IRI was born from the struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic. As classrooms closed and students were forced to stay home, Dr. Robert Malkin, our founder, saw an opportunity. He believed that even with the restrictions, students should still have access to meaningful, hands-on research experiences. Driven by this vision, he along with Brittany Zick, created IRI—a remote institute that connects high school students from around the globe with top US professors, giving them the chance to engage in real-world research from the safety of their homes.

Since then, IRI has grown into a thriving community of passionate mentors and young students, all working together to push the boundaries of knowledge. At IRI, we believe that distance and age shouldn’t be a barrier to discovery, and we’re proud to help students reach their full potential and excel in their academics and future career.