January 13, 2026

Mengzhou (Clara) Hu, a PhD student researcher in the Ideker Lab and a member of the NIH Common Fund Bridge2AI Program’s Functional Genomics Grand Challenge team, has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Science for pioneering work at the intersection of artificial intelligence and cellular biology.

In recognizing Hu, Forbes highlighted the impact of her AI-driven approach to understanding cellular systems:

“Mengzhou Hu is using artificial intelligence to decode the foundation of human life: cells. In a first-author Nature publication, Hu developed the largest and most comprehensive cancer cell map to date, using an AI model that integrated data from more than 5,000 proteins in certain cancer cells. Another Nature Methods first-author paper tested how well AI-based large language models could explain gene functions. Hu’s work has been cited more than 180 times.”

— Forbes, 30 Under 30 Science Editors

As part of the Functional Genomics initiative, also known as the Cell Maps for Artificial Intelligence (CM4AI) project, Hu’s research centers on building multi-scale cell maps through the integration of diverse, high-dimensional biological data. Hu combined protein biophysical interaction data and immunofluorescence imaging to construct a comprehensive map of cancer cell organization, creating a foundational resource for understanding cellular structure and function. She has also integrated pediatric tumor genomics into these maps to examine how cancer-associated mutations converge at the level of complex biological systems.

“Bridge2AI is designed to support researchers who are building the data resources and AI methods that will underpin the next generation of biomedical discovery,” said Trey Ideker, PhD, a principal investigator in the Bridge2AI program and Contact PI for CM4AI. “Clara’s work exemplifies this vision—combining multimodal data integration, rigorous evaluation, and innovative AI approaches to create tools and insights that are broadly useful to the research community.”

Hu’s recognition by Forbes underscores the impact of NIH-supported research and Bridge2AI’s commitment to advancing trustworthy, reusable AI approaches while training the next generation of interdisciplinary biomedical scientists.