Fred Hutch announces 12 recipients of the annual Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award

Award recognizes innovative research by graduate students in biological sciences

2026-02-27

(Press-News.org) SEATTLE — Feb. 26, 2026 — Fred Hutch Cancer Center announced 12 recipients of the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award, which honors the exceptional achievements of graduate students in the biological sciences.

Representing research institutions across the United States, this year’s award recipients explored a range of scientific topics including tumor metabolism, sensory reception and DNA replication.

“These awardees stood out for their scientific originality, rigor and dedication to asking important scientific questions. They reflect the strength and promise of the next generation of scientific leaders,” said Jihong Bai, PhD, a professor in Fred Hutch’s Basic Sciences Division and director of the Weintraub awards committee. He added, “Their achievements remind us of the enduring and inspiring power of science.”

Award recipients will be honored at the Weintraub Symposium on Friday, May 1 at Fred Hutch.

The namesake award honors Dr. Harold “Hal” Weintraub, a molecular biologist who helped establish Fred Hutch’s Basic Sciences Division and died of brain cancer in 1995. Now in its 27th year, the award has supported 361 graduate students across the world.

Led by Bai, the selection committee, comprised of faculty, postdoctoral and graduate students at Fred Hutch, selects award recipients from an international pool of applicants. Winning applicants are awarded for the impact and originality of their research.

“Our applicants represent impactful work that has not yet been addressed scientifically. They are identifying new insights and creating important milestones within each of their fields,” Bai said.

The award is supported by the Weintraub/Groudine Fellowship for Science and Human Disease, which aims to foster intellectual exchange through programs for graduate students.

2026 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award recipients:

Keene Abbott
PhD; Biology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Gabriella Chua
PhD; Tri-Institutional PhD Program in Chemical Biology
Rockefeller University

Lifei Jiang
PhD; Molecular Biology
Princeton University

Won Jun Kim
PhD; Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences,
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program

Ruchita Kothari
PhD; Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology (BCMB) Graduate Program
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Ayush Midha
PhD; UCSF Tetrad Graduate Program
University of California, San Francisco

Rohith Rajasekaran
PhD; Integrated Program in Biochemistry
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Yusha Sun
PhD; Neuroscience Graduate Group / Medical Scientist Training Program
University of Pennsylvania

Andrea Terceros
PhD; David Rockefeller Graduate Program
Rockefeller University

Wendy Valencia Montoya
PhD; Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Harvard University

Zachary Walsh
PhD; Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Studies
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Peter Yoon
PhD; Molecular and Cell Biology
University of California, Berkeley

###

Media contact:
Shayla Ring
sring@fredhutch.org

Fred Hutch Cancer Center unites individualized care and advanced research to provide the latest cancer treatment options while accelerating discoveries that prevent, treat and cure cancer and infectious diseases worldwide.

Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is an independent, nonprofit organization and the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington. We have earned a global reputation for our track record of discoveries in cancer, infectious disease and basic research, including important advances in bone marrow transplantation, immunotherapy, HIV/AIDS prevention and COVID-19 vaccines. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services. Fred Hutch also serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program.

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Native forest litter helps rebuild soil life in post-mining landscapes

2026-02-27

Restoring ecosystems after mining is one of the toughest environmental challenges, particularly when soils are rebuilt from crushed rock with little organic matter or microbial life. A new study shows that something as simple as adding native forest litter could jump-start soil recovery and help restore the biological engine that drives nutrient cycling. Researchers investigating rehabilitated land near a former uranium mine in northern Australia found that introducing leaf litter from nearby native Eucalyptus woodlands rapidly reshaped soil microbial communities and improved their functional potential. The findings ...

Mountain soils in arid regions may emit more greenhouse gas as climate shifts, new study finds

2026-02-27

A new field study from northwestern China reveals that climate-driven changes in temperature and moisture could significantly reshape nitrous oxide emissions from soils in arid mountain ecosystems, with important implications for future climate feedbacks. Nitrous oxide is a powerful greenhouse gas that traps nearly 300 times more heat than carbon dioxide over a century. Although drylands cover roughly 40 percent of the Earth’s land surface, their contribution to global nitrous oxide emissions has been poorly understood. The new research helps fill this gap by examining how soil emissions vary across elevation and land-use types in the Xinjiang region of China. Researchers ...

