Winter Cohort deadline is November 22, 2026!
Apply here

About us

Our Story

Horizon Academic Research Program was founded in 2016 to give a platform to the world’s best young researchers. We were founded by Columbia University alums with a strong belief in how early access to research can shape the lives of future leaders. Over the last 8 years, we have worked with 1000+ students and 100+ instructors from over 30 countries.

Academic Integrity

At Horizon Academic, we are committed to fostering a culture of academic honesty and ethical research. To ensure that students and instructors maintain integrity throughout their work, we require them to sign our Academic Honor Code before beginning research.

Our goal is to cultivate intellectual curiosity and strong research skills, not to promise publication or letters of recommendation. While we provide mentorship and guidance, we emphasize the learning process and the development of critical thinking, reinforcing our commitment to academic excellence.

Our Team

Our team collaborates with (and is distinct from) our 99+ academic instructors from universities such as Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Dartmouth, Cambridge, Oxford, and Columbia. You can view a list of some of our academic instructors here.

David Weeks
David Weeks

Global Outreach Lead

B.A. from Swarthmore College

Josiane Matar
Josiane Matar

Head of academics

PhD from University of Oxford

Ria Mittal, Program Manager
Ria Mittal

Program Manager 

M.A. from Columbia University

Prarthna Chabria, academic committee member
Prarthna Chabria 

academic committee member

B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles

Uday Vir Garg, Publication Strategy Associate
Uday Vir Garg

Publication Strategy Associate

PhD from Freie Universität Berlin

Lindi Botha, Program Manager
Lindi Botha

Program Manager

B.A. from University of Johannesburg

Sukriti Pant, Onboarding Manager
Sukriti Pant

Onboarding Manager

M.A. from Azim Premji University, Bengaluru

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