News
MCBB Alum Dr. Daniel Starczynowski Appointed to Leadership Positions in Cancer Research at the University of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
MCBB PhD alum Dr. Daniel Starcynowski (GRS '05) has been appointed to three leadership positions at the University of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital: Director of the Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology; Director of scientific innovation in the Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute; and Research Deputy Director of the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center.
The University of Cincinnati was recently ranked the number 1 Children’s Hospital for pediatric cancer in the recent US News & World Report. Dr. Starczynowski is currently the Katherine Stewart Waters Endowed Chair in Hematologic Malignancies and directs the Advanced Leukemic Therapeutics and Research Center. His research focuses on molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways that are dysregulated in the progressive development of leukemia, and that research also led to his co-founding of Kurome Therapeutics to treat such leukemias.
At BU, Starczynowski performed research under Dr. Thomas Gilmore, studying the molecular mechanisms by which certain viruses cause B-cell lymphoma in a chicken model system. Upon graduation from BU, he received the Biology Department's Belamarich Award for outstanding PhD dissertation in Biology.
After BU, Dr. Starczynowski performed post-doctoral research at the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre, before accepting a faculty position at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 2010.
Dr. Meg Younger Featured in The Brink
Dr. Meg Younger was recently featured in The Brink's article, "Why do Mosquitoes Bite Some People More than Others?". An excerpt is below:
In her Boston University lab, researcher Meg Younger is looking for innovative new ways to stop mosquitoes, beginning with a big question: why do they bite some people more than others?
A BU College of Arts & Sciences assistant professor of biology, Younger believes the answer might be found in a mosquito’s sense of smell. She and her team use methods borrowed from neuroscience, including gene editing and brain mapping, to observe how mosquitoes detect different odorants and how that shapes their behavior—in this case, whether or not they bite someone.
You can read the full article here.
Congratulations, Meg!
Soyoung Bae Takes Second-place in Ultra-fast X-ray Summer School
MCBB PhD student Soyoung Bae of the Tolan Lab earned second place with her team at the Ultra-Fast X-ray Summer School (UXSS) in June 2026. The UXSS program, hosted by Stanford’s PULSE Institute at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) National Accelerator Laboratory, is renowned for its cutting-edge training in ultrafast (atto–femto second) X-ray science.
Soyoung was a member of a team of 10 trainees from all over the world that competed with a dozen other teams in generating a proposal for use of the X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) beamline at SLAC (one of only 6 globally). The title of her beamline proposal was “Probing Core-Hole-Induced Charge Migration in a Solvated Transition-Metal-Complex with Two-Color Attosecond Soft X-Ray Pulses.” Soyoung’s participation and success is a testament to her desire to bring the latest technology to bear in the field of structural biology.
Congratulations, Soyoung!
Maya Peters Kostman Receives 2026 I. Alden Macchi Award
Maya Peters Kostman of the of the Larkin Lab was selected as the winner of the Department of Biology's 2026 I. Alden Macchi Award for excellence in the field of regulatory biology.
Maya studies the role of membrane potential in bacteria coping with nutrient stress. Aerobic microbes produce most of their energy via the electron transport chain, which uses oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor to establish an electrochemical gradient across the cell membrane. Electrical membrane potential accounts for the majority of the energy in this gradient, closely coupling oxygen, membrane potential, and cellular metabolism. Maya's research focuses on understanding how these processes interact to help the cell survive in changing and heterogeneous environments.
This award was established by the late I. Alden Macchi, Professor and former Interim Chairman in the Department of Biology. Dr. Macchi received his PhD in Endocrinology from BU in 1954. Professor Macchi’s research contributed, among other things, many important observations regarding the mechanisms of steroid hormone biosynthesis in the adrenal glands.
Congratulations, Maya!
Brendan Kosztyo Receives 2026 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention
Brendan Kosztyo of the Wunderlich Lab received an honorable mention from the 2026 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).
Brendan recently joined the Wunderlich Lab, which studies how shadow enhancers in Drosophila confer robustness to gene expression in developmental and immune processes. Shadow enhancers are cis-regulatory elements that control expression of the same gene and are required to drive normal development,buffering against the effects of mutations and environmental stress. Currently, Brendan is using computational analysis to study how perturbations to transcription factors and their corresponding binding sites in shadow enhancers affect gene expression in development. One particularly sensitive process is craniofacial development. Brendan aims to investigate how epigenetic factors contribute to the patterning and migration of neural crest cells during craniofacial development.
Congratulations, Brendan!
So Young Bae Receives 2026 Marion R. Kramer Scholarship
So Young Bae of the Tolan Lab recently received the Department of Biology's 2026 Dr. Marion R. Kramer Scholarship. This award provides support for high-achieving women and female students in Biology. The award was established in 2001 in honor of Dr. Marion Kramer who earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Boston University in 1963 and went on to a long and satisfying career in biology and medicine.
So Young investigates the molecular mechanisms that govern enzyme function and protein–ligand interactions. She is part of a new generation of structural biologists reshaping how we understand the molecular machinery of life. She focuses on the hidden choreography of enzymes—how they shift, flex, and adapt as they interact with small molecules. Her work blends X-ray crystallography, enzyme kinetics, and emerging time-resolved techniques to capture proteins in motion, revealing details that are essential for drug discovery and metabolic research.
