Scholars
The Foundation is dedicated to cultivating the next generation of focused ultrasound clinicians and scientists through our fellowships and various internship opportunities.
Internships
In 2024, the Foundation’s internship program was named in honor of Dan and Lou Jordan. The Dan and Lou Jordan Focused Ultrasound Internship Program encompasses the Foundation’s local, global, and industry internship programs. Integral to the Foundation’s mission, these internships are designed to foster interest in focused ultrasound technology among the next generation of researchers.
Foundation Local Internships
Launched in June 2012, this program enables bright and gifted students to work on a variety of projects in collaboration with the Foundation’s research and education, communications, and development teams.
Intern projects represent valuable contributions to the field of focused ultrasound and our mission. The Foundation employs interns year-round, with a greater number of available positions during the summer months. To apply, please send your resume along with a cover letter to [email protected].
2025 Foundation Local Interns
| Student Name | Institution | FUSF Department |
|---|---|---|
| Luna Belza Garcia | Cheltenham Ladies’ College | Research & Education |
| Hannah Carroll | William Monroe High School | Information technology |
| Sahana Crawford | The Spence School | Information technology |
| Payton Meister | University of Virginia | Communications |
| Parani Saravanapavan | University of Virginia | Research & Education |
| Allegra Skare | University of Bristol | Research & Education |
| McKenzie Snow | UVA Darden School of Business | Research & Education |
| Ethan Wang | University of Virginia | Communications |
Foundation Global Summer Internship Program
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation offers an international internship opportunity for high school and university undergraduate students interested in the physical and life sciences. Interns supported through this program will work in an established focused ultrasound laboratory under a researcher recognized in the field. The applicant is responsible for identifying their mentor, and the mentor must agree to support a focused ultrasound related project for the intern throughout the summer. To learn more, contact [email protected].
We are now accepting applications for the 2026 Global Internships through April 17. Learn more.
2025 Global Summer Interns
| Student | Mentor | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Alessia Apa | Isabelle Aubert, PhD | Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre |
| Nischal Bhattarai | Muna Aryal, PhD | North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University |
| Raquel Casas | George Ibrahim, MD, PhD | Hospital for Sick Children |
| Cooper Donovan | Charles Caskey, PhD | Vanderbilt University |
| Darius Guerret-Shimi | Sophie Morse, PhD | Imperial College London |
| Hunter Harris | Steven Allen, PhD | Brigham Young University |
| Athreya Iyer | Adam Maxwell, PhD | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Elijah Leblang | Elisa Konofagou, PhD | Columbia University |
| Qiyixing (Ethan) Liu | Sophie Morse, PhD | Imperial College London |
| Mason Liu | Cheng-Chia (Fred) Wu, MD, PhD | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Maya McCabe | Phillip White, PhD | Brigham and Women’s Hospital |
| Thomas Wayne McInerney | Natasha Sheybani, PhD | University of Virginia |
| Matteo Palermo | Francesco Prada, MD | Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta |
| Julian Papasodaro | Adam Waspe, PhD | Hospital for Sick Children |
| Lauren Park | Dong-Guk Paeng, PhD | Jeju National University |
| Abigail Pinch | Mario Fabiilli, PhD | University of Michigan |
| Junaid Rehman | Samuel Pichardo, PhD | University of Calgary Hospital |
| Ben Rhyne | Nicholas Todd, PhD | Brigham and Women’s Hospital |
| Juhwan Roh | Dong-Guk Paeng, PhD | Jeju National University |
| Saanvi Sidhu | Laura Curiel, PhD | University of Calgary Hospital |
| Rohan Singh | Wladyslaw Gedroyc, MBBS, MRCP, FRCR | Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, St. Mary’s Hospital |
| Neil Sriram | Elisa Konofagou, PhD | Columbia University |
| Johnny Tang | Antonios Pouliopoulos, PhD | King’s College London |
| Nathan Thyberg | Steven Allen, PhD | Brigham Young University |
| Yagu Wang | James Choi, PhD | Imperial College London |
| Sophia Zanca | Kenneth Bader, PhD | University of Chicago Medicine |
Cultivate the Next Generation Follow-On Funding
Those who participated in our internship or global program and are interested in continuing to explore focused ultrasound as a career path are encouraged to contact us to discuss their desires/plans. The Foundation does not have a formal program to fund follow-on work for prior interns or global scholars, but we will consider compelling applications on a case-by-case basis. Proposals with which the student has secured and/or is applying for matching funds from another source are strongly encouraged. To apply, inquire at [email protected].
FUSF-Industry Summer Internship Program
Launched in 2025, the FUSF-Industry Summer Internship Program was developed in partnership with leading industry collaborators to provide hands-on job experience for undergraduate students interested in therapeutic ultrasound technology. Selected interns spend the summer working at a therapeutic ultrasound-related company, allowing students to gain invaluable industry insights and contribute to cutting-edge research and technology development.
