Current Scholars

2024-2025 ARCS Foundation Phoenix Scholars

2024-2025 ARCS FOUNDATION PHOENIX SCHOLARS

ARCS^® Foundation Phoenix is honored to present our 2024-2025 Scholar Awards to these outstanding PhD candidates from Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and The University of Arizona. The ARCS Foundation Scholar Award is $8,500 per year. All scholars must apply for ARCS Scholar Awards with their university departments on an annual basis.

Arizona State University

Allison Bayro

Wilhoit Foundation Scholar

PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
BS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago
Allison's research focuses on using physiological signals for identifying and predicting cognitive and emotional states and eventually sharing physiological states among users in collaborative virtual reality (VR) environments, thereby enhancing team dynamics and performance. In a significant collaboration with the US Naval Research Laboratory, Allison assesses states of cognitive decline to prevent accidents and contributes to the development of a VR environment for naval pilot selection.

Austin Blackmon

ARCS Scholar

PhD Candidate in Molecular & Cell Biology
BS in Biomedical Sciences and minor in Chemistry at Northern Arizona University
At NAU Austin studied the fungal pathogen Coccidioides and the disease it causes, Valley Fever. As a PhD student, he is focusing on cancer research, specifically studying the enzyme known as QSOX1 and its relationship to interacting proteins. QSOX1 is upregulated in several cancer types and is correlated with increased invasion and metastasis of tumors.

Emily Briese

ARCS Scholar

PhD Candidate in Environmental Engineering
BS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Toledo
Emily began her PhD in the Fall of 2020, working in ASU’s Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT) center as well as the MEMCARE Superfund Research Project centered at Harvard. Within these research centers, she studies the selective removal of toxic oxo-anions in water through the use of novel nano-adsorbents.

Samantha Brozak

Van Denburgh Scholar

PhD Candidate in Applied Mathematics
BS in Mathematics from ASU
Samantha works on an interdisciplinary team of researchers to develop new tools to monitor disease transmission on the community level. While at-home and clinical tests for diseases like COVID-19 can help an individual determine disease status, these tests may result in false negatives or have reporting delays. Her work relies on estimating the true number of cases via wastewater-based surveillance and mathematical modelling. This allows for a more accurate, real-time picture of transmission in a community and can help public officials make informed decisions in controlling the spread of a disease.

Stephen Gallegos

Theresa F. Jennings Memorial Scholar

PhD Candidate in Speech and Hearing Science (Auditory and Language Neuroscience)
BS in Interdisciplinary Studies from Arizona State University
Stephen's research confronts the overlooked challenges of aging in the autistic community, with an emphasis on cognitive and social betterment. The benefits of this research come through the development of a novel comprehensive support program aimed at improving quality of life by enhancing adaptive functioning and independence.

Samantha Harker

Sands Scholar

PhD Candidate in Neuroscience
BA in Medical Humanities; MS in Neuroscience from Arizona State University
Sammie's research addresses the genetic contributors to aging and sex differences on cognition and brain structure in a longitudinal cohort of middle-aged and older (MA+) autistic adults 40-75 years of age. She evaluates the effects of autism risk genes on memory decline and temporal lobe/hippocampal aging in MA+ autistic adults. Results will significantly impact the biological understanding of cognitive, brain aging, and sex differences in autism by incorporating both molecular and systems-level approaches. The dissemination of findings to the broader autism community will be empowered by Sammie's unique perspective as an openly autistic adult.

Lillian Hensleigh

The Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation Scholar

PhD Candidate in Biochemistry
BS in Biology and in Chemistry from the University of Redlands
Lillian investigates how renewable energy sources could power the planet. Her research aims to convert carbon dioxide into non-fossil based fuels and other value-added chemical products. In one approach she is pioneering, carbon dioxide is captured from the air by polymer-coated electrodes. Like the protein environments of biological enzymes (nature's catalysts), the polymeric coatings provide low-energy pathways to achieving the overall chemical transformations. Lillian aims to improve understandings of the structure-activity relationships governing these hybrid materials and enable a more sustainable energy future.

Xaimarie Hernandez Cruz

Louis Jugloff Memorial Endowment Scholar

PhD Candidate in Industrial Engineering
BS from University of Puerto Rico and MS from ASU in Industrial Engineering
Xaimarie's research interest lies in the field of machine learning for sequential data with applications to agriculture. Her focus is on the development of data-driven tools that aid decision-making in the fresh produce supply chain. She is developing an intelligent system that gathers market information, monitors it to identify disruptive events, and forecasts future market conditions in terms of prices. Furthermore, to expand the applicability of her research to any region in the US, she is developing a forecasting method capable of predicting for locations without existing data.

Gregory Jensen

ARCS Scholar

PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering
BS in Biological Engineeering from Utah State University
Greg’s research focuses on solutions to limit post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) after traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI occurs when an impact to the head damages the brain, causing a disruption in normal brain function. Often, PTE can be attributed to an imbalance of excitatory and inhibitory signals in the brain after an injury has been sustained. Greg is designing an injectable drug delivery system that will deliver therapeutics with the potential to restore balance to neural signaling and limit PTE after TBI.

Keilen Kelly

Spetzler Scholar

PhD Candidate in Microbiology
BS in Microbiology from Brigham Young University
Keilen's current research focuses on the genetics and physiology of stress responses in E. coli. Her work is on a mutation that makes cells more resistant to antibiotics, oxidative chemicals, high salt concentrations, high temperatures, and other conditions that are damaging to living organisms. She investigates how this mutation changes the internal workings of the cell and how we can work around similar mutations as they arise in pathogens. This work increases our understanding of "superbugs" and how we can fight them to eliminate infection and disease.

Jacob Klemm

ARCS Scholar

PhD Candidate in Molecular Biology
BS in Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Necrotic tissue death presents a significant clinical burden that affects almost any tissue type and can arise from several types of injury and inherited conditions. To study the tissue response to necrosis, Jake makes use of the model fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Following this type of death, tissues respond by generating large populations of necrosis-induced apoptotic (NiA) cells. While NiA cells appear to be dying, they are required for regeneration. Jake’s current efforts are focused on understanding the precise mechanism by which NiA cells promote necrosis-induced tissue regeneration.

Brianah McCoy

Horejsi Charitable Foundation Scholar

PhD Candidate in Molecular Biology
BS in Biological Sciences from ASU
Brianah is working to understand the epigenetic changes (DNA methylation) in the immune system that occur during aging in companion dogs, and how socio-economic, built, and natural environmental factors can influence age-related disease accumulation and help us better understand how to increase both dog and human health. Understanding the fundamental molecular mechanism of biological aging can help us develop and create more effective therapeutics for age-related disease (Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease).

Allison McMinn

Burton Family Foundation Scholar

PhD Candidate in Electrical Engineering
BS in Electrical Engineering from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Allison is studying Electrical Engineering with a focus in Physical Electronics and Photonics. Her research focuses on the growth and characterization of Type-II Super Lattice structures for infrared photodetector applications using Molecular Beam Epitaxy. Allison’s research hopes to push the limits of innovation for fields such as non-invasive glucose monitoring, thermal sensing, gas monitoring, autonomous automobiles, and space-based telescopes.

Max Mercer

Krepper Family Trust Scholar

PhD Candidate in Applied Mathematics
BS and MS in Applied Mathematics from Arizona State University
Max's research involves creating and analyzing mathematical models governed by probabilistic local interactions. He proves qualitative results about the long-term behavior of these models. He has studied the impact of decoupling individuals who are infected with a disease into asymptomatic and symptomatic groups through the lens of a multi-type contact process. Additionally, he proved new results about a process by Durrett and Levin modeling Allelopathy in space. Max has also developed two new models: an extension of the Deffuant model of opinion dynamics accommodating polarizing interactions, and the Kindness model, reflecting his belief in every human's capacity for kindness.

Briana Ondatje

Helen Jacobsen Pierson Scholar

PhD Candidate in Neuroscience
BS in Cell and Developmental Biology from UC Santa Barbara
Briana began her career working at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, developing organchip models of neuro-degeneration. In her current research, she investigates the role of neuroinflammation in disease onset and progression in Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Her research aims to answer how the immune cells of the brain communicate with one another and how this becomes dysfunctional in ALS/FTD and contributes to disease pathology. Briana uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patient blood to model these disease cell types. Understanding crosstalk between the cells of the brain can reveal novel targets for therapeutics for ALS/FTD.

Taylor Pennington

The Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation Scholar

PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
BS and MS in Biomedical Engineering from Arizona State University
Taylor studies how cortical cells utilize nutrients to maintain energy balance and perform essential biological functions. She is interested in studying how metabolic activities are regulated throughout aging and in understanding their role in neurodegeneration. Her work leverages 3D cell culture models that recapitulate complex features of the human brain to study temporal changes throughout aging. Using these models, her research aims to characterize early molecular changes that drive metabolic reprogramming in degenerating cells. The overall goal is to understand how metabolism influences cortical health and degeneration to improve treatment strategies for early intervention.

R.J. Risueño

Sonntag Family Scholar

PhD Candidate in Speech and Hearing Science
BS in Communicative Disorders from Utah State University and MS in Communication Disorders from Arizona State University
R.J. is a recipient of the Distinguished Early Career Professional Certificate from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. He is an affluent Spanish speaker and a licensed and certified bilingual speech-language pathologist (SLP). His research interests center on improving early identification and intervention for Spanish-English bilingual children with language and literacy disorders. He is a member of the Child Language and Literacy Translational Team at ASU, where he collaborates with a team of pediatricians, researchers, and clinicians to develop a parent screening tool for dyslexia to be used at six-year-old pediatric wellness visits.

Nora Shapiro

Lauber Endowment Scholar

PhD Candidate in Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering
BS in Aerospace Engineering, Earth and Environmental Sciences from the University of Michigan
Her research focuses on the prevention of biofilm formation in water tanks, which causes about 4 trilllion dollars per year of economic loss in the United States and nearly 80% of all microbial infections. She is using biocidal UV-C light delivered by UV-CLEDs paired with Side Emitting Optical Fibers. The small, flexible nature of optical fibers makes them candidates for use in water treatment systems and medical fields and indicates applications in photocatalytic, photolysis, and optical science fields.

Amberlyn Simmons

Burton Family Foundation Scholar

PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
BS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Florida
Amberlyn began her PhD in biomedical engineering at Arizona State University in fall 2021. Her current research project seeks to better understand differences in the immune response after traumatic brain injury between males and females. This work will have a positive impact by aiding in the development of treatments of traumatic brain injury, fundamentally advancing the field of nanomedicine and drug delivery to the injured central nervous system.

Maya Suzuki

Theresa F. Jennings Memorial Scholar

PhD candidate in Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering
BS in Environmental Science from Duke University
Maya is a first-year environmental engineering PhD student interested in recovering valuable metals from waters near abandoned mines in Arizona. She is looking into the use of membrane biofilm reactor technology to capture critical metals such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, cadmium and zinc. Her work involves screening surface water samples that meet “ideal” conditions, then setting up lab-scale membrane biofilm reactors to test the removal of these metals. During her undergraduate years, Maya researched using encapsulated bacteria to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Savannah Tallino

Papadopoulos Scholar

PhD Candidate in Neuroscience
BS in Natural Sciences and MS in Biological Sciences from the University of Alaska Anchorage
Savannah’s research focuses on cellular mechanisms that contribute to neurodegeneration. In particular, she is interested in understanding how basal forebrain cholinergic neurons – which are crucial for learning and memory, attention, and other cognitive functions – degenerate early in Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. Her dissertation work specifically focuses on understanding the role of the protein Intersectin 1 within the endosomal system of neurons and what happens when it is elevated in Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease, with the hope of identifying targets for future therapeutics.

Kelvin Tan

Wilhoit Foundation Scholar

PhD Candidate in Electrical Engineering
BS in Electrical Engineering from ASU
Kelvin's research aims to create a new photovoltaic control system that can extract the maximum available power out of photovoltaic arrays without any power converters, their associated cost, and power loss. These systems have applications in solar-powered hydrogen production, direct solar charging of electric vehicles, and stand-alone solar photovoltaic systems, with improved scalability, reliability, and efficiency over conventional solar photovoltaic systems. The completion of this research offers a unique cost-effective solution that could prepare solar energy for wide-scale adoption.

Kelvin Tran

LaFollette Endowment and Libby Endowment Scholar

PhD Candidate in Speech and Hearing Science
BS in Health Sciences and MS in Science of Health Care Delivery from Arizona State University
Kelvin's study explores how well speech disorders, specifically dysarthria caused by Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders, can be assessed via teleconferencing platforms like Zoom. Dysarthria affects the muscles in speech production, making speech difficult. Despite changes in sound quality due to internet conditions, clinicians accurately assessed speech characteristics. This suggests that teleassessments are effective for diagnosing/treating speech disorders, offering a useful alternative when in-person visits aren't possible.

Chris Vito

Marley Foundation Scholar in Memory of Bud Webb

PhD Candidate in Environmental Life Sciences
BS in Geoscience from Drexel University
Chris is working to understand how climate change will affect the below-ground components of dryland ecosystems. To investigate how plant roots grow and respond to changes in rainfall, he applies machine learning and remote sensing technologies to long-term ecological experiments. This research will provide critical information about changes in the functioning of dryland ecosystems, which cover over 40% of the Earth’s land surface and house nearly a fifth of the world’s human population.

Northern Arizona University

Jasmine Anenberg

Haga Family Memorial Scholar

PhD Candidate in Forest Science
BA in Geography and Natural Resource Management from San Francisco State University
Jasmine's research explores the use of biocrust as an innovative tool for ecological restoration from the soil up. She is working to understand the functional ecology of biocrust as well as to develop ways to cultivate and apply it in restoration settings.

Beatrice Bock

Windrow Endowment and Templin Endowment Scholar

PhD Candidate in Biological Sciences
BS in Earth and Environmental Sciences at Vanderbilt
Beatrice's research focuses on below-ground fungi that could be critical to plants growing in stressful conditions as in the Arizona deserts and forests.These fungi create below-ground networks that facilitate the transfer of energy, nutrients and chemical signals between plants (nicknamed the wood wide web).

Colin Hubbard

Van Denburgh Scholar

PhD Candidate in Biological Sciences
BS in Exercise Sciences at NAU
Colin's research investigates how respiratory muscles are impacted by tasks designed to fatigue the inspiratory muscles. This is believed to be the key to discovering why respiratory muscle fatigue rarely influences function during subsequent exercise.

Kelly Jaenecke

Van Denburgh Scholar

PhD Candidate in Biology
BS from the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Kelly's research focuses on the conservation of native ecosystems by investigating the impacts of invasive species and habitat loss on vulnerable populations. She currently studies the diets of native forest birds on Hawaiʻi Island to better understand food availability and competition in areas impacted by Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, a fungal pathogen that has wiped out large tracts of native ʻōhiʻa trees.

Emma Lathrop

Horejsi Charitable Foundation Scholar

PhD Candidate in Biological Sciences
BS in Environmental Biology from Montana State University
Emma, who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory after graduating, is researching permafrost thaw. The carbon stored in these soils is twice what is currently stored in the atmosphere, and as it warms it has the potential to disrupt the global carbon cycle.

Nicholas T. Link

ARCS Scholar

PhD Candidate in Biological Sciences, Center for Ecosystem Science and Society
BS in Biology from North Carolina State University
Nick is a second-year PhD student studying ecosystem and disturbance ecology across Alaska and the Yukon. Nick’s work on fuel breaks seeks to provide land managers with information on the long-term impacts of fuel break installation, which can inform how they are designed and how often they are retreated. The project’s aim is to help land managers develop strategies that can promote the growth of less-flammable deciduous trees after fuel breaks are installed. These trees may act as a living fuel break on the landscape, requiring no retreatment and offering an entire suite of other ecosystem services.

Joseph Phillips

ARCS Scholar

PhD Candidate in Geophysics
BS in Earth Science with an emphasis in Geology from New Mexico Institute for Mining and Technology
In Joseph's current geophysics research, he applies seismic imaging techniques to infer the structure of Earth’s crust and upper mantle in the central Pacific basin. Joseph is also an intern at Sandia National Laboratory, applying his skills to research the geologic properties that help constrain the difference between explosions and earthquakes for national nuclear security.

Gillian Trimber

ARCS Scholar

PhD Candidate in Biological Sciences
BS in Plant Science and in Viticulture and Ecology from Cornell University
Gillian’s research focuses on the ways in which wildfire and invasive species affect pinyon pine seedlings and the beneficial mycorrhizal fungi that they rely upon. She is currently studying whether additions of beneficial fungi and other soil microbes from intact pinyon-juniper woodland ecosystems can help seedlings survive when replanted into wildfire burn scars, and how this can be used in conjunction with other planting techniques. This work has the potential to help land managers better understand how to restore dryland ecosystems after fire and other disturbances.

Lionel Whitehair

Sandra and Ralph Matteucci Scholar

PhD Candidate in Forestry
BS in Forestry from Northern Arizona University
Lionel's current research focuses on restoring pinyon woodlands on the Navajo Nation, an area often overlooked in natural resource studies. His research assesses the effectiveness of thinning treatments in reducing extreme fire behavior, with the goal of restoring ecosystems, respecting Indigenous culture, and promoting sustainable resource management. Conducted in collaboration with Diné College, Lionel's work provides essential insights into woodland ecosystem dynamics and enhances community resilience within the Navajo Nation.

The University of Arizona

Michael Cardenas

Nancy and Robert Spetzler Scholar

PhD Candidate in Neuroscience
BS in Physiology, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science from The University of Arizona
Michael's research focuses on understanding how transient external signals such as social context and internal signals such as how fast one’s heart is beating are integrated to alter behavior in otherwise similar situations. Rhesus monkeys are used to understand how the brain represents these signals and what aspects of the decision-making process are altered by these representations. Ultimately, it is thought that such signals contribute to the construction of the sense of self in the brain, an area of interest Michael hopes to continue studying well beyond his PhD.

Romi Castillo

Van Denburgh Scholar

PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
BS in Bioengineeering at the University of Washington
Romi first became interested in muscle biology and cardiac disease pathogenesis. Her current research investigates the molecular basis for cardiac relaxation and how disease-causing mutations impact that structure-function relationship. She has mastered complex techniques such as time-resolved Forster's resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) which she is using to investigate the structural basis for cardiac relaxation.

Alessandra Fistrovich

The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation Scholar

PhD Candidate in Organic Chemistry
BS In Chemistry and Pre-Medicine at Ball State University
Alessandra's research focuses on the design and synthesis of small molecule kinase inhibitors for the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a very aggressive stage IV cancer that can occur in the brain and spinal cord. She is investigating compounds that present a novel approach in targeting GBM and have displayed efficacy in multiple GBM cell lines with no observed toxicity to noncanerous cell lines.

Ciara Garcia

Kucera Scholar

PhD Candidate in Plant Sciences
BS in Microbiology from Arizona State University
Ciara Garcia studies how the crop microbiome contributes to plant resilience and performance under abiotic stress. She is interested in understanding how plant-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions within the microbiome affect the microbiome's potential as a symbiotic partner to crops, to ultimately inform sustainable solutions to intensive agricultural practices.

Catherine Hoover

Kunkel Scholar

PhD Candidate in Cellular and Molecular Medicine
BS in Chemistry from Mansfield University of PA
Katie’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of skeletal muscle atrophy, which involves muscle wasting and weakness. Skeletal muscle atrophy is caused by aging, disease, malnutrition, disuse, etc., and is detrimental to quality of life, but treatments are limited. She studies the involvement of the mechanosensitive myofilament protein titin in sensing and responding to atrophy-inducing stimuli. Her goal is to establish a mechanism of atrophy induction by defining the relationship between titin and the atrophy-driving protein MuRF1, which targets muscle proteins for degradation. She aims to identify this relationship as a therapeutic target for muscle atrophy.

Elizabeth Howard

Anne Spychala Family Charitable Foundation Scholar

PhD Candidate in Microbiology
BS in Microbiology from the University of Maryland
Elizabeth’s current research is emphasizes the need to understand how different dietary components and environmental factors impact host metabolic homeostasis through changes in the gut microbiota. Her project focuses on the impact of food components, mainly plant-based dietary fibers, on metabolic homeostasis, through alterations in the gut microbiota and its metabolites. Her current two projects focus on the impact of environmental chemicals, either (1) the herbicide glyphosate, or (2) chlorinated drinking water, on metabolic homeostasis.

Jaclyn John

ARCS Scholar

PhD Candidate in Optical Sciences
BS in Applied Physics from The University of Arizona
Jaclyn's research is in polarimetric remote sensing. She works with an Infrared Channeled Spectro Polarimeter (IRCSP), which has been deployed on several high altitude balloon flights in order to measure the LWIR polarimetric signal from ice clouds. Polarization has been shown to improve the retrieval of the microphysical properties of these clouds, which is a significant source of error in global climate models. In addition to preparing for these deployments and analyzing the flight data, she is also investigating the use of LWIR spectro-polarimetry in ice-water discrimination, which has potential applications in monitoring the Earth's cryosphere and detecting melt ponds.

Thomas Knapp

ARCS Scholar

PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
BS in Physiology and Medical Science from The University of Arizona
Following undergraduate school, Thomas spent a couple of years working in a variety of medical settings as a scribe and then as a research technician. With this experience, he determined his contribution towards medicine would be best suited as an engineer and returned to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. His research focuses on imaging and developing computational models of digestive cancers for improvement in non-invasive detection and classification of these diseases.

Megan Laham

Alison Hunter Johnston Memorial Endowment Scholar

PhD Candidate in Chemistry and Biochemistry
BS in Chemistry from Saint Anselm College
Megan’s research is focused on developing Nonlipogenic ABCA1 Inducers (NLAIs) as therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease. The pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease is multifaceted, with no clear path to pharmacotherapy. The clinical trial landscape has been dominated by anti-amyloid therapies for decades, the success of which has been problematic. Therefore, her group has taken a different approach looking at ways to target a major genetic risk factor of the disease, ApoE4 allele. When Megan first began this project, her focus was on medicinal chemistry and designing new compounds. More recently she has been conducting biochemical assay development to better understand the mechanism of action of her NLAIs.

Aaron Larsen

Ponce Scholar

PhD Candidate in Applied Mathematics
BS in Applied and Computational Mathematics from Brigham Young University; MS in Applied Mathematics from The University of Arizona
Aaron's research focuses on modeling the thermochemical non-equilibrium behavior of gas particles at hypersonic speeds by simulating the population of each vibrational state to describe the energy transfer. His research works to make molecular collision rate data from different energy surfaces self-consistent to allow for more complete simulations. This increased understanding of the hypersonic gas dynamics will help the modeling of re-entry vehicles into planetary atmospheres.

Patrick Lohr

Crawford Endowment Scholar

PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering
BS in Chemical Engineeering from the University of Arizona
Patrick's goal has been the exploration of novel materials for energy storage and conversion. His research investigates an exciting family of solution-processable semiconductors known as metal-halide pervoskites with a set of powerful computational tools, including Kohn-Sham density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics. His work characterizes atom-scale interactions between organic molecules and metal-halide pervoskite semiconductors. He aims to reveal key insights into nucleation, defect passivation and quasi-2D heterostructure formation in pervoskite films.

Dilara Long

Kathryn Johnston West Scholar

MD-PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
BA in Physics and Philosophy from Virginia Tech
Dilara an aspiring physician-scientist in interventional radiology. Following undergraduate school, she pursued two years of research as a post-baccalaureate fellow at the NIH. Under the mentorship of Dr. Jennifer Barton, her current work focuses on developing miniature optical endoscopes which enable high-resolution visualization of tissue microstructures, particularly in the fallopian tubes. Her research aims to advance diagnosis and understanding of diseases affecting women, including ovarian cancer, endometriosis, and infertility.

Cameron Malloy

Culley Carlson Foundation Scholar In Honor of Founding Member Elizabeth Culley and Peter Culley

PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering
BS in Chemical Engineering from The University of Arizona
As a member of Professor Suchol Savagatrup’s research group, Cameron conducts novel sensor development research for environmental contaminants (e.g., PFAS or the “forever chemicals”). His work aims to improve the mechanical properties of molecularly imprinted polymers for the development of selective, robust, and field-deployable sensors.

Vito Marino

Plenge Endowment Scholar

PhD Candidate in Physiological Sciences GIDP
BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology and in Physiology and Medical Sciences from The University of Arizona
Vito’s research focuses on how the gut microbiome may contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in menopause. Menopause is highly associated with an increased risk of developing CVD due to loss of estrogen. Estrogen loss in menopause has been associated with shifts in the gut microbiome which could have a high impact on host health, including increasing risk for chronic illnesses such as CVD. He focuses on using cultures of intestinal stem cells from mice to develop a selective screening tool for probiotics that could provide beneficial health outcomes within menopausal women.

Jennifer Mydosh

ARCS Scholar

PhD Candidate in Microbiology
BS in Biomedical Sciences and in Medical Laboratory Science from the University of New Hampshire
Campylobacter is the leading cause of bacterial enteritis in the world, causing an estimated 48 million cases yearly. Despite the global importance of this pathogen, there are huge knowledge gaps relating to C. jejuni pathogenesis and virulence. Jennifer's research aims to address the clinical manifestations observed with various C. jejuni strains. Ultimately, this research will contribute to improving the epidemiology and potentially the development of therapeutics for this important foodborne pathogen.

Kelsy Nilles

Margaret “Peg” Moseley Scholar

PhD Candidate in Neuroscience
BS in Neuroscience and in Psychological Science from Carthage College
Kelsy is studying the effects of inflammation on the brain after ischemic stroke. She is interested in extricating the dichotomous outcomes of microglia, the immune cells of the brain. Microglia can activate and become pro-inflammatory, promoting cell death, or anti-inflammatory, stimulating cell repair. Microglia become activated during stressful events in the brain, i.e., during oxygen and nutrient deprivation from ischemic stroke. Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, yet there are very few treatments. By harnessing and amplifying the repair function of microglia, Kelsy hopes to discover novel methods of improving outcomes after stroke.

Luke Presson

ARCS Scholar

PhD Candidate in Environmental Engineering
BS in Chemistry from Centre College
Luke’s research involves developing and improving water treatment technologies used for potable water reuse. His current project uses a membrane bioreactor connected to a membrane distillation system to turn municipal wastewater into drinking water. Wastewater is fed into the membrane bioreactor, which removes nutrients and organic material. The water is transported to the membrane distillation system, which further removes salt and other persistent contaminants until the final product is fit for human consumption.

Anna Roche

Mary Ann White Memorial Scholar

PhD Candidate in Physics
BS in Physics from the University of Washington
Anna is studying experimental condensed matter physics under Professor Brian LeRoy. Currently her research is focused on nanoscale optical imaging of 2D transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) semiconductors for eventual use in industry and technological applications. Joining the UA scientific community, responsible for such strong, interdisciplinary research, has been an instrumental step towards her goal of remaining in academia and one day leading her own research group.

Brooke Sykes

Horejsi Charitable Foundation Scholar

PhD Candidate in Plant Science
BS in Biological Sciences from Arizona State University; MS in Biology from the University of Mississippi
Brooke's research examines the diversity of fungi in natural ecosystems, with a special focus on the fungi inside the healthy leaves of plants (endophytes). She searches for patterns in how endophytes are distributed with insights from climate, coevolution, and host rarity across the world’s biomes, with the goal of understanding how fungi assemble and contribute to the health and success of their plant hosts.

Holly Thomas

Theresa F. Jennings Memorial Scholar

PhD Candidate in Climate Science
BS in Geoscience from the University of Maine; MS in Climate Science from The University of Arizona
Holly's current doctoral research focuses on the role of the stratosphere in the climate system, with the overarching aim of identifying specific design choices within climate models that lead to discrepancies in projections of regional climate patterns.