2026 John Hatch Memorial Prize Awarded to Dr. Kayleigh Ingersoll Omdahl
Science is rarely a solitary pursuit, and it is always an apprenticeship. While individual inspiration and effort spark novel ideas, it is the guidance and dedication of a mentor that helps those sparks catch fire. Mentorship lies at the very heart of Genes in Space, and the John Hatch Memorial Prize celebrates outstanding mentors. Established in 2020 to honor the memory of an extraordinary educator and Harvard PhD candidate, this annual award celebrates a Genes in Space mentor who goes above and beyond to shape the next generation of space biology pioneers.
This year, we proudly honor Dr. Kayleigh Ingersoll Omdahl as the recipient of the 2026 John Hatch Memorial Prize in Mentorship. Year after year, Kayleigh has demonstrated the same unwavering passion, dedication, and enthusiasm for championing students that John Hatch was so deeply loved for. Her lasting impact on her students and our program is immeasurable.
Kayleigh previously mentored four Genes in Space Finalist teams, including the 2024 winning team of Isabelle Chuang and Julia Gross. She earned her Ph.D. in Immunology from Dr. Leslie Kean's lab at Harvard Medical School, where she studied the mechanisms of T cells in graft-versus-host disease, which arises when donor cells from the transplant attack the recipient's body. She has continued her role as mentor in her new role as Technical Writing Manager at Mass General Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the lab of Dr. Sean Stowell.
As part of this well-deserved honor, Kayleigh will receive a stipend and serve on the prestigious panel of judges for the Genes in Space National Finals. In Houston, she will help decide which student experiment will earn a ticket to the International Space Station.
The Hatch Prize is funded by the Hatch family, with additional support from New England Biolabs. Please join us in celebrating her incredible impact and read Kayleigh’s reflection on mentorship below:
I am deeply honored to be the recipient of the John Hatch Memorial Prize in Mentorship this year. While I never met John, his glowing enthusiasm in the Genes in Space videos was what got me interested in mentoring for the program. Through 5 years of mentoring students, I always looked forward to re-watching the video of John for the Hatch prize because not only did it rekindle that love of mentoring in me, but filled me with gratitude for the chance to interact with these talented students. His excellence in mentorship was something that motivated me to strive to become better each year, and to mentor with an intention to reflect his passion and love for the students.
For me, mentoring became special as I got to know the students individually, including their unique personalities and passions. I wanted to help them magnify their talents and lean into their strengths in their presentations. I mentored one student who liked storytelling, and the night before her presentation at ISSRDC she wanted to change her talk to add an analogy. I encouraged her and trusted she could do it and it was the most memorable part of her presentation. Another year I mentored a team who had met each other in an art class and connected through their love of animation. I encouraged them to make an animation for their presentation, and it was extremely effective in demonstrating a specific process. I didn’t want these students to feel like they needed to conform to what they expected a scientist to be but see themselves as scientists already with their own unique skills and perspectives. Whether it was navigating a literature search, overcoming challenges in team dynamics or problem-solving in their experimental design, I was always impressed with the students’ abilities and considered it a privilege to work with them.
I absolutely loved John’s honesty in the way he wished that mentoring for Genes in Space was a full-time position because I felt the same way. When I searched for a job after graduating, I wanted to find something that focused on the very things I loved about Genes in Space — mentorship and science communication. Now, as a science writing manager for a lab I get to mentor each lab member in their writing and presentations and I find it so rewarding to get to help them get recognition for all of their hard work. John’s influence continues, and I’m excited to add this award to my resume — not for what it says about me, but because I will get to share his name with others to continue his influence and legacy.
