Congratulations to our MCB PhD, MBT, and BA Class of 2025 graduates!
The MCB Department is proud of our newest graduates and all that they have accomplished! Please help us celebrate the 2025 MCB Commencement Honors awardees listed below.
2025 MCB PhD Commencement Honors
The following are the recipients of our annual PhD graduate awards for research, academic, and community achievement.
| Cris Alvaro Memorial Prize The Cris Alvaro Memorial Prize honors MCB graduate student Cris Alvaro, who identified as a trans and non-binary person, using the preferred pronouns they/them/their. This award was established after Cris's untimely death in 2018 at age 29 and is presented annually to MCB Ph.D. students who embody excellence in research and commitment to diversity, inclusion, tolerance, acceptance, and sense of community that Cris Alvaro epitomized. |
Anthony Rodriguez-Vargas (Collins Lab) |
| Nicholas Cozzarelli Prize The Nicholas Cozzarelli Prize was established in honor of Professor Nick Cozzarelli after his passing in 2006. It is presented annually to a graduating MCB student for excellent Ph.D. research. |
Trevor Docter (Brohawn Lab) |
| Alan Bearden Book Award The Book Award in honor of emeritus professor Alan Bearden was established after his death in 1999 and is presented to graduates who have performed outstanding research in the area of Biophysics. |
Alfredo Jose Florez Ariza (Biophysics PhD; Nogales & Bustamante Labs), Christopher Kymn (Neuroscience PhD; Olshausen Lab) and Annan Cook (Biophysics PhD; Hurley Lab) |
| Award for Exemplary Leadership in Promoting DEIB at the Graduate Level The MCB awards for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging were established this year to honor the efforts that our graduate students are doing to help create a departmental environment where everyone belongs and thrives. Many of our graduate students work together along with staff and faculty to integrate DEIB into all aspects of our department, from the classroom to the research labs, and at the undergraduate and graduate levels. |
Dominik Aylard (Robey Lab) |
| Award for Exemplary Leadership in Promoting DEIB at the Undergraduate Level The MCB awards for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging were established this year to honor the efforts that our graduate students are doing to help create a departmental environment where everyone belongs and thrives. Many of our graduate students work together along with staff and faculty to integrate DEIB into all aspects of our department, from the classroom to the research labs, and at the undergraduate and graduate levels. |
Joyner Cruz (Hariharan Lab) |
2025 MCB MBT Commencement Honors
The following are the recipients of our Master of Biotechnology (MBT) awards which are generously sponsored by the Kang Family Fund and the Berkeley Frontier Fund.
| Master of Biotechnology Best Poster Award In recognition of an outstanding capstone poster and presentation. |
Tianxiu Lin |
| Master of Biotechnology Leadership Award In recognition of exemplary leadership and contributions to community building. |
Caitlin Putvin |
| Berkeley Frontier Award for Outstanding Academics and Research In recognition of academic excellence, research achievements, and an outstanding capstone project. |
Kuancheng Cai |
2025 MCB BA Commencement Honors
The following are the recipients of our annual undergraduate awards for research and academic achievement.
For more details about each award, click here.
| Departmental Citation Awarded for the highest achievement each year by a graduating senior in MCB. |
Seul Ah Lee |
| Outstanding Scholars Awarded for the second-highest achievement of a graduating senior in MCB. |
Noor Panaiach Mashiana, Connie Shen, Michael Tanios, Selina (Yuning) Wu, Alana Yang |
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| Grace Fimognari Memorial Prize Awarded to the graduating senior in the BBS emphasis, based on the same criteria as the Departmental Citation. |
Nicole Sophia MacRae, Devanshi Thanki |
| Jesse Rabinowitz Memorial Prize Awarded to an outstanding graduating senior and junior in the BBS emphasis, based on academic achievement in MCB courses and faculty recommendation. |
Connie Shen (senior), Han Xiou (junior) |
| Richard Calendar Memorial Prize This award is given annually to the outstanding junior MCB major in BBS. A stipend is given to support the student's research during the summer between junior and senior years. |
Vishnu Rajan Tejus |
| Jeremy Thorner Research Prize This award is given annually to the outstanding junior MCB major in BBS. A stipend is given to support the student's research during the summer between junior and senior years. |
Cathy Kinderski |
 DIVISION OF CELL BIOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT & PHYSIOLOGY (CDP) |
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| Forte Memorial Prize In recognition of outstanding academic achievement in molecular physiology. |
Siqian Li |
| Evans Memorial Award This award goes to the graduating senior in recognition of outstanding academic achievement and excellence in Molecular Physiology or Anatomy. |
Katelyn Anne Fitzgerald |
| Paola S. Timiras Memorial Prize Awarded to the top graduating senior in the CDP emphasis for high academic achievement and excellence of research in an honors project. |
Wonjae Lee |
| I.L. Chaikoff Memorial Awards Awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement and excellence in the CDP and Neurobiology emphases. |
Dawson Chung, Katelyn Anne Fitzgerald, Ho Yin Lai, Siqian Li, Lamis Yassin |
 DIVISION OF GENETICS, GENOMICS, EVOLUTION, AND DEVELOPMENT (GGED) |
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| Edward M. Blount Award Awarded to the student with the highest academic achievement in GGED. |
Megan Ellis, Anek Karam Singh Sahota |
| Spencer W. Brown Award Awarded to a graduating senior who has most distinguished themselves in genetics research. |
Owen Donayre, Beike Li, Trisha Mynampati, Neeraja Sripada |
 DIVISION OF IMMUNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE (IMM) |
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| The Nilabh Shastri Memorial Award for Outstanding Immunologist Awarded for the highest academic achievement in the IMM emphasis. |
Natalie Liang |
| Immunology Achievement Award Awarded to the graduating senior in the IIMM emphasis for the high academic achievement in all MCB required courses. |
Seongwon Chung, Jessica Patrick |
| Immunology Excellence in Research Awarded to the graduating senior in the IMM emphasis for exceptional research performance in an honors research project. |
Saeyoung Elin Lee, Urmila Vudali |
 DIVISION OF MOLECULAR THERAPEUTICS (MTx) |
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| Molecular Therapeutics Excellence in Research Award This award is presented to the student who has distinguished themselves in research in MTx. |
Selina (Yuning) Wu |
 DIVISION OF NEUROBIOLOGY |
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| Jeffery A. Winer Memorial Prize Awarded to the top graduating senior in the Neurobiology emphasis for high academic achievement and excellence of research in an honors project. |
Grace Judge |
| I.L. Chaikoff Memorial Award Awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement and excellence in the CDP and Neurobiology emphases. |
Celine Cen, Nishant Chadha, Anna Jiang, Naz Ovaici, Soliana Yohannes |
Photo credits: Banner image courtesy Noah Berger. Homepage thumbnail courtesy Keegan Houser. UC Berkeley.