Recent Stanford alumna Jessie Ong, ’26, has been named a 2026 Graduate Ellison Scholar. The highly competitive, fully funded doctoral scholarship at Oxford University, is awarded to exceptional doctoral candidates working with world-leading experts on global challenges.

Ong will pursue a DPhil in paediatrics (immunology) with the Oxford Vaccine Group and the Ellison Institute of Technology. Her doctoral studies will focus on vaccine development by leveraging AI to model human immune responses. Her goal is to design and deploy next-generation vaccines that can be developed more rapidly and affordably against emerging and resistant pathogens to deliver long-lasting protection for global populations.

At Stanford, Ong completed a BS and MS in biology with honors in three years. She received research training from Stanford Synthetic Biology, the Harvard Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, and the Italian Institute of Technology’s Brain Development and Disease. She has presented research internationally at TEDxStanford, the University of Lausanne, and the Gordon Research Conference, among other venues.

As a first-generation American and immigrant from Thailand and Singapore, Ong advocates for mentorship of first-generation students. Raised by her aunt with Down syndrome, she also advocates for individuals with the condition.

Ong said she is grateful for her parents and her many Stanford professors and mentors who have supported her and is eager to continue her research in the U.K.

“A huge thank you to the University of Oxford and Ellison Institute of Technology for naming me a Graduate Ellison Scholar!” Ong said. “I’m excited for the next four years at the Oxford Vaccine Group, under the advisership of professors Daniela M. Ferreira and Sir Andrew Pollard.”

The Ellison Institute of Technology is a research hub founded by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. It was established in 2016 in Los Angeles and has a campus in Oxford. Now in its second year, the Graduate Ellison Scholars program supports students pursuing doctoral research projects in science and technology. Ong is the second Stanford student to receive the award.