Kumbaraci-Jones Summer Assistantship Empowers Chemical Biology Students in the Lab
The newly established Kumbaraci-Jones Summer Assistantship helps undergraduate chemical biology students spend summers focusing on lab work, honing their research abilities while diving more deeply into their discipline.
When Dr. Nuran M. Kumbaraci-Jones was considering how best to honor the memory of her husband, Dr. Francis T. Jones, she quickly came upon a plan that would continue his legacy while offering maximum impact to Stevens students.
“When I joined the Stevens faculty many years ago, I met Dr. Jones, who was already working to establish a major in chemical biology at the university,” Kumbaraci-Jones said. “Up to that point, biology was being taught as a descriptive science. Dr. Jones and I understood the growing importance of integrating quantitative science into the discipline. We prioritized undergraduate research – engaging students in hands-on experiences to help them understand the material more fully.”
Together they established the chemical biology bachelor’s degree at Stevens in 1978. The program they designed infuses a complete education in chemistry with biology courses, introducing key elements in cellular, molecular and physiological biology to prepare students for careers as physicians, dentists, veterinarians and researchers.
“Ours was one of the first chemical biology programs in the country to earn accreditation from the American Chemical Society,” Kumbaraci-Jones added.
Dr. Constantin Chassapis, now senior vice provost for graduate education, was still a junior member of the faculty when he first learned about the chemical biology program. “I was impressed by the structure of the program, which created a coordinated path to the study of medicine and dentistry,” he recalled. “It was easy to see how dedicated Dr. Jones and Dr. Kumbaraci-Jones were to the ongoing quality of the program and especially how committed they were to ensuring that students benefited from it. They were very generous with their time.”
“Dr. Jones was known for being a tough instructor,” Kumbaraci-Jones said, noting that his career spanned more than 50 years, from the 1960s to the early 21st century. “He had an unwavering dedication to teaching, scholarship and leadership. Many who studied under him will say that he was the most instrumental professor in their career.”
The emphasis on supervised lab hours posed challenges for undergraduates, Kumbaraci-Jones observed. “More than anything, students need time in the lab,” she explained. “They need time to learn and practice techniques, and they also need time to follow their work toward results. Research-based education cannot be compressed into the confines of a typical semester. Unfortunately, many undergraduates are pressured to spend their summers at paying jobs.”
The Kumbaraci-Jones Summer Assistantship goes right to the heart of this issue, providing summer research stipends for undergraduates. As an endowed fund, the assistantship will support two to three students every year, in perpetuity. However, assistantship resources must be deferred until the endowment has had an opportunity to produce earnings. The couple’s friends and family saw this as an opportunity to honor Dr. Jones and his transformative work at Stevens. An invitation to the community – including faculty, students and alumni – raised additional funds to provide an immediate source of support for assistantships. As a result, in summer 2025 Vrinda Modi ’25 and Rhea Bachani, Class of 2027, became the first Kumbaraci-Jones Assistantship researchers.
“This gift is very reflective of who Dr. Jones was and how he approached teaching,” Chassapis pointed out. “Students in the classroom focus on gathering knowledge; in the lab, they have opportunities to generate knowledge. For the students, bringing new ideas to light can be a life-changing experience. It is also a crucial step in the education cycle, from classroom to lab to societal benefit.”
Kumbaraci-Jones plans to expand the endowment through her own estate plans, to further support the work she and her husband so lovingly developed through their life together.
In September 2025, Dr. Jones’ impact and legacy were celebrated at a special memorial event that also marked the opening of the newly renovated Chemical Biology Laboratory. The university welcomed more than 50 friends, alumni and students to pay tribute to Dr. Jones’ commitment to Stevens and the field of chemical biology. “The Kumbaraci-Jones Research Assistantship is a way to create a continuum – one that allows undergraduates to investigate a problem and fully realize their potential as researchers – and ensures that the study of chemical biology at Stevens remains rooted in excellence,” Kumbaraci-Jones said.
