2026 Graduate Awards and Honors
Introduction
The 2026 awards, publications, service and outreach flyer can be found here.
2025 Graduate Student Award winners!
Awards
| 2026 Award for Excellence in Teaching | Chloe Berna, Zachary Buchberger, Frances Crable, Jamie Kaiser, Alanda Kelly, Will Kuna, Grace Litavsky, Jessica Montoya, Jessie Thind, Esther Tirmizi, Ella Torkelson, Mateo Valdiviezo |
| 2026 Award for Excellence in Research | Samson Adejumo, Erik Andersson, Frances Crable, Sam Fischer, Philip Johnson, Garry Lewis, Hector Palma-Castro, Elizabeth Somodji |
| 2026 Award for Excellence in Service | Fariha Islam |
| 2026 Diversity and Inclusion Award for Service | Shawn Arreguin |
| 2026 Diversity and Inclusion Award for Mentoring | Hamida Mahmood |
Publications
Adejumo, S. A., Lewis, G., Das, P., Lim, C. K. Y., Malas, J., Oli, A. N., Allen, J. M., and Hampton-Marcell, J. Dietary protein source shapes gut microbial structure and predicted functional potential: A systematic integrative reanalysis using machine learning. Advances in Nutrition. DOI: 10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100582.
Adejumo, S.A. 1 4, Garry Lewis 1, Pritha Das 1, Casey Kin Yun Lim 2, Judy Malas 1, Angus Nnamdi Oli 3, Jacob M Allen 2, Jarrad Hampton-Marcell Immunotherapeutic Applications of Probiotics in Infectious Diseases Management: A Scoping Review. Advanced Gut & Microbiome. 13 Jan 2026 https://aps.wiley.com/view.manuscript/agmr/8197569/2/
Feijo, A., Baez, J., Natividade, B.D., (2026). The Long-Legged Bat Macrophyllum macrophyllum (Schinz, 1821). In:: B. K. Lim, C. López-Gonzalez (eds.), Mammals of Middel and South America: Chiroptera.
Fischer, S.N., Claussen, E.R., Kourtis, S. et al. hu.MAP3.0: atlas of human protein complexes by integration of >25,000 proteomic experiments. Mol Syst Biol 21, 911–943 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44320-025-00121-5
Hogue, T., Das, P., Reczek, S., Hampton-Marcell, J., Ford, Y., Raval, D., Carroll, I., and Cook, M. D. Effect of acute gut butyrate delivery on blood pressure in Black individuals with hypertension: A proof of concept randomized controlled study. Journal of the American Heart Association. DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.124.039759.
Adejumo, S. A., Lewis, G., Das, P., Lim, C. K. Y., Malas, J., Oli, A. N., Allen, J. M., and Hampton-Marcell, J. Dietary protein source shapes gut microbial structure and predicted functional potential: A systematic integrative reanalysis using machine learning. Advances in Nutrition. DOI: 10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100582.
Nunez-Mir G.C., K.M. Boergens , J. Montoya, H. Ter Hofstade , A. Salles. 2025. “BattyCoda: A novel open-source software for bat call annotation and classification”. Ecological Informatics 89:103195.
Outreach & Service
| Shawn Arreguin | Science Club mentor at the Chicago Boys and Girls Club, run by Northwestern University for middle school students in Little Village Mentor with the Planting Science Program Graduate Student buddy for Recruitment Day Developed CURE program bringing research to the classroom |
| Sangita Ghimire | Core team member and Research Program Officer, Aastha Scientific Research Service Private Limited, Nepal Mentoring on the Go program, Gastrointestinal and Liver (GIL) Trainee Subcommittee, 2025 Judge for Undergraduate Research Forum, 2026 Mentored undergraduate UIC student Mentored underrepresented students’ application in graduate school Member of BIOS Graduate Student Association (BGSA) |
| Fariha Islam | Treasurer, Biological Sciences Graduate Student Association Organizer BGSA-hosted speaker seminar Organized vendor show for BGSA for fund-raising Mentor undergraduate UIC student Ambassador, Office of International Services “First Friend Program” Member “Bangladesh Student Organization” Tutor for “Tutoring Chicago,” 2023 - present |
| Hamida Mahmood | Media and Communication Officer, Biology Graduate Student Association (BGSA). UIC Volunteer at American Red Cross SAF (Service to Armed Forces). Hero Care Program. Fundraiser for “Project-Hashimukh”: Alumni of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka Bangladesh. Vice-President, Logistics, UIC Bangladeshi Student Association. |
| César Fuentes-Montejo | Student Workshop Committee. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) Member of the ‘Mesoamerican Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation Alliance’ Faculty Liaison, Biology Graduate Student Association of the Biological Sciences Department Chair of the Student Participation Committee and Student Representative in the Outreach Committee. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) Academic Committee and Logistics for the “I Simposio Mesoamericano para la Conservación de Biodiversidad y Ecosistemas de Agua Dulce” Symposium, Ciudad de Guatemala Member’s nights – Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Reviewer for "Hydrobiologia" and "Aquatic Ecology" |
| Hamida Mahmood | Media and Communications Chair of the Biological Graduate Students Association Created newsletter for BGSA and launched two new series: “How Was My Graduate Life?” and alumni/postdoc interviews Mentor two students for Student Preparation in Engagement, Academics, and Research (SPEAR) Mentor first year international graduate student General Secretary- Bangladeshi Student Association at UIC |
Presentations
Erik Andersson
- MANA 7th Annual Conference, -Presentation Title: Securing the Future of NMR Metabolomics Reproducibility: A Call for Standardized Reporting (Interactive Forum workshop presentation), Banff, Alberta, September 5, 2025.
