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About Pioneer Academics
Pioneer Academics researches, develops, and delivers cutting-edge initiatives with college-administered oversight. Pioneer instills rigorous, original inquiry in high school students who become thoughtful leaders and innovators, making a meaningful impact on their communities and the wider world.
The ONLY fully-accredited online research institute for high school students, the Pioneer Research Institute selects exceptional high school students from around the world to conduct original, university-level research under the direct mentorship of university faculty.
Founded in 2012, the Pioneer Research Institute operates as a formal academic institution through its groundbreaking system for academic governance, developed in collaboration with Oberlin College.
The Global Problem-Solving Institute brings together outstanding students from around the world to tackle real-world global challenges — such as climate change and water pollution — through interdisciplinary thinking and collaborative design. It is a virtual research-based program that cultivates students’ innovation skills and leadership potential.
Launched in 2023, the Pioneer Global Problem-Solving Institute partners with University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Both the Pioneer Research Institute and the Global Problem-Solving Institute meet formal accreditation standards for collegiate studies. This framework for academic quality is assured by the same college committees that review college coursework, faculty governance, and student assessments.
As a result, all Pioneer scholars receive undergraduate college credit, an official college transcript, and Pioneer Academics-certified evaluations.
Awarded by Oberlin College directly, not a university extension program
Oberlin and Pioneer jointly created a groundbreaking academic governance system to evaluate and qualify Pioneer scholars’ research work for accreditation. Through this unique process, Pioneer Research Institute students receive four college credits directly from Oberlin College & Conservatory, a nationally recognized liberal arts college.
Different from how colleges are accredited by regional agencies, this college-accreditation system is driven by an authoritative third party, who validates that the Pioneer Research Institute’s academics reach the highest level of independent undergraduate research and meet accreditation criteria.
Awarded by UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health directly
Extra steps to receive an official UNC transcript
Through the Global Problem-Solving Institute, students receive two college credits from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a top public university.
Focusing on academic rigor and the students’ learning journey, Pioneer Academics is widely regarded by educators and admissions professionals as a gold standard for intellectual exploration for high school students seeking depth rather than breadth.
We will improve the current academic culture by creating educational experiences that are growth-focused, inspiring, future-ready, and life-changing, that unlock students’ curiosity and creativity, and that involve international peer engagement, encouraging students to challenge preconceived notions and embedded stereotypes.
Pioneer Academics transcends cultural, geographic and socioeconomic barriers to educational engagement by selecting student cohorts that bring together ideas and perspectives from diverse cultures and geographies. Such peer interaction augments creativity and heightens students’ awareness of the global community in which we live.
Pioneer Academics is committed to building future-ready skills in high school students. Our curricular innovation encapsulates the most forward-thinking visions of leaders in education and technology.
The Pioneering Artificial Intelligence in Research and Innovation for the Next Generation (PAIRING) Advisory Board supports Pioneer Academics in developing a responsible, forward-looking framework for using and considering artificial intelligence in research and problem solving—one that strengthens critical and creative thinking, deepens inquiry, and expands what is possible in original scholarship while preserving scholar curiosity, faculty mentorship, transparency, accountability, and academic integrity.
David Gatchell, Ph.D.
David is the current director of the Manufacturing and Design Engineering (MaDE) program, the undergraduate degree-granting program within Northwestern University’s Segal Design Institute. In addition to his leadership role within Segal, David holds the position of Clinical Professor in the McCormick School’s BME and ME departments. In 2020, he was awarded the Meshii Award in Design Education, and in 2016, he received the Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Clinical Professor award.
At NU, David co-instructs the capstone sequences in the MaDE and Mechanical Engineering programs. Prior to 2019, he also co-instructed the capstone sequence in Biomedical Engineering. In addition, his DSGN 308 – Human-Centered Product Design course has been chosen as “one of five undergraduate courses to take NU” by the Daily Northwestern. In 2018, David co-developed, with Matthew Cummins, the Leonardo, Geometry, and the Art of Manufacturing course, which culminates in a public iron pour. He co-directs the Segal Summer Internship Program with Professor Dan Brown and maintains research collaborations with members of the Feinberg School of Medicine.
