Charlotte junior Jalen London selected for Amgen Scholars program

UNC Charlotte junior Jalen London has been selected for the competitive Amgen Scholars program and will conduct research this summer at Harvard University.

For Winston-Salem native London — a Martin Scholar, nursing major and member of the Honors College and nursing honors program — the Amgen program will allow him to continue research he began at Harvard last summer.

He spent 10 weeks at the Ivy League university as a Harvard Summer Undergraduate Research Program Scholar, researching in the lab of Suzanne Walker, a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics. He will return to Walker’s lab this summer through the Amgen program.

As an Amgen Scholar, London will participate in professional development sessions, mentorship workshops, social events and the Amgen Scholars Symposium at the University of California, Los Angeles. He will present a final oral presentation with respective professors and Ph.D. students.

“I am excited to be chosen as an Amgen Scholar and to experience the ways this program mentors its students toward pursuing a Ph.D.,” London said. He is one of only 10 students selected for the 2024 cohort of Harvard-Amgen Scholars and the first Charlotte student.

London said his love for biochemical research began his freshman year at Charlotte, working in Professor Kirill Afonin’s lab to elucidate possible therapeutic roles of nucleic acid nanoparticles.

In his free time, London works on his brand, Catalyst, which promotes local DJs and producers and hosts events to highlight creativity and culture. Previously, he served as vice president of the men’s club soccer team and was a former health and safety chairman for Pi Kappa Alpha. He is a member of Christian Students at UNC Charlotte.

Amgen Scholars is an international program made possible through a 17-year, $70 million commitment from the Amgen Foundation. Each year, the program provides hundreds of selected undergraduate students with opportunities to engage in hands-on research at 24 premier educational and research institutions across the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada.

The Honors College advises all undergraduate students who are applying for nationally competitive scholarships. During the 2022-23 academic year, UNC Charlotte was home to 14 national scholarship and fellowship student awardees including the Fulbright, Gilman and Goldwater.