- MANA NMR Interest Group Monthly Seminar- Presentation Title: Metabolite profiles differ among temperate coral (Astrangia poculata) individuals with high or low natural abundances of endosymbiotic algae (Breviolum psygmophilum) (Virtual presentation) March 16, 2026.
Pritha Das
- American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Microbe 2025, Poster Presentation: Network Analysis and Predictive Models Reveal Microbial Interactions and Dynamics in Response to Ordered Resistant Starch Exposure (Control Number: 2025-A-2872- MICROBE). Authors: Pritha Das, Jarrad Hampton-Marcell, Angela C. Poole.
- Poster Presentation (Co-author): Dietary Protein Sources Shape Gut Microbiome and Metabolism: Insights from Meta Analysis, MICOM, and Machine Learning.AmericanSociety for Microbiology (ASM) Microbe 2025 Authors: Samson Adejumo, Pritha Das, and Jarrad Hampton-Marcell., Los Angeles, California | June 19 to 23, 2025
- MCDB Student Seminar, Oral Presentation: Cardiometabolic Disorders Characterized by Altered Gut Microbial Composition and Network Connectivity: A Multi Cohort Meta Analysis, March 26, 2026
César Fuentes-Montejo
- Talk – Fuentes-Montejo, C. E., Elías, D. J., Keogh, S., González- Meler, M. A., McMahan, C. D. Fine-scale Distributional Patterns of Freshwater Fish Diversity in the Polochic-Cahabón Area of Endemism. Joint Meeting of Ichthyologist and Herpetologists. St. Paul, MN, USA.
- Talk – Fuentes-Montejo, C. E., Elías, D. J., Keogh, S., González- Meler, M. A., McMahan, C. D. Patrones distribucionales de la diversidad de peces dulceacuícolas de escala fina en el Área de Endemismo Polochic-Cahabón. I Simposio Mesoamericano para la Conservación de Biodiversidad y Ecosistemas de Agua Dulce, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala.
- Poster – Elías, D. J., Fuentes Montejo, C. E., Quintana, Y., Barrientos, C. Peces de agua dulce no nativos en Guatemala, norte de Centroamérica: fuentes de introducción, distribución, historia y consecuencias para la conservación. I Simposio Mesoamericano para la Conservación de Biodiversidad y Ecosistemas de Agua Dulce, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala.Allison Kemph
Yahya Najjar
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Department of Biological Sciences Graduate Symposium Title: Understanding the Role of Sinapates in Preventing Cellular Stress
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Department of Biological Sciences 3-Minute Thesis Competition, Title: Understanding the Role of Sinapates in Preventing Cellular Stress
Hector Palma-Castro
- 42nd Mid-Continent Paleobotanical Colloquium (MPC 2025), May 17-18, A century of paradox: Re-investigating paradoxopterid ferns with new material from the Early Cretaceous of Northwestern Gondwana (presented paper)
- 3er Congreso Colombiano de Paleontología, September 1-5, Nuevo récord de Paradoxopteris, un helecho arborescente del Cretácico Temprano (Aptiano) de La Mesa de Los Santos, (presented paper)
- 43rd Mid-Continent Paleobotanical Colloquium 2026 (MPC), March 23-26, Early Cretaceous monkey-puzzle (Araucariaceae) seed cones from Northwestern Gondwana (presented paper)
César Siete
- IV Latin American Worm Meeting, “Elucidating the molecular and cellular mechanisms of mok-5 function in stochastic left-right neuronal asymmetry.” October 2025
- BIOS Graduate Student Visit Day, February 2026, “Elucidating the molecular and cellular mechanisms of mok-5 function in stochastic left-right neuronal asymmetry.”
Noah Skelly
- Animal Behavior Society conference oral presentation- July 2025, “Intersexual Morphological Variation Has a Limited Influence on Escape Behavior in An Arachnid”
- E&E Seminar- April 2026 “Despite morphological differences, sexes display similar antipredator escape performance in an arachnid”
Elizabeth Somodji
- ADRD-TP Annual Symposium, Determining the role of Adaptor Protein complex-4 (AP-4) in regulating microglial proteostasis and phagocytic pathways, and glial response in Alzheimer’s Disease, presented 1st year ADRD-T32 work
- Alzheimer’s Disease Gordon Conference, Determining the role of Adaptor Protein complex-4 (AP-4) in regulating microglial proteostasis and phagocytic pathways, and glial response in Alzheimer’s Disease, poster
Alexa Tyszka
- Tyszka A S, Feng K, Ramanauskas K. Introduction to the Command Line in Linux, macOS, and Windows. Botany, July 24–31 2025, Palm Springs, CA. (Workshop)
- Tyszka A S, Moyroud E, Walker J F. How do different tissue preservation methods impact transcript quality and recovery in Arabidopsis thaliana? Botany, July 24–31 2025, Palm Springs, CA. (Poster)
Paul Urban
- Urban PA and Stone DE (2025). The effect of a pheromone protease on yeast gradient sensing. Poster presented at the UIC Department of Biological Sciences Research Symposium, Chicago, IL, August 2025
- Urban PA and Stone DE (2025). The effect of a pheromone protease on yeast gradient sensing. Poster presented at the Finding Your Inner Modeler Meeting, Irvine, CA, August 2025