Before joining the NU faculty in 2011, David was a member of the BME faculty at IIT and the lead instructor of IIT’s IPRO program. He has an AB in physics from Bowdoin College and a PhD in BME from Boston University. His wife, Terry, is a graduate of NU’s Environmental Engineering Department. Together, David and Terry have two children, Will, 19, and Nina, 15.
Megan J. Hall, Ph.D.
Dr. Hall holds a B.A. and M.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. in English Literature, with a focus on Medieval English Literature, from the University of Notre Dame. She has accrued over 25 years of teaching, tutoring, editing, coaching in writing and academics, and mentoring at all levels of education, from primary school to higher education.
In her academic work, she researches and writes about a range of historical and literary topics but specializes in the history of women’s education and literacy, the history of the book, and medieval manuscript studies. The emergence of GenerativeAI for writing caught her interest in 2023; since then she has been an eager explorer and guide in this fascinating technology.
Michael Parkin, Ph.D.
Michael Parkin is the Erwin N. Griswold Professor of Politics and former Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences at Oberlin College. As Associate Dean, Parkin focuses primarily on divisional administration and research compliance.
His academic research explores the relationship between political candidates, the media, and voters in the United States. He is particularly interested in how candidates use ‘‘new media’’ and the effect this has on voters.
Parkin’s research has appeared in American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, and Political Communication. He teaches courses in American politics that deal with political psychology, media and mass political behavior, campaigns and elections, and quantitative research methods.
Brenda Rubenstein, Ph.D.
Dr. Brenda Rubenstein is currently the Krieble Professor of Chemistry at Brown University. She was named to Popular Science magazine’s 2021 Brilliant 10 list of the top early career scientists and C&EN’s 2019 Talented 12 list of early career chemists, and has received a number of research and teaching honors including the Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar Award, a Cottrell Teacher Scholar Award, and a Sloan Research Fellowship.
While the focus of her work is on developing new electronic structure methods, she is also deeply engaged in rethinking computing architectures and computational biophysics. Prior to arriving at Brown, she was a Lawrence Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
She received her Sc.B.s in Chemical Physics and Applied Mathematics at Brown University, her M.Phil. in Computational Chemistry while a Churchill Scholar at the University of Cambridge, and her Ph.D. in Chemical Physics at Columbia University. Brenda is an avid basketball fan and is likely either hiking the Whites or singing to the Cars with her son when not thinking about crazy ideas.
Douglas C. Schmidt, Ph.D.
Dr. Douglas C. Schmidt is the inaugural Dean of William & Mary’s School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics, where he leads interdisciplinary initiatives at the intersection of computing, data science, physics, and bioengineering. Prior to his Deanship, Dr. Schmidt held multiple leadership and research roles at Vanderbilt University, including Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Engineering in Computer Science, Associate Provost for Research, Co-Director of the Data Science Institute, Associate Chair of Computer Science, and Senior Researcher at the Institute for Software Integrated Systems. He has also maintained a long-standing affiliation with Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, contributing to research initiatives over more than two decades.
Over a research career spanning four decades, Dr. Schmidt has made foundational contributions to software engineering, including work on patterns, optimization techniques, quality assurance, and model-driven engineering tools for mission-critical middleware and cyber-physical systems. His recent work focuses on prompt engineering and design patterns that improve the accuracy and expressiveness of large language models and generative AI platforms. Dr. Schmidt holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Sociology from William & Mary and a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine.
The advisory board also supports scholars and faculty in identifying and strengthening the skills and mindsets that global researchers, educators, innovators, and business leaders agree* are essential for success in an AI-enhanced world. These include:
By integrating responsible AI use with these future-ready competencies, the PAIRING Advisory Board ensures that Pioneer scholars are not only prepared to use AI tools, but to lead in a world transformed by them.
*While multiple sources point to these skills, three of the leading and scientifically strong surveys and analyses that discuss them are: 2026 QS World Future Skills Index, the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs Report, and the 2024 McKinsey Global Institute report on A new future of work: The race to deploy AI and raise skills in Europe and beyond
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Matthew Jaskol
Matthew Jaskol founded Pioneer Academics in 2012 with the intent of offering deep intellectual exploration to outstanding young people of geographic and cultural diversity. He is a strong proponent of Pioneer’s social mission to offer need and cause-based scholarships; the company has therefore developed numerous partnerships with leading non-profit organizations.
