This award is given to an outstanding senior in biochemistry in recognition of their high academic achievement.

Eligibility:

Biochemistry senior who has attained some level of distinction with a very high GPA.

How to apply:

Biochemistry Awards Committee designates winner after reviewing all distinction recipients.

2023 Recipient:

Hunter Carrell (Dr. Paul Hergenrother)

2022 Recipient:

Adam Balutowski (Dr. Rutilio Fratti)

2021 Recipient:

David Kostyra (Dr. Martin Burke)

2020 Recipient:

Andrew Gupta (Dr. Auinash Kalsotra)

2019 Recipient:

Ciyang Wang (Dr. David Shapiro)

Named after William Jackson, a UIUC graduate (BS, ’55, chemistry) and his wife, Lynn Jackson, this award recognizes a senior who presents the best biochemistry senior thesis. William Jackson, who received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin after graduating from Illinois, retired from Eli Lilly in 1998 after a career as an immunologist.

Eligibility:

Biochemistry senior who has been nominated for distinction by faculty advisor.

How to apply:

Biochemistry senior who has been nominated for distinction by faculty advisor. Biochemistry Awards Committee designates winner after reviewing all distinction/thesis recipients. One recipient each year.

2023 Recipient:

Isaiah Lopez (Dr. Wilfred van der Donk)

2022 Recipient:

Sarah Matatov (Dr. Auinash Kalsotra)

2021 Recipient:

Cliff Yerby (Dr. Michael Spinella)

2020 Recipient:

Yingxing Li (Dr. Steven Blanke)

2019 Recipient:

Joseph Erwin (Dr. Hong Jin)

Named after William Jackson, a UIUC graduate (BS, ’55, chemistry) and his wife, Lynn Jackson, this award recognizes a senior who presents an outstanding biochemistry senior thesis. William Jackson, who received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin after graduating from Illinois, retired from Eli Lilly in 1998 after a career as an immunologist.

Eligibility:

Biochemistry senior who has been nominated for distinction by faculty advisor.

How to apply:

Biochemistry Awards Committee designates winner after reviewing all distinction/thesis recipients. There can be as many recipients as the committee deems worthy.

2023 Recipients:

Uma Agarwal (Dr. Kai Zhang), Natalie Bizon (Dr. Prabhakara Reddi), Nathan Carmichael (Dr. Andrew Leakey), Samantha Carr (Dr. David Shapiro), Hunter Carrell (Dr. Paul Hergenrother), Andrea Dayal (Dr. Makoto Inoue), Nathan Gron (Dr. Kai Zhang), Kanika Leang (Dr. Nathan Schroeder), Jeongmin Lee (Dr. Auinash Kalsotra), Andrew Lutsky (Dr. Emad Tajkhorshid), Tomer Markovich (Dr. Wilfred van der Donk), Tyler Tang (Dr. Stephen Slinger), Yufei Tian (Dr. Xinzhu Yu), Albano Toska (Dr. Lin-Feng Chen), Zhuoran Zhong (Dr. Jefferson Chan)

2022 Recipients:

Adam Balutowski (Dr. Rutilio Fratti), Kevin Ingram (Dr. Bo Wang), Haolin Luo (Dr. Taras Pogorelov), Maureen McCoy (Dr. Lin-Feng Chen), Madeline Melzer (Dr. Jonathan Sweedler)

2021 Recipient:

Autumn Brandenburg (Dr. Dean Riechers)

2020 Recipients:

Matthew Gaynes (Dr. Satish Nair), Nirvana Jairam (Dr. Steven Blanke), Aidan Kelly (Dr. Martin Burke), David Rivera-Kohr (Dr. Rutilio Fratti), Ishica Zaman (Dr. Mary Schuler)

2019 Recipients:

Cormac Lucas (Dr. Brenda Wilson), Julianne Yang (Dr. Hee Jung Chung)

Awarded to a meritorious junior performing biochemistry-related senior research projects.

Eligibility:

Open to juniors performing biochemistry-related senior research projects.

How to apply:

Must be a junior and nominated by their research advisor.

