Graduate Student Awards
Congratulations to the Biological Sciences students who have received the following honors and awards. Following linked years will lead to the associated news release.
School
Only recent school awards are listed on this page. Awards from previous years are listed in the Graduate Student Awards Archive.
Biology Founding Faculty Award for Graduate Excellence
Founded in 2014, this award is bestowed annually through an endowment from the School of Biological Sciences' founding faculty.
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2023
- Livia Songster, Samara Reck-Peterson Lab
David V. Goeddel Chancellor's Award
A UC San Diego alumnus and biotechnology pioneer, Goeddel established the endowment to support and foster the innovators and scientists of the future. His endowment, which is matched by the School, each year supports the research and scholarly activities of outstanding Biological Sciences graduate students.
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2023
- Amy Prichard, Elizabeth Villa Lab
David V. Goeddel Endowed Graduate Award
A UC San Diego alumnus and biotechnology pioneer, Goeddel established the endowment to support and foster the innovators and scientists of the future. His endowment, which is matched by the School, each year supports the research and scholarly activities of outstanding Biological Sciences graduate students.
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2023
- Analine Aguayo, Sonya Neal Lab
Jeanne M. Messier Memorial Award
This fellowship helps first year Ecology, Behavior & Evolution doctoral students initiate dissertation fieldwork that might not otherwise be possible without the funding. View the full list of past recipients.
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2024
- Julia Bebout
Ellie Fausett
Abhimaya Pathak
Sateesh Venkatesh
Marguerite Vogt Award
An endowment to provide awards for graduate students in the Biological Sciences at UC San Diego. In alternate years, prizes are awarded to UC San Diego graduate students assigned to the Salk Institute.
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2023
- Brent Chick, Diana Hargreaves Lab
McElroy Award
The McElroy award provides support for an annual lectureship in Biochemistry, research or a graduate student award.
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2023
- Alison Vicary, Alistair Russell Lab
Torrey Rhyne, James Kadonaga Lab
Kavli-Helinski Endowed Graduate Award
The the Kavli-Helinski Endowed Graduate Awards recognizes outstanding senior PhD students in research labs affiliated with the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind. The award also honors Don Helinski, a pioneer in molecular biology and one of our distinguished emeriti.
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2023
- Jingrui Ma, Vineet Augustine Lab
University
Barbara and Paul Saltman Distinguished Teaching Award
The Distinguished Teaching Award is a prestigious award bestowed upon up to five members of the Academic Senate, three non-Senate faculty members, and three graduate students at UC San Diego each year. Read more about Barbara and Paul Saltman Distinguished Teaching Award
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2019 Barbara and Paul Saltman Distinguished Teaching Award Article
- Raymond Mak, Alan Saghatelian Lab
Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA) Fellowship
The CARTA fellowship is awarded to Graduate students who demonstrate enthusiastic and engaging participation in the trans-disciplinary Specialization in Anthropogeny, gaining valuable research experience spanning the sciences and humanities.
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2022
- Nicholas Nelson, Axel Nimmerjahn Lab
Chancellor's Dissertation Medal
Criteria used by a faculty Dissertation Medal selection committee included: impact (the importance/impact of the research to the field and/or the department); originality (the insight, originality and creativity shown by the author); presentation (the effectiveness of the writing, clarity and organization of the thesis) and quality (the soundness of the methodology and the quality of the data).
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2017 Chancellor's Dissertation Medal Article
- James Broughton, Amy Pasquinelli Lab
Curci Ph.D. Fellows Award
The Curci Ph.D. Fellows Program was established in 2023 to provide tuition and living expenses to advanced Ph.D. students through their fifth year. Fellows are selected through a competition of proposals submitted by the nominees of the following institutions: the University of California Berkeley, the University of California San Diego, and the University of Washington.
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2024Onyeka Chukwudozie receives Curci Ph.D. Fellows Award to advance Lassa virus vaccines
- Onyeka Chukwudozie, Erica Ollmann Saphire Lab
Davis/Noyes/Stacey Fellowship
Davis/Noyes/Stacey Fellowships are provided from University endowment income and are awarded to continuing graduate students who meet special qualifications.
