The Graduate College at Illinois

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Check out these highlights from our Doctoral Hooding Ceremony on Thursday!

Which memory is your favorite?

Spring 2026 Doctoral Hooding Recap Completing a doctorate represents years of rigorous study, creativity, persistence, and intellectual growth, and we are immensely proud of all who have reach...

🎉Bryce Cousins, Ph.D. candidate in Physics Illinois, has been awarded the 2026 Jump Fellowship, supported by Jump Trading LLC.

Jump Trading is a Chicago‑based trading firm, founded in 1999 by two Illinois alumni, with a focus on algorithmic and high‑frequency trading strategies.

The Jump Fellowship recognizes outstanding doctoral students in the mathematical, computing, and physical sciences whose research demonstrates exceptional originality, rigor, and potential for high impact. The fellowship provides a $50,000 stipend and covers all tuition and fees.

Read the full news article here: https://grad.illinois.edu/news/bryce-cousins-awarded-2026-jump-fellowship

Congratulations, Bryce!

🏆 Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 Image of Research competition! We are simply amazed by the diversity and beauty of graduate student research on our campus.

🎤 1ST PRIZE - Visions of Freedom by Michelle Patiño-Flores (Anthropology) - Department of Anthropology at Illinois

🐛 2ND PRIZE - Unseen World of Ultraviolet Insects by Alexa Rojas (Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences) - Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences at Illinois

🧬 3RD PRIZE - Synthetic Symbiosis: A Cruelty-Free Future by Kevin Huang (Electrical & Computer Engineering) - Illinois ECE

🐎 HONORABLE MENTION - The Beginning of Becoming by Jaden Thompson (Veterinary Medicine) - University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine

💃 PEOPLE'S CHOICE Move by Syed Faizaan Ahab (Art Education) - College of Fine & Applied Arts at Illinois

📸 Check out the online exhibit at https://go.grad.illinois.edu/image-of-research-exhibit

🎤 9 brilliant scholars, 3 minutes each, and a whole lot of inspiration.
We're proud to announce this year's Research Live! winners!

People's Choice Award: Nate Wahl

Special Recognition Award: Bayezid Baten

Special Recognition Award: Nick Pierle

Grand Prize Winner: Asif Ahmed

To each of our presenters, your ideas push the boundaries of what we know and what we imagine is possible. You make this university a richer, more dynamic place.

See the presentations at: https://go.illinois.edu/RLPlaylist2026

📅 It's almost time! The Research Live! Finalist Showcase is on April 7 at 5:00 PM in the Gregory Hall Auditorium.

Cheer on this year's grad student finalists, hear about some of the amazing work graduate students from across campus are doing, and vote for the winner of the People's Choice Award!

Every year, as we prepare for the annual Image of Research exhibition, we are amazed at the diversity and beauty of graduate student research on our campus. 🎉

Explore the online exhibition and vote for your three favorites. Your votes will determine the People's Choice winner ($100 award). Voting closes Friday, April 10.

View the online exhibit and cast your vote by April 10

https://go.grad.illinois.edu/image-of-research-exhibit

🎙️ Ready for some competition?

Research Live! is open for submissions.
Your research is important and interesting. Come tell us all about it! This annual competition invites grad students from all disciplines to celebrate their work and hone their live presentation skills by giving a compelling research talk to a general audience in just 3 minutes.

Submissions are due by March 1st!

We can't wait to hear about your work.

You can check out more details by visiting go.grad.illinois.edu/research-live

OPEN CALL 🗣️

Image of Research 2026 (Grad Edition)

Graduate and professional students enrolled at , share your exciting research, scholarship, or creative work by submitting an image and short narrative about how it impacts you or others.

Enter by February 2nd for a chance to win!
1st Place: $500
2nd Place: $300
3rd Place: $200
Honorable Mention: $100
People’s Choice: $100

See details - https://go.illinois.edu/grad-image-of-research

💕🎓 Grad Contacts are the heart and soul of their departments, the go-to for grad students with questions, and our campus is better because of them.

🎉 This year, we're proud to celebrate Becky Barker (Labor and Employment Relations), the 2025 recipient of the our Excellence Award for Graduate Contacts.

Lovingly referred to by all as the "mom of LER," her approach to operating the graduate program is always student-centered.

Check out the full announcement here: https://grad.illinois.edu/news/becky-barker-receives-excellence-award-graduate-contacts