2025 Graduate Awards for Bioengineering Students

Congratulations to the Penn Bioengineering graduate students who have received awards in the past year.

2025 Schmidt Science Fellow

Serena Omo-Lamai

As a 2025 Schmidt Science Fellow, Serena aims to create gene editing tools that activate only in targeted cells or disease contexts, improving precision and minimizing unintended effects. Her research focuses on safely removing harmful cells in autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes, with broader potential for diagnostics and treating other diseases.

Solomon R. Pollack Award for Excellence in Graduate Bioengineering Research

The Solomon R. Pollack Award for Excellence in Graduate Bioengineering Research is given annually to the most deserving Bioengineering graduate students who have successfully completed research that is original and recognized as being at the forefront of their field.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Winner

Emily Huynh
Emily Jacobs

“I would like to thank Dr Noor Momin and all of my lab mates in the Momin Lab. I would not be able to put in the dedication I do without all of their support, mentorship, and friendship!”
-Emily Jacobs

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention

American Heart Association (AHA) Award

Tuan Anh Nguyen

Awarded a Predoctoral Fellowship for his project, “Neuromodulatory Effects of Social Robot-Assisted Action Observation and Execution Therapy in Stroke Rehabilitation.”

Outstanding Teaching – SEAS Graduate Awards

Alex Hamilton
Nat Thurlow

“I would like to thank Dr. LeAnn Dourte and Dr. Joel Boerckel for their incredible mentorship and support. It has been inspiring to work and teach with mentors who care deeply about students and fostering their growth beyond the curriculum.”
-Nat Thurlow

“Many thanks to Dr. Kevin Johnson for being an incredible mentor and teacher! Extremely privileged to have been able to work with him and learn how to be a better educator. A big thank you as well to my co-advisors, Jim Gee and Osbert Bastani, for being fantastic mentors and sources of support!”
-Michael Yao

Michael Yao

Outstanding Research – SEAS Graduate Awards

Lysia Cardilla

Outstanding Service – SEAS Graduate Awards

Ludwig Zhao

“I would like to thank Drs. Detre, Gottfried, and Tisdall for their nomination and their invaluable support as my mentors. It has been a great privilege to work with them – not only for their academic guidance, but also for their support in enabling me to serve our engineering students.”
-Ludwig Zhao

Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students

Lasya Sreepada

“Thanks to all my students – high schoolers, undergraduates, and graduates – for engaging so thoughtfully in and out of class. I learned so much from you that has shaped my teaching style and inspired me to strive towards being an even better educator. A special thank you to Professor Paul Yushkevich, who welcomed me on board the teaching team for his Biomedical Image Analysis class and has been an outstanding mentor for me, as an aspiring scientist and professor.”
-Lasya Sreepada

“A sincere thank you to Drs. Michael Mitchell, Riccardo Gottardi, Daniel Hammer and Jenny Jiang for giving me the opportunity to TA for them! This award would not have been possible without all of their guidance and support. And a big thank you to all the wonderful students I have had the privilege of teaching for the past 3 years!”
-Ajay Thatte

Ajay Thatte