Class of 2026 President’s Engagement and Innovation Prize Winners Announced

University of Pennsylvania President J. Larry Jameson today announced the recipients of the 2026 President’s Engagement and Innovation Prizes. Awarded annually, the Prizes empower Penn undergraduate students to design and undertake post-graduation projects that make a positive, lasting difference in the world.

Six fourth-year students, including one Penn Engineer and one student affiliated with Penn Engineering, have been named recipients of the 2026 President’s Engagement Prize.

“This year’s recipients of the President’s Prizes exemplify the creative rigor and civic commitment that define Penn at its best,” said Jameson. “I am deeply grateful to the faculty and staff mentors who helped bring these projects to life and proud of the lasting difference these students will make.”

The 2026 prize recipients — selected from an applicant pool of 67 — will spend the next year implementing their projects:

• Margaret Zhu for Serpent Robotics: Zhu, a finance major in The Wharton School from Short Hills, New Jersey, will develop Serpent Robotics, an electric, rope‑climbing robotic system that allows arborists and tree care workers to cut branches and secure their descent to the ground, dramatically reducing injuries in one of the nation’s most dangerous industries. Serpent Robotics is mentored by Jeffrey Babin, professor and associate director of engineering entrepreneurship in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the engineering faculty director for Venture Lab, and was spun out from technology developed in the lab of Mark Yim, Asa Whitney Professor of Mechanical Engineering. The Serpent team also includes Penn Engineering graduates Steyn Knollema (IPD’26), Jason Li (IPD’26), Yiran (Kevin) Xuan (IPD’26), Luca Cao (IPD’26) and Jyotiraditya Ingawale (IPD’25).
• Nhlanhla Mavuso for Fluid Silicon: Mavuso, from Simunye, Eswatini, is completing a coordinated-dual degree in physics and computer engineering and an accelerated masters in electrical engineering. Fluid Silicon will enhance energy efficiency by allowing reconfigurable computer chips to monitor how their characteristics change over time to identify opportunities for adaptive compensation, thereby lowering voltage, improving frequency, and further enhancing chip reliability. The platform exploits these opportunities to reduce data-center energy and improve reliability without the need to fabricate costly new chips. Fluid Silicon is mentored by André DeHon, Oliver C. Boileau Jr. and Nan Eleze Boileau Professor of Electrical Engineering.

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Pictured above: (Top left) Connie Ni, Darlene Leohansson, and Chloe Chang. (Top right) Justin Wang, Janine Haros, and Eric Lee. (Bottom left) Margaret Zhu; (bottom right) Nhlanhla Mavuso. (Credit: Eric Sucar)