IB professor Cindy Looy, grad student Jaemin Lee, former doctoral student Dori Contreras, and former undergrad student James Saulsbury reported that Dori's Tuff flora contained large fruits from flowering trees, suggesting that animals were eating larger seeds produced by angiosperms 75 million years ago. Read the full story in Berkeley News.

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.

Postdoctoral fellow Narimane Chatar is researching carnivore molars in the lab of IB professor Jack Tseng. Chatar discovers the cranial and mandibular remains of Adelphailurus kansensis and compares them to Smilodon, the most recognizable saber-toothed cat. Read the full story in Berkeley News.

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. From…

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…

Professor of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, Greg Barton, has received the 2026 Lupus Insight Prize (LIP) from the Lupus Research Alliance. Barton, along with Associate Professor at Cincinnati Children’s Olivia Majer, were recognized for their discoveries defining how UNC93B1 regulates TLR7 signaling in lupus. Their LIP Lectureship will take place at the ACR Convergence on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 from 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM ET. Learn more about the Lupus Research Alliance here. 

IB Professor Peter Sudmant, a genome scientist and expert in computational biology, and Ph.D. candidate Michael Singer are researching the "extreme" immune systems of bats through long-read sequencing which provides data for predicting and preventing future bat-borne viral transmission to human populations. The grant will support faculty and their graduate student collaborators to maintain progress on high-risk, high-impact work. Read the full story in Berkeley Inspire.

Laura Alexander, IB PhD 2025, made the cover of Nature Health as a co-first author on her major study entitled "Ecological and demographic drivers of Oropouche virus transmission". Read the full article here. 

Assistant Professor of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology, Ahmad Nabhan, has been named a 2026 Pew-Stewart Scholar for Cancer Research. The Pew-Stewart Scholars Program for Cancer Research is a national initiative that recognizes outstanding early-career scientists whose work has the potential to accelerate discoveries and advance progress toward cancer cures. Nabhan is one of five researchers selected for the 2026 class, with each scholar receiving a four-year grant to support innovative research aimed at improving cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

The Division of Biological Sciences recently announced the recruitment of five new faculty members who “represent the best and brightest from across the country.” Among the new hires are Tycho Mevissen and Michael Ward, who are joining the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Read more in the Letters & Science news article here. 

Assistant Professor of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development, Megan Martik, and Assistant Professor of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, Molly Ohainle, were named 2026-27 Hellman Fellows. This award, from the Society of Hellman Fellows Fund, was designed to support early career faculty who have shown evidence of their promise for distinction in research. Read more about the Society of Hellman Fellows here.

Congratulations to PhD students Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna and Maria Astolfi, both named to the 2026-27 cohort of CEND Fellows.

Congratulations to Michel DuPage on his promotion to MCB Associate Professor of Immunology and Molecular Medicine!

The DuPage Lab focuses on epigenetic control of the functional plasticity of T cells in disease. Read more about the DuPage Lab and their research here. 

Congratulations to our MCB PhD, MBT, and BA Class of 2026 graduates!

The MCB Department is proud of our newest graduates and all that they have accomplished! Please help us celebrate the 2026 MCB Commencement Honors awardees listed below.

 

2026 MCB PhD Commencement Honors
The following are the recipients of our annual PhD graduate awards for research, academic, and community achievement.

Congratulations to undergraduate bioengineers Arul Banerjea and Devon Krish, both new recipients of the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Banerjea is a double major in Bioengineering and Molecular & Cellular Biology, works in the Tjian-Darzacq lab on single-molecule imaging and live-cell assays for Rett syndrome, and devotes time to raising funds for children affected by…

Our researchers have received a new grant from the Biohub non-profit research organization, looking to advance the field of Spatiotemporal omics - the ability to sample biomolecules at different locations and times to watch disease processes unfold. Amy Herr and her UCSF partners Jennifer Rosenbluth and Amrita Basu will be studying integrated organoid systems for immunotherapy toxicity.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology, Jeremy Thorner, will serve on the Editorial Board of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal. Thorner's three-year term with PNAS, one of the nation's most prestigious scientific journals, will commence on July 1, 2026 and end on June 30, 2029. Learn more about the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) here.  

 

A new study co-led by IB Professor Rauri Bowie utilizes advanced genomics to split the gentoo penguin into four separate species—marking the first new penguin species identified in over 100 years. Read the full article in Berkeley News.