Awards and Honors

The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology and its departments of Biochemistry, Cell & Developmental Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular & Integrative Physiology recognize outstanding undergraduate, graduate, faculty, staff, and alumni with several awards and fellowships. In addition to school and departmental honors, MCB is always thrilled to highlight awards from other campus units, and national/international organizations. Some of the most recent news stories spotlighting our community are listed below.

Latest Jump ARCHES Awards Focus on Medical Tech Solutions to Meet Vexing Health Care Challenges

2022-01-19

Rachel Whitaker sits at desk, smiling for camera.

Twenty research projects are sharing slightly more than $1.4 million in funding through the Jump ARCHES research and development program to address a variety of vexing medical challenges including neurological testing for children and athletes (such as concussions), migraines, and stress among...

University of Illinois iGEM Team 2021 Brings Home Bronze Medal

2021-12-10

Members of the 2021 iGEM team pose atop a bright green sculpture outside IGB.

CABBI and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) are sponsoring six undergraduate students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to take part in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition during Spring and Summer 2021. The annual iGEM Jamboree is...

Association of Computing Machinery recognizes researchers for their novel SARS-CoV2 simulations

2021-12-09

Computational microscopy of the SARS-CoV2 virion in an aerosol droplet along with the proteins that make up the deep lung fluids.

Congratulations to the University of Illinois scientists who were part of two teams selected as finalists for a prestigious award that celebrates outstanding achievement in high-performance computing.

Biochemistry professor Nicholas Wu earns NIH Director's New Innovator Award

2021-10-05

Nicholas Wu, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has received a National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award, part of the Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program.

U of I president honors MCB researchers for their work on COVID-19 response

2021-08-24

University of Illinois President Tim Killeen on Monday honored 28 key leaders of the system’s COVID-19 response with the Presidential Medallion. The medallion is the highest honor that the system president can bestow.

PhD graduate wins Sternberg Thesis Prize for microbiology research

2021-07-09

Congratulations to Maryam Khademian, a recent Illinois PhD graduate in microbiology, whose thesis was chosen for the Sternberg Thesis Prize. The award will be presented to Khademian at the 2021 Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages Conference.

Kai Zhang receives 2021 Scialog Collaborative Innovation Award to study the gut-brain axis

2021-06-23

Congratulations to Kai Zhang, professor of biochemistry, whose team was selected for a 2021 Scialog Collaborative Innovation Award. The project is entitled, “Engineering Enteric Neuron Activity to Enhance Antimicrobial Immunity in the Gut.”

Congratulations to Supriya Prasanth, who has been named a University Scholar

2021-06-22

Supriya G. Prasanth, professor and head of the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology in the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, has been chosen as a University Scholar. The University Scholars Program, established in 1985, aims to support outstanding University of Illinois faculty...

Jana Radin named LAS Honors Faculty Mentor of the Year

2021-05-11

Congratulations to Jana Radin on being chosen as the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Honors Faculty Mentor of the Year!

Congratulations to the 2021 student award winners!

2021-05-06

Blue and orange confetti flies in the air.

The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology is pleased to announce the winners of its 2020-2021 student awards, fellowships, and scholarships.These awards recognize academic achievement, research accomplishments, and excellence in teaching.We’re proud to have so many outstanding students....

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