Graduating with a BA from Skidmore College, Matthew’s early professional roles were in business advisory and technology consulting services. Matthew was a consultant at Accenture in the US and at Deloitte Consulting in China. For the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) corporate networks in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, he developed research and briefings for executives of multinationals. He has also been a correspondent for the EIU’s Business China publication.
Since completing his MBA at the Yale School of Management in 2008, Matthew has been a successful entrepreneur and early-stage company executive. A previous internet venture earned the 2010 Red Herring Asia Top 100 and Global Top 100 awards.
With his wife, Amy Li, Pioneer’s Founding Director of Outreach and Communications, he enjoys caring for their little daughter and encouraging her to explore the world.
Matthew believes that passionate young scholars, if properly guided, can reach remarkable heights through their intellect, imagination, and determination. Dedicated to that belief, he drives Pioneer to create opportunities for such students. He trusts that pivotal academic experiences will empower them to create the world they envision.
Amy Li
Amy Li is a Founding Director of Pioneer Academics. She leads reputation management and outreach, and supports strategic planning. Prior to Pioneer, Amy founded Alpine Education in 2011 and served as CEO. Alpine’s offerings include college entrance consulting, curriculum development and personality-based individual development, the latter two were Alpine’s focus. She was an active contributor in forming the Pioneer concept and an advisor to the first pilot program. In 2014, Amy joined Pioneer as a full-time partner. To establish beyond question Pioneer’s policy of total independence from college entrance consulting, Amy discontinued Alpine’s services for individuals.
After university, Amy was employed as a PR specialist for Burson-Marsteller and Ketchum in China and was an English reporter for Radio Beijing and BTV. She subsequently earned her master’s degree in Strategic Public Relations from the journalism track of The Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California. She then served as a trainer in crisis management for executives in major multinational companies, among them Shell, The British Council, Mercedes-Benz, and GE. Amy also worked as a branding officer at Yale University focusing on the Chinese market. There she advised on online open courses, courses which helped spark the development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). (This experience gave her early insight into the tremendous potential of online education, which has proved integral to Pioneer’s success.)
Amy loves reading about science, and shares her enthusiasm with husband Matthew Jaskol, Founder and Director of Pioneer, and their little daughter.
From her high school days, Amy wished to make a difference in the world and dreamed of being a journalist because journalists serve as the voice of the public. Through her experiences as a trainer, she saw the profound potential of education which can shape the future of humanity and have an even greater impact on individuals and society as a whole.
Alice Shen
Alice Shen is the Director of China Outreach and Reputation Management and has been an integral part of the Pioneer Academics team since 2018. A former private business owner and founder, Alice has a diverse background in a variety of fields. Prior to joining the Pioneer team, she worked at Autodesk, a multinational software corporation. Before that, Alice worked at News Corp China in the human resources department at their main headquarters. She also contributed to the integration and restructuring of mergers and acquisition deals for News Corp Capital.
Alice draws on her stellar background in human resources to provide a vital role in Pioneer’s outreach and relationships in China. She has spent time living in Canada, and includes horse-riding and music among her many hobbies.
Dale Stelter
Dale Stelter is the Director of United States and Canada Outreach for Pioneer Academics, responsible for leading outreach strategies, building key relationships, and expanding Pioneer’s reach across North American educational communities. With over 20 years of go-to-market leadership experience, Dale has spent much of his career driving growth in the Higher Education and K-12 space.
Coming from a proud family legacy of educators, including both of his parents and his grandfather, Dale brings a deep personal commitment to the field of education. His work is driven by a passion for serving communities and building authentic, human relationships that support students and partners alike.
Dale lives in the Orlando, Florida area with his wife and their two dogs. As a passionate outdoorsman, he enjoys spending time everywhere from the beach to the mountains. He is also an avid college football fan – Go Blue!
Joseph M. Gotto Jr
Joe Gotto is the Director of Faculty Relations in Pioneer’s Academics Department. Joe graduated from Penn State University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Crime, Law, and Justice. Since joining Pioneer in February 2020, Joe has played a key role in recruiting, supporting, and maintaining relationships with faculty from many of the world’s leading research universities and liberal arts colleges. At Pioneer, Joe values the unique opportunity to learn something new every day and is continually motivated by the people he works alongside.
