Alen Poehlman (2025 Cohort) Awarded UW Chemistry Scholarship
Congratulations to Alen Poehlman (2025) for receiving the UW Chemistry ScholarshipÂ
Shivani Kottantharayil & Xagros Faraji (2025 Cohort) Named Goldwater Scholars
Congrats to 2025 Cohort members Shivani Kottantharayil and Xagros Faraji for being named a Goldwater Scholar https://www.washington.edu/uaa/2025/04/21/four-uw-undergraduates-named-2025-goldwater-scholars/Â Â
https://uged.ucsb.edu/national-scholarships (Xagros)Â
Gabriel Jones-Thomson Receives NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Congrats to 2024 Amgen Scholar Gabriel Jones-Thomsom for receiving the NSF Graduate Research FellowshipÂ
Emily Friedman (2024 Cohort) Presents at 2025 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Conference
Emily Friedman (2024) was showcased by her home institution, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, after she and three other student presented at the 2025 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Conference. https://inside.smcm.edu/news/2025/08/professor-mertz-and-students-present-research-national-biochemistry-and-molecularÂ
Sahana Shah (2023 Cohort) is a Fullbright Scholar!
Congratulations to 2025 Fulbright Scholar and 2022 cohort Amgen Scholar Sahana Shah  Â
Jessica Kahng (2019 Cohort) Finishes PhD at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories
Jessica Kahng (2019 cohort) just finished her PhD at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories (CSHL). She was recently interviewed by the Diversity Initiative for the Advancement of STEM at CSHL, a trainee led affinity group. In the interview she shares her journey and her excitement about glia! https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/trainee-tech-first-thursdays-dias-cshl-tqk9c/?trackingId=%2F4u2uaYtnXsg%2FCCSWSU7NA%3D%3D Â
Will Benman (2017 Cohort) Wins Solomon Pollack Award
 Congratulations to Will Benman (cohort 2017) for winning the Solomon Pollack Award for Graduate Bioengineering Research at the University of Pennsylvania. Will is now a postdoctoral fellow in the Shapiro lab at Caltech. https://beblog.seas.upenn.edu/2024-solomon-r-pollack-awards-for-excellence-in-graduate-bioengineering-research/ Â
Professor Ni Feng (2007 Cohort) Publishes First Paper
Check out Professor Ni Feng’s (2007 cohort) web site for her lab at Wesleyan University. She just published her first papers and had many undergraduates work on the projects. https://www.feng-lab.org/ Â
Jamie Cyr MD/PhD (2015 Cohort) Received Cardiovascular Research Institute Early Career Advisory Award
Jamie Cyr MD/PhD (cohort 2015) first finished her PhD at the University of Cambridge as a Rhodes Scholar, then finished her MD at the University of Vermont. As a medical student she received the prestigious Cardiovascular Research Institute early career advisory committee award to fund her 2025 research project on Dopamine Conjugated Alginate Patches as a Cardiovascular Sealant. Jamie is currently a resident in Internal Medicine at Duke University.Â
V. Sara Thoi (2007 Cohort) Promoted at Johns Hopkins University
Congratulations to V. Sara Thoi (2007 cohort) for being promoted to Associate Professor of Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University.  https://chemistry.jhu.edu/directory/v-sara-thoi/ Â
Dr. Sandra Sanchez (2011 Cohort) New Alumni Professor
Welcome to our newest Alumni Professor, Assistant Professor at Framingham State University, Dr. Sandra Sanchez (2011 cohort). https://www.framingham.edu/our-people/sandra-sanchez-phdÂ
Emily Grunert (2024 Cohort) received the Rathmann Family Foundation Endowment for Chemistry and Biology 24-25
 2024 Amgen Scholar Emily Grunert received the Rathmann Family Foundation Endowment for Chemistry and Biology 24-25. Congratulations Emily!Â