my journey into the complexities of cancer epigenetics. I’m thrilled to be part of the ARCS community and look forward to engaging with fellow scholars as we work together to advance the future of science.”
“It is a tremendous honor,” agreed Erik Hultenius, a PhD student working in the lab of Xiao Tian, PhD, assistant professor in the Center for Neurologic Diseases. “This support means a great deal as I continue to pursue my research on brain aging and neurodegeneration. I’m very eager to share my discoveries with the foundation and my fellow scholars in the years ahead.”
Laurence Haddadin, graduate student in the lab of Xueqin Sun, PhD.
As federal funding for scientific research faces unprecedented cuts, the ARCS Foundation San Diego recently increased its annual ARCS Scholar awards from $10,000 to $12,500. The 25% increase is designed to help exceptional graduate students continue their research at a time when financial support for science is increasingly difficult to secure.
Erik Hultenius, a PhD student working in the lab of Xiao Tian, PhD.
“Given the cuts to federal funding for scientific research, we felt it was especially important to increase our support for young scientists at this critical stage of their careers,” said ARCS San Diego President Ingrid Benirschke-Perkins. “These talented researchers are working on discoveries that will shape our future. We want to do everything we can to help them pursue that work.”
ARCS San Diego has supported scientific research in the region for more than four decades. Since its founding in 1985, the chapter has awarded almost $14 million to 1,784 PhD students in San Diego.
About Sanford Burnham Prebys
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute is an independent nonprofit biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding human biology and disease and advancing discoveries that profoundly impact human health. Our research spans six centers: the NCI-designated Cancer Center, the Center for Cardiovascular and Muscular Diseases, the Center for Neurologic Diseases, the Center for Metabolic and Liver Diseases, and two enabling technology centers, the Center for Therapeutics Discovery and the Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. For more information, visit sbpdiscovery.org.
About ARCS
Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) is a national nonprofit organization founded and run by women to strengthen America’s global competitiveness in science and technology. Through its 15 chapters nationwide, ARCS provides financial support to exceptional graduate students pursuing advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical research. For more information, visit san-diego.arcsfoundation.org.