Each year, industry partners will be selected for the program based on how well their project needs align with the Foundation’s mission.
We are now accepting applications for internships with five focused ultrasound companies through April 21. Learn more.
To learn more, please contact [email protected].
2025 FUSF-Industry Summer Interns
| Student | Home Institution | Industry Partner |
| Malcolm Barrios | University of Arizona | Microvascular Therapeutics, LLC |
| Aleena Bosky | University of California, Davis | Sonablate Corp. |
| Nikhitha Ravi | University of California, Davis | Onda Corp. |
| Clarissa Shieh | Northwestern University | Onda Corp. |
Fellowships
The Visiting Fellowship in Focused Ultrasound is a fellowship program with the goal of expanding the global network and collaboration between the technical or preclinical researchers, and/or the clinical focused ultrasound providers and the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. This Fellowship fosters collaboration between the Foundation, the Fellows’ home institutions, and other institutions as relevant.
Fellows benefit from the Foundation’s wide expertise in focused ultrasound and will have the opportunity to seek out and work closely with other investigators and clinicians throughout the Foundation’s network of research sites to stimulate the development of new translational and clinical research projects. It is expected that the Fellow will propose and design his or her own original research project in focused ultrasound. To apply, inquire at [email protected].
The Andrew J. Lockhart Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ultrasound and Immuno-Oncology was established in January 2021 through the generosity of the Lockhart family, who are longtime supporters of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. The new Lockhart Postdoctoral Fellowship will help the Foundation identify and cultivate the next generation of investigators who could advance the development and clinical adoption of focused ultrasound in immuno-oncology. Learn More About the 2025 Fellow
Established in 2020, the Darden Focused Ultrasound Fellowship offers college graduates who have been admitted to the University of Virginia Darden School of Business through its Future Year Scholars Program an opportunity to learn more about the field of focused ultrasound. Fellows will work at the Foundation for one to three years to gain experience working for an entrepreneurial med tech foundation before matriculating at Darden. Learn More About the Fellowship and Meet the First Darden Fellow
Funded Fellows
The Foundation has supported four researchers through its Visiting Fellowship in Focused Ultrasound since the program’s inception in 2014. The Fellowship was formalized following a very productive year-long collaboration with Institut Langevin’s Jean-François Aubry, PhD and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the Focused Ultrasound Foundation is based.
The Richard Merkin Visiting Fellows were as follows:
| Dong-guk Paeng, PhD (2014-2015) | Associate Professor of Ocean Systems | Jeju National University in Jeju, Korea |
| Cyril Lafon, PhD (2016-2017) | Director, LabTAU | University of Lyon in Lyon, France |
| Francesco Prada, MD (2017-2019) | Staff Neurosurgeon | Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Neurologico “C. Besta” in Milan, Italy |
| Frederic Padilla, PhD (2017-2019) | Associate Professor, LabTAU | University of Lyon in Lyon, France |
| Beata Chertok, PhD (2021-2022) | Associate Professor | University of Michigan |
The following Fellows were funded through the Foundation’s original Fellowship program, which was retired in 2021.
Sarfraz Ahmad, PhD, MRCS
University of Dundee – Dundee, UK
Mentors: Andreas Melzer, MD, DDS; Ghulam Nabi, MS, MD
Fellowship Period: August 1, 2011 – July 31, 2013
Howard Vo, MD, MSEE
Department of Radiology, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute – Houston
Mentors: King Li, MD, FRCP (C), MBA
Fellowship Period: August 1, 2011 – July 31, 2012
Nelly Tan, MD
Department of Radiology, University of California, Los Angeles
Mentors: Steven Raman, MD; David Lu, MD
Fellowship Period: June 2011 – May 2012
Julia Kamp, MD
Department of Radiology, Charité – Berlin, Germany
Mentors: Bernd Hamm, MD; Alexander Beck, MD
Fellowship Period: November 2009 – November 2010
Ronit Machtinger, MD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital – Boston
Mentors: Clare Tempany, MD; Fiona Fennessey, MD
Fellowship Period: September 2009 – August 2011
Thilo Hoelscher, MD
Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego
Mentors: William Bradley, Jr., MD, PhD
Fellowship Period: July – December 2009
Evan Weeks, MD
Department of Radiology, St. Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College, London
Mentors: Wladyslaw Gedroyc, MD
Fellowship Period: July 2009 – June 2010
Zion Zibly, MD
Department of Neurosurgery, SHEBA Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
Mentors: Sagi Harnof, MD; Zvi Cohen, MD
Fellowship Period: March 2008 – February 2009
Timothy McClure, MD
Department of Radiology, University of California, Los Angeles
Mentors: David Lu, MD; Steven Raman, MD Fellowship
Fellowship Period: July 2008 – June 2009