The awardees and honorable mentions for the 2025 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) competition were recently posted and several Biology students were recognized. Biology PhD student Alejandra Castillo Cieza of the Bhatnagar Lab, MCBB PhD student Anne Curtis of the Chantranupong Lab, Biology PhD student Emma Daily of the Templer Lab, GPGG PhD candidate Abigail Fowler of the Tay Lab, and Biology PhD student Sara Parker of the Strickland Lab all received honorable mentions.

Alejandra studies the effects of fire and urbanization on the microbiome and regeneration of oak woodlands in California.
Anne characterizes neuromelanin, a pigment lost in dopamine neurons during Parkinson’s Disease. Building off her stem cell experience at UC Santa Barbara, she is establishing the lab’s first induced pluripotent stem cell bank and optimizing the directed differentiation of midbrain organoids. She plans to track neuromelanin granule formation and function in her midbrain organoid model to better understand the role of this poorly studied pigment in dopaminergic neurons.
Emma is interested in the relationships between climate change and forest biogeochemical cycles. Her current work investigates the effects of urbanization and forest fragmentation on the leaf surface. Urbanization and forest fragmentation are associated with higher levels of ambient particulate matter (PM) pollution, but the combined effects of these land use changes on microbes and PM on the leaf surface are unknown. By analyzing scanning electron microscope photos of leaves across a gradient of urbanization and forest fragmentation, Emma’s dissertation investigates the combined effects of these land use changes on the leaf surface environment, known as the phyllosphere.
Abigail studies microglia and their role in Alzheimer’s Disease. Microglia are the brain’s resident immune cells, and are critical for maintaining brain homeostasis. Abigail’s work investigates how microglial phagocytosis — the process by which cells engulf and clear debris — is altered in models of Alzheimer’s Disease. By combining genetic, molecular, and behavioral approaches, her research aims to deepen our understanding of how microglia contribute to the progression of neurodegeneration.
Sara is a first-year PhD student in the Strickland lab, where she studies color polymorphism, a phenomenon where multiple genetically distinct color-pattern phenotypes persist within a species. Color polymorphisms are somewhat of an evolutionary paradox, as within-population variation is expected to either lead to speciation or dwindle in the face of genetic drift. Sara focuses on Neotropical tortoise beetles in the genus Chelymorpha, whose color-pattern phenotypes range from plain red forms to red and black-striped forms, to glittering metallic gold forms with black spots. By integrating complex life histories with genomic sequencing technologies, Sara hopes to uncover the ecological and molecular mechanisms underlying color-pattern adaptation and diversity, particularly in insects.

Congratulations to the honorable mentions on your hard work and this well-deserved honor.