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2022
- Nicholas Deason, Jose Pruneda-Paz Lab (Noyes)
Cody Spiegel, Sara Jackrel Lab (Stacey) -
2021
- Timothy Nicholson-Shaw, Jens Lykke-Andersen Lab (Davis)
Alicia Romero, Janelle Ayres Lab (Davis)
Peter Berube, Joseph Eckers Lab (Davis)
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action and Diversity Award
The annual Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action and Diversity Awards Program honors staff, faculty, students, departments, and organizational units or groups that make outstanding contributions in the areas of equal opportunity, affirmative action, diversity, and the UCSD Principles of Community during the year.
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2018 Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action and Diversity Award Article
- Chandler Puritty, Elsa Cleland Lab
Friends of the International Center Fellowship
Founded in 1961, the Friends of International Center organization supports international education at UCSD in numerous ways. This fellowship supports graduate students and medical students that in some way promote international friendship, understanding, and cooperation in a meaningful way.
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2022
- Deepam Gupta, Debbie Yelon Lab
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2021
- Jiayi Dong, Li-Fan Lu Lab
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2016
- Bahram Kheradmand, James Nieh Lab
Grad SLAM Champion
The annual Grad SLAM competition challenges graduate students from across campus in a variety of disciplines to distill their research into short, captivating presentations that anyone from grade schoolers to grandparents can understand. The Grad SLAM champion will move onto the University of California system-wide Grad SLAM finals.
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2019 Grad SLAM Champion Award Article
- Angela Nicholson, Amy Pasquinelli Lab
J. Yang & Family Foundation Award
Supported by the J. Yang & Family Foundation, this initiative serves to recruit and retain highly promising future scholars from Taiwan high schools and universities by supporting student research and fostering collaborations and future research partnerships.
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2021
- Jo Hsien Yu
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2020
- Pin-Chung (Tony) Cheng
Mary Anne Fox Dissertation Year Fellowship
The Mary Anne Fox Dissertation Year Fellowship awards $22,000, tuition, and fees, to a student who demonstrates a highly distinguished academic record. This fellowship provides a full year of support for students in the final stages of their dissertation.
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2022
- Stephanie Nehasil, Carolyn Kurle Lab
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2017
- Danielle Hagstrom, Eva-Maria Schoetz-Collins Lab
President's Dissertation Year Fellowship
The program is designed to identify doctoral candidates who have been educationally or economically disadvantaged or whose research or planned career direction focuses on problems related to disadvantaged segments of society. UC President's Dissertation Year Fellowships are to be awarded to promising students in the final stages of their doctoral work who demonstrate strong potential for university teaching and research.
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2021
- Daniela Zarate, Joshua Kohn Lab
Student Veteran of the Year
The Student Veteran of the Year is nominated by the campus community and awarded to a full-time student veteran for their involvement in campus activities, contribution to student morale, and service to the community.
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2019 Student Veteran of the Year Award Article
- Emerald Liu, Lisa McDonnell Lab
National
American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship
The American Heart Association (AHA) offers a Predoctoral Fellowship to enhance the research and clinical training of aspiring professionals in a predoctoral or clinical health degree.
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2021
- Yao Yao, Deborah Yelon Lab
Jinhao (Albert) Xu, Xin Sun Lab -
2020
- Ziyan "Zoe" Xu, Susan Kaech Lab
ARCS Foundation Fellowship
A national nonprofit organization led entirely by women, the ARCS Foundation awards fellowships that recognize exceptional students pursuing research in the natural sciences, engineering and medicine
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2022
- Sahana Kuthyar, Aspen Reese Lab
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2018
- Laura Chipman, Amy Pasquinelli Lab
Homa Rahnamoun, Shannon Lauberth Lab -
2016 ARCS Foundation Fellowship Article
- Ben Rubin, Susan Golden Lab
Danielle Hagstrom, Eva-Maria Schoetz-Collins Lab
Bouchet Graduate Honor Society
Named for Edward Alexander Bouchet, the first African American doctoral recipient in the United States, the Bouchet Society seeks to recognize and continue Dr. Edward Alexander Bouchet's pioneering contributions to doctoral education by developing a network of pre-eminent scholars who serve as examples of leadership, character, service, and advocacy for students who have been traditionally underrepresented in the academy.
