Congratulations to Russ Hanson and Brenden Griffith, Goldhamer Lab. Both were invited to give talks on their work at the International FOP (Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva) Association Drug Development

Forum held in Toronto, Ontario, August 27 - 30, 2026.

MCB held a successful Departmental Research Exchange on Thursday, 8/27. This event was created to welcome new graduate students, highlight faculty research, celebrate named scholarship donors, and congratulate our summer fellowship recipients. It was a great way to kick off the new academic year!

MCB's Heather Jamieson, Goldhamer Lab, won Best Poster Award at the International Conference: Muscle Stem Cells and Regeneration held 7/19-24. 2026 in Victoria, BC, Canada. Congratulations Heather!

The Molecular Modeling Collaborative Group (MMCG) at the University of Connecticut brings together faculty and researchers who use computational approaches to understand and predict molecular behavior across chemistry, biology, and materials science. The group has launched its website to share more details about MMCG's mission, available resources and more. Visit the MMCG website to learn more!

Nora Lippai recently presented her research at the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research exhibition. It was the latest step in work she has found compelling since the start of her academic career at UConn: tackling unanswered questions in biological research and exploring the molecular and cellular underpinnings of health and disease. Full article in UConn Today

The 2026 Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) Awards have been announced. Out of the 39 total awardees, MCB is pleased to share that twelve of the students are Molecular and Cell Biology Majors. MCB recipients are:

Caroline Burkhardt ’28 (Anthropology & Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS), Project Title: Chronic Illness Experiences on the Hopi Reservation, Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sarah Willen, Anthropology

Rakshan Chadha ’27 (Molecular and Cell Biology & Statistics, CLAS) Project Title: Optimizing Tumor Delivery of Barium Titanate Nanoparticles for Radiation Therapy in a Murine Pancreatic Cancer Model, Faculty Mentor: Dr. Henry Smilowitz, Cell Biology

Brady Cheneski ’28 (Physiology and Neurobiology & Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Exploring the Role of Hypothalamic Inputs to the Dentate Gyrus in Aversive Context Discrimination and Generalization, Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sebnem Tuncdemir, Neuroscience

Anna Coulter ’27 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Synthesis of Photoswitchable NF 110 Analogs: Investigating P2X3 Receptors in Oral Pain, Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Kienzler, Chemistry

Elizabeth Evans ’28 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Altered Proliferation Dynamics of MyoD- and Myf5-Deficient Satellite Cells During Skeletal Muscle Regeneration, Faculty Mentor: Dr. David Goldhamer, Molecular and Cell Biology

Katherine Foley ’27 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Characterization of Scx+ Cell Proliferation in Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva, Faculty Mentor: Dr. David Goldhamer, Molecular and Cell Biology

Shailaja Gillett ’27 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Parafibromin/β-Catenin Interaction as a Potential Mechanism for CDC73 Tumor Suppressive Functions, Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jessica Costa, Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development

Maya Kelly ’27 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: A Novel Role for RNA Modifications in Substance Use Disorder, Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gregory Sartor, Pharmaceutical Sciences

Wesley Ong ’27 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Investigating the Molecular Building Blocks of Hypocretin/Orexin Synapses Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alexander Jackson, Physiology and Neurobiology

Tuyet Nhung Phan ’28 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Development of Doxycycline-Inducible CRISPR-Interference Screening System to Identify Genes, Involved in Tet2-Deficient Clonal Hematopoiesis, Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hideyuki Oguro, Cell Biology

Jay Podziewski ’27 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS), Project Title: The Electroporation of Atlantic Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus) Amebocytes as a First Step Towards Sustainable LAL Production, Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kate Castellano, Institute for Systems Genomics

Gabrielle Grace Setiadi ’27 (Molecular and Cell Biology & IMJR: Bioinformatics, CLAS), Project Title: The Role of BRD4 in Alveolar Macrophage Activation, Faculty Mentor: Dr. L. Cody Smith, Pharmaceutical Sciences

Join us in congratulating the newly elected board members!

In an effort to help researchers pivot to industry partnerships to offset funding challenges,  UConn created the “Business Development for Individual Faculty Researchers” (BD-IFR) program. The BD-IFR is a three-way collaborative effort, organized by OVPR Research Development Services Senior Specialist Anna Gault Galjan, OVPR, UConn Tech Park Business Development Manager Michael DiDonato, and molecular and cell biology Professor Nathan Alder. The program is designed to help UConn faculty identify established companies whose products or services align with their own research and to ultimately help them form partnerships to conduct sponsored work.

See full article in UConn Today

Kat Milligan-McClellan, Assistant Professor in Molecular and Cell Biology was awarded the 2026 AAUP Faquir Jain Excellence Award.

The award represents excellence in

• Service with positive impact on Connecticut citizens, in line with the land-grant mission
• National/international service contributing to the common good
• Leadership enhancing UConn’s visibility and student recruitment outcomes
• Contributions to academic program excellence and productivity
• Collaborative leadership within the University to support institutional success

Congratulations Dr. Kat!

MCB majors Daniel D'Souza ('28) and Mackenzie Robillard ,27 are two out of three recently named Goldwater Scholars for the current year. The Goldwater Scholarship is considered the nation’s premier scholarship for undergraduates studying math, natural sciences, and engineering.

See article in UConn Today