2023 Recipient:

Logan Talmage (Dr. Nicholas Wu)

2022 Recipient:

Madison Ardagh (Dr. Hong Jin)

2021 Recipient:

Adam Balutowski (Dr. Rutilio Fratti)

2020 Recipient:

Madeline Melzer (Dr. Jonathan Sweedler)

2019 Recipient:

David Rivera-Kohr (Dr. Rudy Fratti)

Professor Conrad was a long-time faculty member of the Department of Biochemistry, valued by his colleagues and students alike. After working at Mead Johnson & Company and the U.S. Army Medical Nutrition Laboratory, he joined the University of Illinois faculty in 1962. In 1989, he was named a Jubilee Professor of Biochemistry. Professor Conrad built his career around biochemical studies of heparin, other polysaccharides, and carbohydrates in general.

Eligibility:

Open to juniors performing biochemistry-related senior research projects.

How to apply:

Students must be nominated by their research advisor.

2023 Recipient:

Garrett Barksdale (Dr. Wilfred van der Donk)

2022 Recipient:

Albano Toska (Dr. Lin-Feng Chen)

2021 Recipient:

Haolin Luo (Dr. Taras Pogorelov)

2020 Recipient:

Yiren Tu (Dr. Lin-Feng Chen)

This award is named after William Jackson, a UIUC graduate (BS, ’55, chemistry) and his wife, Lynn Jackson. William Jackson, who received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin after graduating from Illinois, retired from Eli Lilly in 1998 after a career as an immunologist.

Eligibility:

Must be an undergraduate student performing biochemistry-related senior research projects.

How to apply:

Students must be nominated by their research advisor.

2023 Recipient:

Isaiah Lopez (Dr. Wilfred van der Donk)

2022 Recipient:

Zhuoran Zhong (Dr. Jefferson Chan)

2021 Recipient:

Vishnu K. Gorur (Dr. Hong Jin)

2020 Recipients:

John Carroll (Dr. David Shapiro), Katelyn Toohill (Dr. Auinash Kalsotra)

2019 Recipients:

Veronica Boron (Dr. Beth Stadtmueller), Yiren Tu (Dr. Lin-Feng Chen)

Guy Padbury (PhD, ’88, biochemistry) has over 30 years of experience as a scientist and organizational leader in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Dr. Padbury has contributed to more than 40 successful global drug registrations including small molecule entities and biotherapeutic agents spanning most major therapeutic or disease state areas. He is currently Chief Development Officer at Scorpion Therapeutics. In 2015, the University of Illinois College of Liberal Arts & Sciences presented him with the Alumni Achievement Award.

Eligibility:

Open to current biochemistry undergraduate students who are among the first generation to attend college and those with financial need.

How to apply:

Resume or curriculum vitae; up to a 250-word statement why you should be considered for the Padbury Scholarship; list up to two references with contact information and their relationship to applicant. It is encouraged that at least one reference is a current UIUC campus member (other than Department of Biochemistry academic advisor). As needed, the department will request reference letters.

2023 Recipient:

Andrew Diep (Dr. Sharon Donovan)

2022 Recipient:

Isaiah Lopez (Dr. Wilfred van der Donk)

2021 Recipient:

Kathy De La Torre (Dr. Jodi Flaws)

2020 Recipient:

Isaiah Lopez

2019 Recipients:

Nirvana Jairam (Dr. Steven Blanke)

Professor emeritus Michael Glaser is known as a tireless worker for his students and the Department of Biochemistry, serving on many department committees with great aplomb. The Michael Glaser Undergraduate Service Award, established in 2020, recognizes a biochemistry senior each year who has demonstrated service to the department through events and special projects.

Eligibility

Must be a senior majoring in biochemistry.

How to apply:

The award is evaluated each spring by the department head or his designate.

2023 Recipient:

Hunter Carrell (Dr. Paul Hergenrother)

2022 Recipient:

Sarah Matatov (Dr. Auinash Kalsotra)

2021 Recipient:

Julia Ekiert

2020 Recipient:

Veronica Boron (Dr. Beth Stadtmueller)

This award goes to the most outstanding senior thesis as judged by the CDB Distinction Committee.

