Manjusha Handa Cancer Research Award

With generous support from Neerav Handa and his family, the Science Division at UC Santa Cruz is pleased to accept applications for the Manjusha Handa Cancer Research award. This award supports research projects in cancer research and will be awarded to a student with demonstrated financial need.

Amount & use

Award amount: One award of up to $4,700 to go towards living expenses, tuition, or research related costs at the student’s discretion

Please note: this award is processed through the Financial Aid and Scholarships office. All summer project awardees will be automatically enrolled in PBS 198, a free summer course put in place to ensure that awardees can maintain enrollment status during the summer (which, in turn, prevents awards from impacting students’ academic year financial aid packages). You can refer to this important information sheet regarding awards to learn more of how the funds are received and any potential impact to other aid (if any).

Eligibility & Requirements

You must be a STEM major engaged in cancer research
You must have demonstrated financial need
You must be participating in a STEM diversity program (for questions or clarification on this, email us)
You must propose a research project relating to cancer research or provide a summary of the research project you are already engaged in
You must have a faculty mentor for your research project

This award is one of several science division summer research awards. You can view each of these research awards and their various eligibility criteria here.

If you have questions, please contact the awards manager at sciawards@ucsc.edu.

Please find complete application instructions below.

Deadlines

Applications open Monday, November 17, 2025, and close Friday, February 20, 2026, at 5 p.m.

Selection criteria

Strength of research proposal (e.g., quality of writing, feasibility of project)
Strength of faculty recommendation

Selection process: The Physical and Biological Sciences Undergraduate Award Committee, composed of faculty in the Sciences at UC Santa Cruz, will review the application materials, rank each proposal, and select the award recipient.

How to Apply

Apply now using this google form.

Meet the 2024-25 Handa Award recipient

Tereza Shea

Major: MCD Biology
Stevenson College ’25
Faculty mentor: Carol Greider

2024-2025 Manjusha Handa Cancer Research Award recipient, Tereza Shea, was an undergraduate researcher in the laboratory of Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Carol Greider. Her project, titled Identifying subtelomeric regions of chromosome end 9R’s X-elements that drive telomere length in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, involved studying a specific section of DNA that sits right next to the telomere-the protective cap at the end of a chromosome. Using yeast as a model, she studied how removing and adding back the Core X region affects the telomere lengths of chromosome 9R, which is unusually long. Regulation of telomere length is crucial for human health, as telomeres that present as too long can lead to predisposition to cancer, and telomeres that are too short can lead to age-related degenerative diseases. Her project concluded in June 2024, and the results showed that Core X addback increases telomere length, suggesting that something within the Core X region is driving this unusually long telomere. Since no one has performed this experiment before, her work could lead to a new discovery about what regulates telomere length in chromosome 9R.

After graduating, Tereza began an internship as a molecular biology researcher at Elsie Biotechnologies, a San Diego-based company that was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline in 2024. Elsie develops oligonucleotide therapeutics, many of which have shown success in clinical settings. After gaining experience in industry, Tereza plans to apply to graduate or medical school.