Meet the 2025 Alliance Interns Joining IICD This Spring
The Institute for Cancer Dynamics is pleased to welcome five talented students as part of the 2025 Alliance Program, an initiative that provides master’s students from the École Polytechnique the opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research at Columbia University. From March through August, these interns will collaborate with IICD faculty and researchers on projects ranging from stochastic modeling to machine learning applications in cancer research.
This year’s interns and their research focuses are:
Sara El Baghdadi is a master's student in Applied Mathematics and Data Science at École Polytechnique. She previously completed preparatory Physics and Chemistry Engineering Sciences classes at Lycée Sainte-Geneviève. Before joining Columbia, Sara completed research projects in computational biology and data science, including work on modeling high-dimensional data and time-series forecasting. At IICD, Sara is working under the mentorship of Drs. Simon Tavaré and Khanh Dinh, to investigate clustering mutations based on Variant Allele Frequencies to infer cancer growth models. Her research aims to enhance predictions of patient outcomes and tumor dynamics, leveraging mathematical modeling and data science to deepen our understanding of cancer progression.
Ethan Cohen is a master's student in Applied Mathematics at École Polytechnique. He previously completed preparatory Mathematics and Physics classes at Lycée Louis-Le-Grand. In this internship, Ethan is working with Dr. Simon Tavaré and Khanh Dinh, exploring machine learning and statistical modeling to address health-related challenges. His research involves developing mathematical models to better understand complex biological processes with applications in cancer dynamics and disease progression.
Tudy Herriou is a master's student in Applied Mathematics at École Polytechnique. He previously completed preparatory Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science classes at Lycée Hoche. At IICD and NYGC, Tudy is working in Dr. Sanja Vickovic’s lab to focus on leveraging Graph Neural Networks and subgraph matching algorithms for in vivo imaging in neuroscience. His research aims to improve computational methods for analyzing complex imaging data, enabling deeper insights into brain structure and function.
Mathias Perez is a master's student in Machine and Deep Learning at École Polytechnique. He previously completed rigorous preparatory coursework in Mathematics, Physics, and Engineering Sciences at Lycée Sainte-Geneviève. At IICD, Mathias is working under the mentorship of Dr. Elham Azizi to explore zero-shot alternatives to conditional generative models for single-cell RNA sequencing analysis.
Léandre Simon is a master's student in Applied Mathematics at École Polytechnique. He previously completed preparatory Mathematics, Physics, and Engineering Sciences classes at Lycée Aux Lazaristes. At the Institute, Léandre is working under the mentorship of Dr. Simon Tavaré, focusing on leveraging stochastic modeling, statistics, and machine learning to address healthcare challenges. His research aims to develop computational frameworks for understanding complex biological systems and improving data-driven approaches in medical research.
These interns will gain hands-on research experience, working closely with faculty mentors to develop computational methods that address fundamental questions in cancer biology. Throughout their internships, they will also participate in group meetings, seminars, and interdisciplinary collaborations that are central to IICD’s mission.