Eligibility:

To be eligible for consideration, students must earn research-based Distinction or higher from the School of MCB and have conducted their research in the lab of a CDB faculty member.

How to apply:

All students who submit a thesis for Distinction or higher to MCB are automatically considered.

2023 Recipient:

Jay Sonalkar (Dr. Supriya Prasanth)

2022 Recipients:

Darya Asoudegi (Dr. Supriya Prasanth), Rithva Ramesh (Dr. William Brieher)

2021 Recipients:

Wiktoria Kowalczyk (Dr. Andrew Belmont) & Toma Tchernodrinski (Dr. Mary Schuler)

2020 Recipients:

Mariam Arif (Dr. Supriya Prasanth), Kevin Stehlik (Dr. Mary Schuler), Margaret Vacchiano (Dr. Mary Schuler)

Tom Cycyota (BS, ’80, biology) is president and CEO of AlloSource, which preserves human tissue from generous donors to create transplantable allografts (human-to-human transplants). Under his leadership, AlloSource has become one of the largest and most respected tissue banks in the country. In addition to his Illinois degree, he has an MBA from Loyola University. In 2015, the College of LAS presented him with its Alumni Humanitarian Award. Cyndy Cycyota is a professor of management at the U.S. Air Force Academy and holds three degrees in business: a BS, MBA, and PhD. Prior to academia, she was a manager for two international accounting firms and a bank.

Eligibility:

This fellowship is awarded to the highest-ranking applicant conducting undergraduate research in a CDB lab who is not eligible for a higher School of MCB fellowship.

How to apply:

Undergraduate students apply annually via a common application available on the School of MCB Undergraduate Research website.

2023 Recipient:

Anew Mirza (Dr. Supriya Prasanth)

2022 Recipient:

Jay Sonalkar (Dr. Supriya Prasanth)

2021 Recipient:

Darya Asoudegi (Dr. Supriya Prasanth)

2020 Recipients:

Wiktoria Kowalczyk (Dr. Andrew Belmont)

2019 Recipient:

Disha Kuchangi (Dr. Andrew Belmont)

A native of Scotland, the late Roderick MacLeod earned his BSc from the University of Glasgow and a PhD from the University of Cambridge. He arrived at the University of Illinois in 1963 and stayed here for 43 years, receiving numerous teaching awards, including the William F. Prokasy Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2002 and the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2001. He became an emeritus associate professor of cell and structural biology in 2001.

Eligibility:

The award goes to the student who has the highest GPA among those students who received High or Highest Distinction for a senior thesis for research in the lab of a CDB faculty member.

How to apply:

All students who receive high or highest distinction in MCB are automatically eligible.

2023 Recipient:

Jay Sonalkar (Dr. Supriya Prasanth)

2022 Recipient:

David Chen (Dr. Supriya Prasanth)

2021 Recipient:

Toma Tchernodrinski (Dr. Mary Schuler)

2020 Recipients:

Mariam Arif (Dr. Supriya Prasanth), Nicholas Griffith (Dr. Rachel Smith-Bolton)

2019 Recipient:

Rachel Benedeck (Dr. Mary Schuler)

This scholarship honors Dr. Francis M. Clark and his wife, Harlie M. Clark. Francis Clark joined the Department of Bacteriology (later the Department of Microbiology), as an instructor in 1933, after having completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Illinois. He had a distinguished career, teaching microbiology and conducting research in the microbiology of foods. He also was past president of the Illinois Society for Microbiology.

Eligibility:

Undergraduate students who are graduating in the current year in May after having conducted outstanding undergraduate research continuously (including the summer term prior) in a Department of Microbiology faculty member’s laboratory beginning the prior spring semester, or earlier.

How to apply:

Microbiology faculty are notified annually of the award guidelines. Faculty advisors are to nominate the undergraduate students in their lab and are to submit the required documents in PDF format to the Department of Microbiology office by the requested due date.

