Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

We are proud to announce the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral departmental award winners for the 2026 Winter quarter. We awarded over $150,000 in scholarships and research awards! We are especially grateful to the generous donors and supporters who make these Biology awards, scholarships, and fellowships possible for our students quarter after quarter, year after year. Cheers all around!

Information on the student’s research lab is included in parentheses (as stated in their application).

WINTER 2026 UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP & AWARD WINNERS

Donald S. Farner Scholarship

Anna Perfetti (Steinbrenner Lab)

Dr. Donald Kelts Family Scholarship

Eman Alameldeen (Woodrow Lab, UW Bioengineering)

Excellence in Biology Scholarship

Shreedevi Murugan (Yadav Lab, UW Pharmacology)
Fhedrick Lloyde Caoili

Porath-Johnson Scholarship

Jaeden Jensen
Joy Oluwaleye

May Garrett Hayes Scholarship

Elias Diaz Gomez

Varanasi Scholarship

Anna Perfetti (Steinbrenner Lab)

Friday Harbor Labs Award

Mugdha Chiplunkar (Armbrust Lab, UW Oceanography)

Ingrith Deyrup-Olsen Peer Facilitator Award

Bridget Reed (formerly Kerr and Ruesink Labs)
Emily Sui (Mulligan, Hwang, and Pai Labs - UW Medicine Surgery Department)

John & Dorothy Franco Award

Julius Moricz (Imaizumi Lab)

Frye-Hotson-Rigg Award

Elizabeth Kenny (Tribble Lab)
Avery Klein (Di Stilio Lab)
Saya Natsuume (Di Stilio Lab)
Fanya Yuan (Brosi & Tribble Labs)

Susan Huscroft Scholarship

Kylee Murphy

WINTER 2026 GRADUATE RESEARCH AWARD WINNERS

Amalia & Craig Magaret Award

Edú Guerra (Santana Lab)

Botanical Field Research Award

Makoa De Almeida (Tribble Lab)

Friday Harbor Labs Award

Megan Vandenberg (Summers Lab)

Heerensperger Award

Anthony Garcia (Di Stilio Lab)
Amy Moore (Steinbrenner Lab)
Chansie Yang (Imaizumi Lab)

Heerensperger Award

William Albers (Imaizumi Lab)
Melanie Cham (Strömberg Lab)
Melissa Leon Norena (Riffell Lab)
Jimjohn Milan (Sridhar Lab)
Isiah Newbins (Wilson Mantilla Lab)

Iuvo Award

Vaibhav Chhaya (Santana Lab)
Edú Guerra (Santana Lab)
Chansie Yang (Imaizumi Lab)

Jim & Nancy Kenagy Award

Marie-Pier Poulin (Abrahms Lab)

John S. Edwards Award

Nora Lee (Rico-Guevara Lab)
Melissa Leon Norena (Riffell Lab)

Kruckeberg-Walker Award

Rachel Potter (Theobald and Brosi Labs)
Madeleine Strait (Brosi Lab)

Margo & Tom Wyckoff Award

Elizabeth Duan (Kerr Lab)
Anthony Garcia (Di Stilio Lab)
Meredith Honig (Abrahms Lab)
Laura Quinche (Santana and Rico-Guevara Labs)
Madeleine Strait (Brosi Lab)
Chansie Yang (Imaizumi Lab)

Orians Award

Vaibhav Chhaya (Santana Lab)

Orians Award for Tropical Studies

Nora Lee (Rico-Guevara Lab)

Richard C. Snyder Award

Isiah Newbins (Wilson Mantilla Lab)
Marie-Pier Poulin (Abrahms Lab)

Riddiford-Truman Award

Victoria Armitage (Durant Lab)
Andrea Bernal-Rivera (Santana Lab)
Megan Vandenberg (Summers Lab)

Robin M. Harris Award

Melissa Leon Norena (Riffell Lab)
Madeleine Strait (Brosi Lab)
Grace Van Susteren (Riffell Lab)

W.T. Edmondson Award

Emma Guerrini Romano (Durant Lab)
Elissa Khodikian (Durant Lab)
Grace Leuchtenberger (Carrington Lab)

Walker Family Award

Elizabeth Duan (Kerr Lab)
Meredith Honig (Abrahms Lab)
Emily Humphreys (Tribble Lab)
Chansie Yang (Imaizumi Lab)

Walter & Margaret Sargent Award

Anna Brant (Sidor Lab)
Glorianna Gutierrez (Theriot and de la Iglesia Labs) 
Brenlee Shipps (Sidor Lab)

Wingfield-Ramenofsky Award

PJ Jones (Brosi Lab)
Chansie Yang (Imaizumi Lab)

WINTER 2026 POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH AWARD WINNERS

Iuvo Postdoctoral Research Award

Jamie Cochran (Durant Lab)
Erica Gustilo (Brosi Lab)

Mary Race Bevis Postdoctoral Research Award

Olivia Kosterlitz (Kerr Lab)