Category: Awards

NIH backs Olanrewaju lab’s build faster, low-cost HIV medication tests

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Headshot of Ayọ̀kúnlé Ọlánrewájú

Ayọ̀kúnlé Ọlánrewájú — MolES faculty member and assistant professor of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering — has received a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). With this funding provided by NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Ọlánrewájú and his multidisciplinary team will focus on designing faster and more affordable HIV medication tests to improve drug adherence. Learn more about his lab’s research in Department of Bioengineering’s full announcement.

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Dr. Cole DeForest receives renewed funding from NIH for studying biology in 4D

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Headshot of Cole DeForest

July 29, 2026 | UW Chemical Engineering

Cole DeForest — MolES director of education and Weyerhaeuser endowed professor of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering — received a funding extension of five years from the National Institutes of Health. The grant will support his lab in developing methods for studying human development and disease progression. Learn more about his lab’s work in the full announcement.

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Dr. Jorge Marchand receives NIH funding to grow the “biocatalytic toolkit” for therapeutics

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Headshot of Jorge Marchand with a flat background.

July 22, 2026 | UW Chemical Engineering

Jorge Marchand, MolES faculty member and assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, has received the prestigious Maximizing Investigator’s Research Award (MIRA) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Designed to provide highly talented and promising investigators with stable funding,  this five-year grant will support Dr. Marchand’s research on the biosynthesis, discovery and biocatalytic production of natural products. Read the full announcement.

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MolES honors students with awards for research and service

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Event room filled with attendees standing and sitting at round tables.

June 12, 2026


The University of Washington’s Institute for Molecular Engineering and Sciences (MolES) recognized outstanding students with its annual MolES Student Awards.  

 
Distinguished Dissertation Awards

Headshot of Gizem Gökçe-Alpkılıç


Gizem Gökçe-Alpkılıç, PhD, advised by Guarav Bhardwaj, was recognized for her exceptional contribution in advancing a research direction at the interface of medicinal chemistry, protein engineering, chemical biology, and artificial intelligence.  
 
“Her work helped establish experimental and computational workflows that are now being used by many other students and researchers in the field,” said Bhardwaj. “The broader impact of Gizem’s innovation is substantial: AI-enabled molecular design has enormous potential, but its progress depends on rigorous experimental validation and high-quality feedback data.”

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2026 MolES Catalyst Awards support collaborative microbial research initiatives  

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Six headshots of award recipients stacked in two rows with text that reads 2026 MolES Catalyst Awards

May 27, 2026

Six headshots of award recipients stacked in two rows with text that reads 2026 MolES Catalyst Awards
L to R: Monica Guo, Lauren Rajakovich, Sid Venkatesh, Anna Kuchina, Sean Gibbons and Joshua Elmore
Photos: Institute for Systems Biology, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and University of Washington

Three University of Washington faculty-led teams received the Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute’s (MolES’s) 2026 Catalyst Awards. These awards seed new research initiatives and support preliminary data generation. Each team will receive $5,000 in award funding to help launch their collaborative research.

In April, participants in the MolES-sponsored Microbial Engineering Scientific Exchange were invited to collaborate with fellow scientists on microbial engineering research projects and apply for catalyst award funding. Read More

AIMBE Recognizes Leader in Cytometry and Biomedical Engineering: Daniel T. Chiu, Ph.D.

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Daniel Chiu holding award alongside two individuals.

May 4, 2026

The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) recently elected Daniel T. Chiu — professor of Bioengineering, Joint A. Bruce Montgomery Professor of Chemistry, and MolES faculty member — to the AIMBE College of Fellows Class of 2026.

Dr. Chiu is recognized for his work in developing nanomaterials that have transformed single-molecule detection — an achievement that speaks to his exceptional leadership and scientific impact. Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to medical and biological engineers, comprised of the top two percent of engineers in these fields.  Read More

NIH-funded team led by Berndt lab aims to supercharge protein sensor engineering

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Headshot of Andre Berndt with text reading: Congratulations Berndt Lab National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative Grant

April 29, 2026


Congratulations to Berndt lab on receiving an $11 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) BRAIN Initiative. In an article produced by the Institute for Stem-Cell & Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM) and UW Medicine, learn how MolES faculty members Andre Berndt, associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering, and Doug Fowler, professor in the Department of Genome Sciences, are partnering in a multi‑institution collaboration to enhance protein sensor technology and give scientists improved tools to observe brain activity in real time with even greater precision. Read More

Shijie Cao’s PRIME Lab Receives NSF CAREER Award

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Shijie Cao headshot with NSF's official logo.

April 17, 2026

Shijie Cao, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutics, leads the PRIME Lab (Pharmaceutical Research in Immune & Microbiome Engineering Laboratory) at MolES. The lab’s research on the gut microbiome and the compounds it produces was recently recognized with a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award. In this profile produced by UW School of Pharmacy, discover how PRIME lab’s research could support treatments for chronic inflammatory disease.

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Three MolES Faculty Researchers named AAAS Fellows

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Headshots of David Baker, Maitreya Dunham, and David J. Masiello.

March 31, 2026 | Full UW News Release

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named MolES faculty members David Baker, Maitreya Dunham and David J. Masiello AAAS Fellows. 

They are among 449 newly elected fellows from around the world, who are recognized for their “scientifically and socially distinguished achievements” in science and engineering. New Fellows will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin — representing science and engineering, respectively — to commemorate their election. Read More