Every Student Has a Story: Ahmed Zegher '26

Apr 28, 2026

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Ahmed Zegher '26 caught a glimpse of the clock hanging on the laboratory wall. Was that really the time? In that instant, he decided to completely rewrite his future.

"I'm like, for what? I was so confused. Turns out, they were both still at the conference when the winners were being presented and they heard my name called. I didn't even know there were winners."

The day before, Zegher had presented his research - focused on RNA enzymes that have adapted to high heat - at the 2026 RNA Institute Annual Symposium at the University at Albany. Among the 125 posters, Zegher was the only student researcher from a Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI). His poster was selected among the 10 winners.

"At one point during the poster presentation, someone started asking me questions and I noticed it said 'judge' on his badge. That was my first and only clue that it was a competition. I honestly think the judges were just impressed by how well I knew my stuff and how curious I am about the research."

"It's really the professors here, to be honest. They present the material with so much passion it made me passionate."

"I looked at the clock and I couldn't believe how long I'd been in there, and I loved it. Sometimes I'll hear students complaining about four-hour labs, and I can't understand it. I'm like, 'What's wrong with you? This is so much fun!' Eventually I figured that must mean something."

Zegher's pivoting away from medical school and going all-in on research. He's considering between master's programs, and already has his sights set on a Ph.D. Ultimately, he'd like to teach.

"When I told my professors my new plan, none of them were surprised. So many of them said, 'This is the route for you.' It shows how well they really know me."

In the meantime, he's squeezing every ounce of lab time and curiosity he can out of Siena. Zegher could have graduated early but there were still too many classes he wanted to take, like:

Traditional Chinese Medicine - "That was a really fun class. It was cool to learn more about the chemistry behind it."
Drugs and Human Behavior - "Really fun to learn all about these different molecules that make up the drugs."
Molecular Biology - "Such a fun class. We dedicated the whole course to developing our molecular biology techniques."

Fun. That's the word Zegher uses for every class. It's also going to be fun presenting his research at the May 1 Academic Showcase. And it's going to be fun opening the mail when his winner's check from the conference arrives later this month.