Washington University Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences

🌟 Alumni Spotlight: Indira U. Mysorekar 🌟

We’re excited to share that Indira U. Mysorekar, PhD, a Developmental Biology graduate, has been appointed Vice Dean for Research, Basic Science and Graduate Studies within the Office of Research, Graduate Studies and Innovation at Penn State College of Medicine. 🎓👏

Congratulations, Indira, on this well-deserved achievement! We’re proud to celebrate your continued leadership and impact in science and medicine. 💚🔬

📲 Read the full article here:
https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/college-medicine-appoints-indira-mysorekar-vice-dean-role

🌟 We’re so proud of our Amgen Scholars!

Out of a cohort of 16 in 2023, at least five Amgen Scholars at have returned to pursue their PhDs at WashU! This is such a powerful reflection of the connections our scholars build over the summer with peers, mentors, lab advisors, and the broader scientific community. 🔬

We’re thrilled to welcome so many of these talented scholars back as they continue their scientific journeys. 🎓✨

Read more here: https://amgenscholars.com/ten-weeks-in-st-louis-cementing-bonds-for-scientific-pursuits/

🎉 Huge congratulations to our Summer Undergraduate Research students! 🎉

After completing their 10-week program, students wrapped up the summer with a closing symposium, where they had the chance to present their research posters. We’re so impressed by all the hard work, curiosity, and dedication they brought to their projects. 🔬

✨ We can’t wait to see what they do next!

🌟 Alumni Spotlight: Bisiayo Fashemi, PhD 🌟

Bisiayo Fashemi always knew she wanted to be a scientist. From high school through her undergraduate years, the Boston native took every opportunity to get into the lab, with a focus on improving women’s health. 🔬✨

She took the next big step toward her career dream by joining DBBS to pursue a PhD and brought earned her doctorate in developmental, regenerative, and stem cell biology in 2021. 🎓💚❤️

We’re proud to celebrate Bisiayo’s journey and accomplishments as part of our alumni community.

https://withyou.washu.edu/profile/bisiayo-fashemi/?
contactid=003PH000007T6BmYAK&utm_source=MarketingCloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Campaign+Awareness+FY26+Email+3+(June+2026)+-+UA+Internal&utm_content=Bisiayo+CTA

🎉 Congratulations to Carmen Azevedo, PhD Candidate in Cancer Biology, for receiving a Fulbright Award for Research for 2026–2027! This exciting opportunity will allow her to study abroad at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing in Berlin, Germany. 🇩🇪✨

🗣️ Carmen shared, “I am really excited to dive into learning new analytical chemistry techniques. It's an area that is really relevant to many fields, so I'm looking forward to getting this experience. I'm also really excited to live in Berlin, learn about the city, and travel throughout Germany and experience as much of the culture as possible.”

We’re so proud of Carmen and can’t wait to see all that she accomplishes during this incredible experience! 🔗 Check out our Insta Story to learn more!

🎉 Congratulations to Martin Jarzyna, PhD candidate in Neurosciences, for serving as the first author of a recently published paper that was also featured in the WashU Record!

“This is the first project I've led from start to finish. It's been a huge challenge, but I grew so much in the process of designing experiments, collecting/analyzing data, writing and revising the paper, and getting it published. It's so gratifying now to see it all come to fruition.”

Martin also shared some helpful advice for other students working through the writing process:

“For other students struggling with writing, complex ideas take time to refine, and other perspectives help you get there. So write a lot, write clunky sentences that are true, and seek feedback from your advisor, labmates, and friends even if they are unfamiliar with your work.”

We’re proud to celebrate Martin’s hard work and research accomplishments. ❤️💚

🎉 Congratulations to Zitian Tang, PhD candidate in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, for serving as the first author on a paper recently published in Annals of Neurology! The work was also featured in the WashU Record, and a poster presenting this research received the Reviewer's Choice Award at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2025. ❤️💚🐻

Zitian’s research focuses on developing computational tools to detect complex genetic variations, changes in the genome that are difficult to identify with standard methods, and applying them to patients with undiagnosed neurological diseases.

Zitian shared, “The long-term vision is to package this pipeline into a user-friendly tool that clinicians and researchers can run without any coding background. We're still working toward that goal, but it's something we're actively pursuing and hope to achieve in the near future.”

We’re proud to celebrate Zitian’s outstanding research and the impact of this important work. ❤️💚🐻

🎉 Congratulations to Nushrat Rashid from the Plant and Microbial Biosciences program for being selected to attend the 2026 CASE Workshop — Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering as a representative of DBBS. ❤️💚🐻

Students interested in attending the workshop must apply for sponsorship, making this an especially meaningful opportunity to learn more about science policy, federal funding, and advocacy.

Nushrat shared, “The part I found most valuable was learning about the long process of how money is allocated and distributed by Congress. Understanding how advocacy may change depending on the step in the federal budgeting process being deliberated by congress helps frame how scientists should talk about their goals.”

We’re excited to celebrate Nushrat’s commitment to advocating for science and research funding.