North American Grant Winner

Szumam Liu, PhD

Szumam Liu is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. After earning a B.S. in Biotechnology in 2009, she received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences and Engineering in 2017. She furthered her expertise through postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Kansas Medical Center, completing her advanced training in 2024.

Her research activity is primarily focused on the molecular biology of gene regulation, hemostasis, and thrombosis. She specializes in epigenetic mechanisms—specifically protein arginine methylation—and their roles in thrombotic and inflammatory diseases, such as Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP). Her current work identifies novel methylation sites on ADAMTS13 to develop new therapeutic strategies.

She has presented her work at several international congresses, including the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH). Her research has been recognized with numerous honors, including the ISTH Early Career Travel Award and the ASH Abstract Achievement Award. Additionally, she serves as the Principal Investigator for research focused on ADAMTS13 mutations. Finally, she is actively involved in the scientific community as an editor and reviewer for Frontiers in Immunology and serves as a judge for academic research forums.

Global Grant Winner

Dr. Harriet Allan

Dr Harriet Allan is a British Heart Foundation Research Fellow based at the Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London. Her research focuses on investigating mitochondrial dynamics in platelets and megakaryocytes, with a particular interest on the role of platelet mitochondrial transfer in modulating the function of circulating cells.