2024 Recipients:

Edward Andrews (Dr. Rachel Whitaker)

2023 Recipients:

Neha Arun (Dr. Collin Kieffer), Amelia Steinlein (Dr. Rachel Whitaker), Faisal Zaidi (Dr. Steven Blanke)

2022 Recipients:

Joshua Adisumarta (Dr. Steven Blanke), Sammy Alhayek (Dr. Steven Blanke)

2021 Recipients:

Annie Cheung (Dr. Steven Blanke), Rachel Jones (Dr. Steven Blanke)

2021 Recipients:

Wiktoria Kowalczyk (Dr. Andrew Belmont) & Toma Tchernodrinski (Dr. Mary Schuler)

Presented to outstanding undergraduate students who conduct research in a department laboratory, this award is named after Illinois alumni Walter and Loretta Zygmunt. Walter Zygmunt received his BS in bacteriology, followed by his MS and PhD in microbiology. After earning his PhD in 1950, he worked in the pharmaceutical industry where he was involved in drug regulatory affairs. Loretta Zygmunt received her BS in bacteriology, followed by her MS in microbiology in 1949. She joined Kraft Foods as a research scientist and later worked as a science teacher.

Eligibility:

Undergraduate students who conduct research in a laboratory in the Department of Microbiology and are committed to conducting research during the upcoming summer on a full-time basis from May 16 to August 15. Recipients must be U.S. citizens. Preference given to undergraduate students who graduated from a high school in Illinois or Indiana.

How to apply:

Undergraduate students apply annually via a common application that will be made available in January.

2024 Recipients:

Shashank Hirani (Dr. Andrei Kuzminov), Julienne Sanchez (Dr. Cari Vanderpool), Nosheen Ahmed (Dr. James Slauch), Ryan Marsh (Dr. Brenda Wilson)

2023 Recipients:

Kavishka Fernando (Dr. Andrei Kuzminov), Ivilyn Tan (Dr. Steven Blanke), Olivia Wynn (Dr. James Slauch)

2022 Recipients:

Neha Arun (Dr. Collin Kieffer), Abdullah Mubarak (Dr. Douglas Mitchell), Olivia Rodriguez (Dr. Steven Blanke), Faisal Zaidi (Dr. Steven Blanke)

2021 Recipients:

Jonathan Forrest (Dr. Andrei Kuzminov), James Lopez (Dr. Brenda Wilson), Jillian Maier (Dr. Carin Vanderpool), Olivia Rodriguez (Dr. Steven Blanke)

2020 Recipients:

Matthew Gao (Dr. Thomas Kehl-Fie), Rachel Jones (Dr. Steven Blanke), James Lopez (Dr. Brenda Wilson)

2019 Recipients:

Nirvani Jairam (Dr. Steven Blanke), Sean MacAllister (Dr. Steven Blanke)

Presented to outstanding undergraduate students, this award is named after Illinois alumni Walter and Loretta Zygmunt. Walter Zygmunt received his BS in bacteriology, followed by his MS and PhD in microbiology. After earning his PhD in 1950, he worked in the pharmaceutical industry where he was involved in drug regulatory affairs. Loretta Zygmunt received her BS in bacteriology, followed by her MS in microbiology in 1949. She joined Kraft Foods as a research scientist and later worked as a science teacher.

2020 Recipient:

Yingxing Li (Dr. Steven Blanke)

Presented to outstanding undergraduate students who conduct research in a department laboratory, this award is named after Helen Alford Hays. A native of North Dakota, she received her BS from Illinois in 1940 and continued her studies at Oregon State University, focusing on bacteriology. She was an advisor and instructor at Oregon State.

Eligibility:

 Undergraduate students who conduct research in a laboratory in the Department of Microbiology and are committed to conducting research during the current summer on a full-time basis from May 16-August 15. Recipients must be U.S. citizens. Preference given to undergraduate students who graduated from a high school in Illinois or Indiana.

How to apply:

Undergraduate students apply through the School of MCB Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) portal, which will open in January.

2020 Recipients:

Jiho Kahng (Dr. Collin Kieffer), Anna Verily (Dr. Thomas Kehl-Fie)

2019 Recipients:

Morgan Samanic (Dr. Christopher Brooke), Huzaifa Zohair (Dr. Steven Blanke)

Presented to undergraduates who have conducted outstanding research in a department laboratory, this award is named after Helen Alford Hays. A native of North Dakota, she received her BS from Illinois in 1940 and continued her studies at Oregon State University, focusing on bacteriology. She was an advisor and instructor at Oregon State.

