Abigail Solomon '26: From soccer to nanoparticles to leading tours, and much more
Abigail Solomon first considered attending Yale when she was in 8th grade – that’s when her soccer skills caught the attention of college recruiters. Since arriving in New Haven, Solomon has distinguished herself both on and off the field. She will graduate with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in biomedical engineering while simultaneously completing her pre-medical requirements. Beyond varsity soccer, she serves as Yale’s Head Tour Guide, a social media ambassador for Yale’s Instagram, a peer tutor for several engineering courses, and a volunteer at Haven Free Clinic. She is also the vice president of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, and has spent four years conducting nanoparticle research in the laboratory of Professor Mark Saltzman. In recognition of her contributions to Yale and the broader community, Solomon was recently awarded the New Prize, presented annually to a student whose “mind and character, whose actions and achievements at Yale and in the world, have enhanced the reputation of Jonathan Edwards College.” After graduation, Solomon hopes to play professional soccer before ultimately pursuing medical school and a career in trauma surgery.
We spoke with Abigail about her work in biomedical engineering, her experiences as a tour guide, and why she believes Yale is far more collaborative than many people imagine.
How did you choose Yale?
A better question might be: why wouldn’t I choose Yale? From the campus itself to the sense of community, the faculty, and the soccer program, Yale always stood apart to me. I grew up around New Haven, and with two older brothers attending Yale, the university already felt deeply familiar. But as I became increasingly serious about both academics and athletics, Yale began to feel like far more than a family tradition. It felt like the ideal environment for me to grow both intellectually and personally while continuing to compete at a high level in the sport I love.
As a tour guide, you often tell students that faculty and friends are the best part of Yale.
When I attended Bulldog Days as an admitted student, I was struck by how genuinely invested the professors were in undergraduates. Even before I had committed to Yale, faculty members were eager to speak with me about research, mentorship, and opportunities beyond the classroom. Professors here truly want to know their students as people. Whether through research, office hours, or simply conversations over tea, there is an accessibility and warmth among the faculty that I think surprises many students.
I also think there is a misconception that Yale is intensely competitive, when in reality I have found it to be extraordinarily collaborative. My peers and I study together constantly, work through difficult concepts together, and genuinely want one another to succeed. There is far more emphasis on collective growth than individual competition. One of the things I value most about Yale is how interdisciplinary daily life feels. One moment I am discussing sports with my suitemates, the next I am in class talking about action potentials across cell membranes or Kantian ethics, and later I am at soccer practice preparing for the weekend’s match. You are constantly surrounded by people with completely different perspectives and passions, and I think that environment pushes everyone to become more thoughtful and intellectually curious.
How did you end up working in Professor Saltzman’s lab in biomedical engineering?
I knew very early in my first year that I wanted to remain on campus during the summer, which is fairly common among student-athletes who continue training over the offseason. At the same time, I wanted to become involved in biomedical engineering research. I started exploring the different labs on Yale’s biomedical engineering website, and Professor Saltzman’s work immediately stood out to me because I found drug delivery systems incredibly compelling.
After emailing Professor Saltzman directly, I joined the lab within a week and began working with doctoral student Lauren Harkins. For the first three years, I worked on a project focused on targeting nanoparticles to the liver for ex vivo perfusion applications. More specifically, I developed methods for conjugating the monobody adapter protein to PLA-PEG nanoparticles, which improves antibody orientation and enhances targeting efficiency. That work ultimately evolved into a comprehensive methods paper that is currently under review for publication. We had struggled to consistently generate these conjugated particles, so I developed a detailed protocol outlining how to reliably perform the conjugation process.
After finishing your first paper, you started a new project your senior year targeting nanoparticles to the brain.
More recently, I began a second project alongside postdoctoral researcher Xianzhi Zhang investigating how alterations in the surface charge of PACE nanoparticles affect drug retention in the brain following intracranial injection for treating brain disease. This research became the focus of my thesis which I presented a few weeks back. We are currently in the process of preparing a second paper based on that work as well.
When you first got to Yale, did you think that you'd be authoring multiple papers?
Not at all. What is especially exciting to me is that I will ultimately be a first author on both papers. Of course, there is still additional work and the peer-review process ahead, but it is incredibly meaningful to think that, as an undergraduate, I have had the opportunity to contribute original research at that level.
What are your some of your future plans?
I hope to pursue professional soccer immediately after graduation before eventually entering medical school. Long term, I want to become a trauma surgeon specializing in reconstructive procedures for burn victims. My interest in the field stems directly from my fascination with biomedical engineering and regenerative medicine. Skin is an extraordinarily complex tissue to engineer because of its layered structure and functional demands, and I think there is still tremendous opportunity for innovation in that area. I am excited by the idea of contributing both as a physician and as someone with an engineering background.
As a tour guide, you probably have some good advice about how to spend your time at Yale.
One of the most overwhelming aspects of Yale is the sheer number of opportunities available. There are almost too many possibilities, and students often feel pressure to know exactly who they are or what they want to pursue immediately. What I always tell students is that one of the best things about Yale is that you are encouraged to explore. If something does not resonate with you, you can pivot, and if you discover something you love, you can pursue it deeply. When I first arrived on campus, soccer and engineering occupied nearly all of my time. Over time, however, I gradually became involved in tutoring, research leadership, campus outreach, and healthcare volunteering. As I became more comfortable balancing my responsibilities, I realized I was capable of doing more than I initially thought. I think being open to exploration is one of the most important parts of the Yale experience.
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Published Date
May 15, 2026