So Young has contributed nearly one hundred solved enzyme–small-molecule structures through an industry-collaborative drug discovery project, advancing structure-guided design and deepening understanding of structure–activity relationships. Her research this summer, funded by the Kramer Award, will focus on resolving some key aspects of the catalytic mechanism of ketohexokinase, a key enzyme in fructose metabolism and a drug target with implications for helping solve some of the world’s most prevalent chronic diseases of obesity, liver disease, and type-2 diabetes.
She continues to push structural biology forward, driven by curiosity, precision, and a belief that understanding proteins at their most fundamental level can unlock solutions to some of the most pervasive diseases.
Congratulations, So Young!
Tommy Taslim Recieves 2026 Charles Terner Award
Tommy Henry Taslim, a fifth-year PhD student in the Fuxman Bass Lab, recently received the Department of Biology's 2026 Charles Terner Award.
The Fuxman Bass Lab studies the regulatory crosstalk between viruses and human host cells. Tommy’s project is focused on investigating how retroviruses and double-stranded DNA viruses encode cis-regulatory elements that control transcription and mediate interactions with host transcription factors. Specifically, he has been using massively parallel reporter assays (MPRAs) across multiple human cell lines combined with saturation mutagenesis to systematically map and quantify viral cis-regulatory element activity at nucleotide resolution.
This award provides support for a CM or MCBB PhD candidate who has completed the qualifying exam and who has made significant contributions to their field. Charles Terner was a Professor of Biology at Boston University for over 20 years before he retired in 1985. Dr. Terner specialized in biochemistry and focused his research on the metabolic properties of male reproductive cells. The award was established in his memory after he passed away in 1998.
Congratulations, Tommy!
Jeff Marlow Featured in the Brink
Jefferey Marlow was featured in The Brink for having been selected for the 2026-2028 cohort of the New Voices of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The leadership program, established by the National Academies' of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, intends to promote interdisciplinary collaboration among exceptional STEM scholars.
The aim for this program is the development of "a network of U.S. leaders to address national and global challenges." Marlow and 19 other mid-career STEM professionals were selected to, over the course of a two-year term, participate in "consensus and convening activities, develop their own interdisciplinary projects, and continue building a robust network of emerging STEM leaders across the U.S. and around the world."
Marlow and his lab study microbial communities in inhospitable environments, including their influence on these extreme ecosystems through methods such as climate regulation and nutrient recycling. His research is relevant in regards to extraterrestrial life, as well as addressing the ever-present threat of climate change.
Building relationships with other scientists is a core aspect of the program. Honorees have the opportunity to exchange expertise and discover possibilities they may have not considered for the application of their own research. Marlow told The Brink, "It’s important for scientists to think beyond our individual labs and consider the broader picture of how research gets done, and how our findings reverberate through society."
Read the article here.
Congratulations, Jeff!
Megan Hopton Wins Best Presenter and Abstract Achievement Award at Gordon Research Seminar and Conference
Megan Hopton of the Hao Lab recently attended the Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) and Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Plasminogen Activation and Extracellular Proteolysis. She won the Best Presenter Award in the GRS and the Abstract Achievement Award in the GRC.
The GRC is a discussion based event where a global network of scientists present prepublication research surrounding technologies of biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. The GRS is held just before the GRC, and invites graduate and post-doctoral students to participate within this interactive forum. Hopton's exceptional abstract and presentation earned her the opportunity to present at the GRC as well, a competitive feat for trainees. This year's theme was "Training, Techniques, and Translation in Fibrinolysis and Proteolysis."
Megan's research focuses on engineering disease-responsive biosensors and point-of-care diagnostic technologies. She contributed to the development of a high-throughput screening platform to identify short peptide substrates that are conditionally cleaved by disease-associated proteases. These protease-responsive linkers can be integrated into a wide range of clinical tools, enabling minimally invasive diagnostics and therapeutics that activate selectively in disease contexts. She aims to leverage this platform to create responsive biosensors for both infectious and noncommunicable diseases.
Congratulations, Megan!
Meg Younger and Jeffrey Marlow selected as 2026 Frontiers of Science Fellows
Dr. Meg Younger and Dr. Jeffrey Marlow were selected by the National Academy of Sciences as 2026 Frontiers of Science (FoS) Fellows. The National Academy of Sciences recognized 81 young researchers in variety of professional fields such as industry, academia, and government. Fellows are aged 45 or younger, already making an impact across a number of disciplines, often having already received awards for their contributions to science. Fellows will also participate in a Frontiers of Science symposia.
Dr. Marlow researches microbial communities within their surrounding, often extreme environments. His lab's work is relevant to astrobiology, but also has major potential applications on our planet Earth, such as in utilizing a better understanding the formation and consumption of greenhouse gases. In addition to being a FoS fellow, he has been named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, Scialog Fellow, and an Explorers Club Rolex Explorer. Marlow also founded the Ad Astra Academy to bring science exploration and materials to under-resourced students.
Dr. Younger researches mosquito olfaction in order to investigate how mosquitoes use their sense of smell to find humans. Her lab develops strategies to uncover how mosquitoes process scent information. Younger's research aims to aid in the prevention of disease transmission via mosquito bites. Younger has also earned previous awards such as the NIH Director's New Innovator Award, the Smith Family Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research, and the Wellcome discovery Award, just to name a few.
Dr. Younger and Dr. Marlow will be participating in the U.S. symposium taking place in Irvine, California from March 5-7.
Congratulations Meg and Jeff!