Before joining Pioneer, Joe worked as an Account Manager for a global information technology recruiting firm, where he partnered with clients in the home security industry and major wireless telecommunications companies. Throughout his career, Joe has developed many strong personal and professional relationships. He has a great passion for mentoring colleagues and watching them accomplish their personal and professional goals.
Joe lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Danielle, their five children—Michael, Julianna, Nathan, London, and Vienna—and their two dogs, Dakota, a Siberian Husky, and Tobi, a Corgi. He is deeply committed to his faith and family and is also a passionate Philadelphia sports fan.
Dan Yu
Dan Yu is the Regional Director of China Operations for Pioneer Academics and has been with Pioneer since 2012. She is responsible for coordinating between schools and academic counselors in the China region, as well as running the day-to-day operations of the Beijing office. Before coming to Pioneer, Dan Yu was a communication manager in the fashion industry, where she worked with media outlets and promoted several international fashion brands in China. In addition to this experience, she also worked in the news media industry, conducting interviews and communicating directly with editors.
Dan Yu is a seasoned and passionate educator with rich experience working with students, parents and teachers. She has a strong passion for interacting and communicating directly with young scholars and helping them get the most out of their experience with Pioneer. In her decade at Pioneer, she has taken great satisfaction in seeing the perception of education in China change, and and the growing recognition of Pioneer among students and families. When she is not working to support scholars across the globe, Dan Yu loves to travel and communicate with different people she meets during her journey.
Kimberly Mathies
Kimberly Mathies is the Director of Human Resources and Administration for Pioneer Academics. Kim has over 20 years of HR experience managing the culture in both the restaurant and retail industry. Prior to Pioneer, Kim was part of an executive leadership team managing employee growth that grew from 70 to well over 2000 employees. Kim graduated from the University of Central Florida where she majored in Human Resources Management.
Her passion is impacting culture in value-focused organizations and helping team members realize their passion through meaningful and engaging work. When asked “Why Pioneer”, Kim explains that it is such a unique opportunity to grow culture in an organization like Pioneer and selecting, training and motivating the best and the brightest colleagues to support scholars from around the world is a challenge that she embraces daily and feels honored to be a part of.
Kathryn Lalime
Kathryn Lalime is the Operations Director for Pioneer Academics, and is responsible for leading the Operations team, by establishing an outstanding educational experience for our students and faculty mentors during the Pioneer Research Program.
With over 30 years of experience in the retail industry, Kathryn has optimized operational performance, coached and developed high performance teams, and focused on corporate to store initiatives. Kathryn wanted a different career path after being in retail her entire life, and found Pioneer Academics to be the perfect opportunity to make a difference in supporting Pioneer’s mission and vision.
Kathryn earned a Bachelor’s degree from Centenary College of Louisiana where she majored in Business. Having grown up primarily in the South, she now lives in Northwest NJ with her husband and best friend and pups Harley & Stella.
Amanda Mitchell
Amanda designs and implements innovative, engaging, rigorous and connected learning experiences at Pioneer Academics. Passionate about creating meaningful academic experiences that build student agency and purpose, Amanda has built her career in innovative education. Her work at Pioneer focuses on creating a structured mentorship and community experience that allows all scholars to develop their authentic interests, expand their perspectives, and meet Pioneer’s rigorous academic standards.
Amanda earned a BA in economics from Stanford University and an M.S.Ed in Education Entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and lives in Hong Kong with her husband, their daughter Caroline, and rescue dog Vienna.
Brian Cooper
Brian Cooper is the Director of Research & Development for Pioneer Academics, helping to drive Pioneer’s innovation and learning delivery. Brian has nearly 30 years of education experience working with gifted and talented students. Prior to joining the Pioneer team, Brian spent 25 years at Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP), developing and managing innovative programs for talented students from around the world. Before transitioning to Duke TIP, Brian was an award-winning AP English Literature and Composition teacher. He’s passionate about creating educational experiences that engage bright, motivated students and enable them to forge meaningful connections with their peers and with dedicated instructors as they wrestle with big ideas and real-world problems.
Brian holds a B.A. in English and an M.A.T. in Secondary English Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is an avid reader of fiction, history, and theology, and he is a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He loves the North Carolina mountains and (mostly) enjoys playing disc golf (when he’s not hitting trees).