Pairing biochar with other soil amendments could unlock stronger gains in soil health

2026-02-27

A growing body of research suggests that combining biochar with other soil amendments such as compost, manure, or fertilizers may improve soil health more effectively than using biochar alone. A new review synthesizing field studies from around the world shows that this co-application approach can enhance soil structure, nutrient availability, and microbial activity, offering a promising strategy for sustainable land management. Biochar is a carbon-rich material produced by heating biomass in low-oxygen conditions. It has gained attention ...

Why do we get a skip in our step when we’re happy? Thank dopamine

2026-02-27

New research by engineers at the University of Colorado Boulder aims to get to the bottom of why, as the saying goes, you get a “skip in your step” when you’re happy. The study highlights the central role that dopamine, a brain chemical associated with reward, seems to play in making people move faster when they want something. The findings could one day help scientists understand and even diagnose a range of human medical conditions, including Parkinson’s disease and depression. “Anecdotally, we just feel that this is true,” said senior author Alaa Ahmed, professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder. ...

UC Irvine scientists uncover cellular mechanism behind muscle repair

2026-02-27

Irvine, Calif., Feb. 27, 2026 — Scientists at the University of California, Irvine’s School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences have discovered how muscle stem cells “flip a switch” to rebuild damaged muscle – a finding that could help address muscle loss linked to aging, injury and widely used weight-loss medications. The study, published this week in Nature Metabolism, shows that muscle recovery is not just about protein or exercise. It depends on timing and how muscle cells use fuel. Researchers learned that immediately after ...

Platform to map living brain noninvasively takes next big step

2026-02-27

HOUSTON – (Feb. 27, 2026) – Gene therapy has been successfully used to treat a number of diseases, including immune deficiencies, hereditary blindness, hemophilia and, recently, Huntington’s disease, a fatal neurological disorder. An advance reported in the journal Neuron adds to the technique’s growing track record of evidence supporting the view that it could unlock powerful, personalized therapies: Rice University bioengineer Jerzy Szablowski and collaborators in Vincent Costa’s lab at Emory University found that released markers of activity (RMAs) ⎯ engineered proteins designed to cross the blood-brain barrier and persist in the blood for ...

Stress-testing the Cascadia Subduction Zone reveals variability that could impact how earthquakes spread

2026-02-27

The Cascadia Subduction Zone is unusually quiet for a megathrust fault. Spanning more than 600 miles from Canada to California, the fault marks the convergence of the Juan de Fuca and North American plates. While other subduction zones produce sporadic rumblings as the plates scrape past each other, Cascadia shows very little seismic activity, fueling assumptions that the plates are locked together by friction. The subduction zone — miles offshore and deep underwater — is difficult to observe. Most data collection ...

We may be underestimating the true carbon cost of northern wildfires

2026-02-27

Wildfires in the northern boreal forests of Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and Russia may be more damaging to the climate than previously thought, a new UC Berkeley-led study suggests. That’s because these fires don’t just burn through trees; they can also penetrate deep into the carbon-rich layers of soil underneath many boreal forests, releasing carbon that has been accumulating for hundreds or even thousands of years. These carbon-rich soils, also known as peat, are primarily found in the far north, where the cold, wet climate prevents vegetation from fully decomposing ...

Blood test predicts which bladder cancer patients may safely skip surgery

2026-02-27

Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers reported positive results from the trial, known as RETAIN-2, demonstrating that a response-adapted bladder-preservation approach involving neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy can be considered in select patients. The ctDNA blood test predicts metastatic risk, but not local recurrence, after bladder-sparing cancer treatment. Researchers said ctDNA could be used to help select patients likely to benefit from a bladder-sparing treatment approach. A combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy allowed some patients to preserve ...

Kennesaw State's Vijay Anand honored as National Academy of Inventors Senior Member

2026-02-27

The National Academy of Inventors has selected Kennesaw State University Associate Professor of Information Technology Vijay Anand as a 2026 NAI Senior Member, in recognition of his innovative work in the cybersecurity field. NAI Senior Members are distinguished faculty, scientists, and administrators who have demonstrated success in patents, licensing, and commercialization. They develop technologies that have made, or have the potential to make, meaningful impacts on society. “Kennesaw State is proud of Dr. Anand’s selection to the NAI class of 2026 Senior Members,” Executive Vice President for Research Karin Scarpinato said. “This recognition ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Novel high-entropy strategy boosts energy storage and enables ultrafast discharge in advanced ceramics

From trial-and-error to intelligent design: Machine Learning boosts a breakthrough in the performance of BaTiO3-based High-Entropy energy-storage ceramics