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2024 Leaders in Their Fields
- Ugbah Farah, Jonathan Shurin Lab
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2022 Bouchet Graduate Honor Society Article
- Andres Nevarez, Nan Hao Lab
Tara Spencer, Rachel Dutton Lab -
2021 Bouchet Graduate Honor Society Article
- Donte (Alex) Stevens, Samara Reck-Peterson Lab
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2020 Bouchet Graduate Honor Society Article
- Daniela Zarate, Joshua Kohn Lab
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2019 Bouchet Graduate Honor Society Article
- Chandler Puritty, Elsa Cleland Lab
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2017 Bouchet Graduate Honor Society Article
- Dianne Pater, Julian Schroeder Lab
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2016 Bouchet Graduate Honor Society Article
- Leilani Cruz, Li-Fan Lu Lab
Ford Foundation Fellowship
The Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation's college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students. Fellowships are awarded in a national competition administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on behalf of the Ford Foundation.
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2022
- Lennice Castro, Matthew Daugherty Lab
HHMI Gilliam Fellowship
The goal of the program, which supports exceptionally promising doctoral students motivated to pursue careers in academic science, is to prepare a diverse and highly trained scientific workforce that can help develop the next generation of scientists.
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2024 Madeleine Duquette and Elizabeth Villa Awarded HHMI Gilliam Fellowship
- Madeleine Duquette , Elizabeth Villa Lab
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2024 HHMI Gilliam Fellowship to Andrea Sama and Jazz Dickinson Supports New EDI Initiative
- Andrea Sama, Jazz Dickinson Lab
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2022 HHMI Gilliam Fellowship Article
- Lennice Castro, Matthew Daugherty Lab
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2021 HHMI Gilliam Fellowship Article
- Tara Spencer, Rachel Dutton Lab
Analine Aguayo, Sonya Neal Lab -
2020 HHMI Gilliam Fellowship Article
- Matthew Maxwell, Diana Hargreaves Lab
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2019 HHMI Gilliam Fellowship Article
- Donte Stevens, Samara Reck-Peterson Lab
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2017 HHMI Gilliam Fellowship Article
- Marie Adomako, Susan Golden Lab
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2016 HHMI Gilliam Fellowship Article
- Kyle Begovich, Jim Wilhelm Lab
Melvin Cohen Award
The prestigious Melvin Cohn Award was established to recognize scientific innovation and impact of early career scientists who have performed exceptional research. The highly competitive award carries a $1,000 prize and the opportunity to deliver a special presentation on the final day of the La Jolla Immunology Conference.
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2020 Melvin Cohen Award Article
- Lara Labarta-Bajo, Elina Zúñiga Lab
National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG)
This highly competitive fellowship serves to support the training of scientists and engineers in a broad range of disciplines with an emphasis on research of interest to the Department of Defense.
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2020 National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) Article
- Gabriel Mullin-Manzanarez, Terry Hwa Lab
NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award
A National Institutes of Health funded award, the purpose of this Kirschstein-NRSA program is to enable promising predoctoral students with potential to develop into a productive, independent research scientists, to obtain mentored research training while conducting dissertation research.