Dana Silk
Dana Silk is the Director of Admissions for Pioneer Academics, responsible for selecting the highest caliber scholars who are driven to participate in an intellectually, socially, and personally transformative experience. She supports Pioneer in innovating the academic landscape, creating equitable opportunities for the most deserving future leaders.
With 26 years of experience in HR and Talent Acquisition, Dana has managed professional and university recruiting, diversity initiatives, coaching and development, workforce planning, and employee engagement. A five-year consultant for Pioneer, Dana joined full time in 2020. Prior, she held director level positions at Genesis Financial Solutions, UBS, and Credit Suisse.
Dana earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and CPC certification from NAPS. Hailing from the Tri-State, she now lives in Fort Collins, CO, and desperately misses east coast bagels and pizza. She adores her wonderful husband, three lovely children, and puppy Marbella.
Pioneer Academics, a public benefit corporation, created a structured research mentorship model for high school students in 2012. The model provides undergraduate-level research opportunities to intellectually motivated high school students from around the world.
It has become the only fully-accredited online research program for high school students, highly respected by the higher education community.
Conceptualization of high school students virtually conducting undergraduate-level research
Creation of the 1:1 research model for high school students
First pilot group of student from the US and China begins
Pioneer officially launches with 18 scholars from the US, China, and Africa
Academic Ethics: Concentration-blind admissions policy made permanent ensuring scholar engagement with authentic research interests
Pioneer’s 1st year offering two terms with 92 scholars from the US, Asia, Europe, and Africa
Academic Innovation: Pioneer Research System begins to take shape
Pioneer’s 2nd year offering two terms with 149 scholars from the US, Asia, Africa, and Europe
Academic Innovation: Pioneer Research System is built
Pioneer is fully-accredited and starts granting college credit through the groundbreaking academic system;
Pioneer scholars are granted access to full digital undergraduate library
Academic Innovation: Collaboration between Pioneer Academics and Oberlin College is formed and featured on the front page of Inside Higher Ed
The Pioneer Research System aligns with Higher Learning Commission standards, setting a new benchmark through this collaboration
2000 applications received from US, Asia, Africa, and Europe without any marketing efforts
Academic Innovation: Tenure between Pioneer and Oberlin made by vote
Pioneer and Oberlin’s academic committee establishes highest standards for high school student research
3500 applications received from North America, Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe without any advertising
Pioneer offers free research program led by professors from Stanford, Notre Dame, Hamilton, and Columbia to help students cope with the pandemic
Pioneer Open Summer Study POSS: The completely free & exciting online research alternative Celebrating 171 teams’ discoveries and successes
4300+ applications received from the US, Asia, Africa, and S. America, and Europe without any advertising
Academic Innovation: Pioneer’s Academic R&D grew out of its Academic Department forming an independent function dedicated to strengthening the established research system and furthering pedagogical innovation
We celebrated Pioneer Academics’ 10th anniversary by launching a new social mission initiative: the Pioneer Co-Curricular Summit.
Since there was no single forum for families to connect with college admissions officers, value-based programs, and academic leaders, Pioneer leveraged its reputation to bring these groups together, allowing students, parents, and educators to access valuable information at no cost.
Pioneer Academics spearheaded policies governing AI use in its admissions and research protocols. As one of the few organizations to address AI’s implications for academic integrity at an early stage, Pioneer is committed to sharing its knowledge, best practices, and findings.
Pioneer Academics rolled out the Global Problem-Solving Institute after a two-year R&D journey in collaboration with UNC-Chapel Hill to selected partner high schools.
ProPublica and Chronicle of Higher Education published an investigative report on widespread dubious practices of research mentor matchmaking programs. The report singled out Pioneer Academics as the oldest research organization for high school students, with unrivaled ethics and academic rigor
For three consecutive years, Oberlin’s Educational Plans and Policies Committee has reviewed the research of Pioneer scholars and consistently found it to be of exceptional quality. As a result, the committee decided to double the college credits for the program from two to four — the maximum awarded for an undergraduate research course.
Pioneer Academics launched the Global Problem-Solving Institute publicly, allowing any interested high school students to apply.
The Global Problem-Solving Institute began offering a new track, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, bringing the total number of GPSI problems to five.
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Thank you for your interest in Pioneer’s Global Problem-Solving Institute (GPSI). The application for the Fall 2025 terms is now available. Please select your country/region below:
