Aris and Lowet receive Jane Coffin Childs Fellowships

head photos of Aris and Lowet

Congratulations to two postdoctoral scholars in BioE lab who have been named 2026 Jane Coffin Childs Fellows! The charitable fund supports brilliant postdoctoral fellows conducting fundamental research on cancer and human disease. Kevin Aris, PhD, works in Aaron Streets’ lab on tools to measure DNA supercoiling in living cells, to build a genome-wide map of DNA shape. Adam Lowet, PhD. works with Michael Yartsev to explore the computational and biological mechanisms underlying social decision-making in the Egyptian fruit bat.

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Student Profile: Esha Ananth

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Esha Ananth was selected for the 2026 Bioengineering Chair’s Award, which honors one graduating senior for their outstanding achievements in an area of personal passion, in addition to maintaining the highest academic performance. She graduated in May 2026 from the Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology (MET) Program, giving her dual degrees in Bioengineering and Business.

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Student Profile: Chimkasinma Mbakwe

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Congratulations to Chimkasinma Mbakwe, May 2026 graduate and recipient of the 2026 Bioengineering Service Award! This award recognizes one graduating senior for exceptional achievements and dedication to serving the community, in addition to maintaining high academic performance.  An international student from Nigeria, Chimkasinma loves people, loves giving back, and found that bioengineering is where all…

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Berman named finalist for University Medal

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Bioengineer Emma Berman is one of four finalists for the 2026 University Medal, Berkeley’s highest honor for a graduating senior who has achieved academic excellence while making a positive impact on others.

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Congratulations 15 NSF Fellows!

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We are very proud to announce that fifteen Berkeley Bioengineers are receiving NSF Graduate Research Fellowships this year – one of the most competitive and prestigious awards for early-career PhD students. Congratulations to graduating seniors Esha Ananth, Emilie Petit and Christopher Zavala; recent BS alumni Sina Ghandian ’21, Pamela Herrera ’25, Cassandra Reyes ’24, Hanen…

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Phd student James Pai named Soros Fellow

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PhD student James Pai, a member of Iain Clark’s lab, is one of only 30 outstanding graduate students in the US who received a 2026 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. The Soros Fellowship is a highly competitive award for immigrants and children of immigrants who are poised to make significant contributions to American society.

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Yartsev named Guggenheim Fellow

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Professor Michael Yartsev has been named to the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation’s 101st Class of Fellows for his trailblazing work in neuroscience and neuroengineering. One of the country’s most prestigious awards, fellowships are given to innovators in a wide range of disciplines with a monetary stipend allowing them to pursue independent work at the highest level under “the freest possible conditions.”

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Congratulations Grad Slam participants

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Congratulations to all of our 2026 Grad Slam finalists! Nadja Michelle Maldonada Luna took 3rd place at UCSF on April 7, and Kavita Parekh and Grace Hu competed at Berkeley on April 8, with Kavita winning the People’s Choice prize. Amazing work showcasing a passion for their research!

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Alumna Kolar named to 30 Under 30

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Congratulations to bioengineering MEng alumna Brontë Kolar, named to the 2026 Forbes 30 Under 30! Kolar co-founded Zeon Systems, a company using natural language AI with intelligent robots to automate repetitive and time-consuming lab work.

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