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2022
- Beverly Naigles, Nan Hao Lab
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2021
- Ivy Fernandes, Debbie Yelon Lab
Gidsela Luna, Xin Sun Lab
Daniel Heinz, Brenda Bloodgood Lab -
2020
- Nathan Jayne, Dong-Er Zhang Lab
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2019
- Alberto Carreno, Jens Lykke-Andersen Lab
Rose Malinow, Yishi Jin Lab
Kaisa Hanley, Gen-sheng Feng Lab -
2018
- Daniel Johnson, Dong-Er Zhang Lab
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
NSF's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) offers approximately 2,000 fellowship awards annually, following a national competition. The program recruits high-potential, early-career scientists and engineers, and supports their graduate research training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
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2024 Biological Sciences PhD Students Awarded 2024 NSF Research Fellowships
- Isabel Mejia, Matthew Daugherty Lab
Torrey Rhyne, James Kadonaga Lab
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2023 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Article
- Jose Chacon, David Traver Lab
Claire Chapman, Fabian Rivera-Chavez Lab
Andrew Kapinos, Fabian Rivera-Chavez Lab
Gabrielle Meza, Jazz Dickinson Lab
Jocelyn Olvera, Dmitry Lyumkis Lab
John Reddan, Terry Hwa Lab -
2022 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Article
- Karagan Lu Smith, Elsa Cleland Lab
Joshua Dominguez, Jonathan Shurin Lab -
2021 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Article
- Jasmin Revanna, Fred Gage Lab
Olivia (Livia) Songster, Samara Reck-Peterson Lab -
2020 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Article
- Megan Hayes, Cressida Madigan Lab
Matthew Maxwell, Diana Hargreaves Lab
Alexandria Palaferri Schieber, Janelle Ayres Lab
Gabriel Mullin-Manzanarez*, Terry Hwa Lab *accepted NDSEG in lieu of NSF -
2019 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Article
- Rhea-Comfort Addo, Deborah Yelon Lab
Chris Beierschmitt, Matthew Daugherty Lab
Devon Birdseye, Steven Briggs Lab
Alana Gibson, Susan Ackerman Lab
Donte Stevens, Samara Reck-Peterson Lab -
2018 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Article
- Danielle Garshott, Eric Bennett Lab
Homa Rahnamoun, Shannon Lauberth Lab -
2017 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Article
- Brooke Anderson, Rachel Dutton Lab
Stephanie Nehasil, Carolyn Kurle Lab
Amy Pribadi, Sreekanth Chalasani Lab
Laura Chipman, Amy Pasquinelli Lab
Angela Nicholson, Amy Pasquinelli Lab -
2016 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Article
- Daniela Zarate, Joshua Kohn Lab
Calls for Nominations
Please find a list of select awards and prizes below.
Awards/Prizes/Fellowships | Application Schedule |
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Dissertation Year Fellowships | Spring (April) |
UC President's Dissertation Year Fellowship | Spring (April) |
Fletcher Jones Dissertation Fellowship | Spring (April) |
Marye Anne Fox Endowed Fellowship Fund | Spring (April) |
Friends of International Center | Winter (January) |
Guru Gobind Singh Fellowship | Spring (April) |
Jean Fort Dissertation Prize | Spring (April) |
UC President's Pre-Professoriate Fellows | Winter (January) |
Katzin Prize | Winter (February and March) |
Distinguished Teaching Award | February/March |
Grad Slam Competition | Information Sessions in Fall quarter. Contest held during Winter quarter. |
Davis/Noyes/Stacey Fellowships | Summer (August) |
Rita L. Atkinson Graduate Fellowship | Winter (February) |
Oceanids Fellowships | Fall (November) |
Fellowship | Application Schedule |
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Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) Index of Funding Opportunities, including some particularly relevant to Biological Sciences, such as | |
NIH NRSA F31 and F31 Diversity Fellowship Program | See website for deadlines |
American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowships | See website for deadlines |
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) | See website for deadlines |
Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships | Deadline - October |
American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellowships | Deadline - November |
Additional Fellowships (this list is not exhaustive) | |
The Hertz Fellowship | Opens in August each year |
Schmidt Science Fellows | Deadline - June |
ARCS Foundation San Diego Chapter | Spring (April) |
Google Fellowship | Spring (April) |
Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program | See Key Dates |