Eligibility:

 Undergraduate students who are graduating in the current year in May after having conducted outstanding undergraduate research continuously (including the summer year prior) in a Microbiology faculty member’s laboratory beginning the prior spring semester, or earlier.

How to apply:

 Microbiology faculty are notified annually of the award guidelines. Faculty advisors are to nominate the undergraduate students in their lab and are to submit the required documents in PDF format to the Microbiology Office by the requested due date.

2020 Recipient:

Claire Ang (Dr. Steven Blanke)

2019 Recipients:

Seokjoo Choi (Dr. Steven Blanke), Thomas Cyberski (Dr. James Slauch), Bryce Hendren-Santiago (Dr. Steven Blanke), Damen Moon (Dr. Brenda Wilson), Yiting Xu (Dr. Brenda Wilson)

This scholarship honors Dr. Francis M. Clark and his wife, Harlie M. Clark. Francis Clark joined the Department of Bacteriology (later the Department of Microbiology), as an instructor in 1933, after having completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Illinois. He had a distinguished career, teaching microbiology and conducting research in the microbiology of foods. He also was past president of the Illinois Society for Microbiology.

Eligibility:

NEED INFO

How to apply:

NEED INFO

2019 Recipient:

Yingxing Li (Dr. Steven Blanke)

This scholarship is named after the late Illinois alumnus James Beck (PhD, ’61, chemistry), who was a researcher at Eli Lilly. He conducted research in synthetic organic chemistry related to herbicides, plant growth regulators, and chemical hybridizing agents.

Eligibility:

NEED INFO

How to apply:

NEED INFO

2019 Recipients:

Lukas Talaga (Dr. Steven Blanke), Yiwei Yang (Dr. Collin Kieffer)

2019 Recipient:

Sophia Watts (Dr. Brenda Wilson)

The Howard S. Ducoff Prize for Outstanding Senior Thesis is presented to the graduating senior who has written the best research thesis. A professor of physiology and biophysics, Howard Ducoff joined the university faculty in 1957 and became emeritus professor in 1992. A charter member of the Radiation Research Society, North American Hypothermia Society, and American Society of Cell Biology, he received the Radiation Research Society SIT Excellence in Mentoring Award. He was a mentor and advisor to many graduate students during his time at Illinois.

Eligibility:

To be eligible for consideration, students must earn research-based Distinction from the School of MCB and have conducted their research in an MIP lab.

How to apply:

 Students are nominated by their research advisor.

2023 Recipient:

Archit Bajaj (Dr. Hee Jung Chung)

2022 Recipient:

Niraj Lawande (Dr. Catherine Christian-Hinman)

2021 Recipient:

Nathanlown Dang (Dr. Sayeepriyadarshini Anakk)

2020 Recipient:

Rana Youssef (Dr. Catherine Christian)

2019 Recipient:

Jaimin Patel (Dr. Hee Jung Chung)

The C. Ladd Prosser Outstanding Achievement Award is presented to an undergraduate student in recognition of outstanding performance in research. A member of the Illinois faculty beginning in 1939, C. Ladd Prosser was a professor of zoology and physiology. He chaired the university’s physiology department from 1960-69 and spent his summers working at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass. Among the many awards and honors bestowed upon him, C. Ladd Prosser was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1974.

Eligibility:

To be eligible for consideration, students must earn research-based Distinction from the School of MCB and have conducted their research in an MIP lab.

How to apply:

Students are nominated by their research advisor.

2023 Recipient:

Haichao Wang (Dr. Benjamin Auerbach)

2022 Recipient:

Angelina Wilton (Dr. Hee Jung Chung)

2021 Recipient:

Eric Shin (Dr. Hee Jung Chung)

2020 Recipient:

Peter Kolyvas (Dr. Sayee Anakk)

2019 Recipient:

Nicole Godellas (Dr. Claudio Grosman)