Kaylene Lu, a fifth-year PhD student in the Cancer Biology program, is focused on understanding glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer with limited treatment options. Her research examines the molecular mechanisms that drive tumor development, with the goal of identifying pathways that could inform more effective therapies.

In her journey at The Graduate School, Lu has taken on a number of leadership roles. As a second-year Dr. John J. Kopchick Fellow, she served as chair of the 2025 Kopchick Symposium, where she developed skills in collaboration, delegation, and team-building — an extension of the mentorship-driven environment she values in the lab of her advisor, Jian Hu, PhD.

Lu also served on the Cancer Biology program Student Council, and currently serves as media relations officer on the Association of Minority Biomedical Researchers (AMBR).

In addition to the Kopchick Fellowship, Lu was also the recipient of other awards that support her research including the American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research, the MD Anderson Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Graduate Scholar Award, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute F31 award.