Congratulations to the four first-year graduate students and the five graduating seniors in the Department of Chemistry who were awarded 2026 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships! Congratulations also to the four additional students who received honorable mentions. We are also delighted to announce that four alumni were recognized with either a fellowship or honorable mention. We are proud of this recognition of our students' research endeavors!
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program helps ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and reinforces its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees. Fellows benefit from a three-year annual stipend, an allowance for tuition and fees, and opportunities for international research and professional development.
NSF Fellows are anticipated to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering. These individuals are crucial to maintaining and advancing the nation’s technological infrastructure and national security as well as contributing to the economic well-being of society at large.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship 2026
Damon Wing Hey Chan is a graduating senior majoring in chemistry, biochemistry, and microbiology. He joined the group of Professor Ashleigh Theberge in July 2024, where he has been conducting interdisciplinary research exploring the fundamental properties microfluidics and applying these principles in biosampling device applications. After graduation, Damon hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in chemical biology, incorporating his interdisciplinary interests into future projects.
Liam A. Knudsen is a graduating senior majoring in bioengineering. For the past three years he has worked in the lab of Professor Ashleigh Theberge where he researched new platforms and methodologies for hydrogel-based tissue engineering. After graduation, Liam will be starting his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Washington researching advanced materials and manufacturing for thermal and electronic composite systems. Outside of research Liam enjoys cooking, gardening, and going to the gym.
Arjun Naik is a senior studying computer science and biochemistry at the University of Washington, where he works in Professor Su-In Lee's (Computer Science & Engineering) research group, using sparse autoencoders to extract interpretable gene features from biological foundation models across sequence modalities. This summer he will join Microsoft Research New England as a research intern, investigating how generative enhancer models encode regulatory grammar. He will then begin his Ph.D. in computer science, focusing on developing interpretability methods to understand how biological foundation models represent and encode biological meaning. In his free time, Arjun also enjoys playing cricket and billiards.
Kamaya Ronning is a senior majoring in chemistry with a minor in applied mathematics. For the past four years, she has worked in Associate Professor Dianne Xiao’s lab where she investigates catalysis in metal organic frameworks. In addition, Kamaya works as the student assistant for the NMR facility, and is the program coordinator for UW Science Explorers, where she works on outreach with Seattle elementary school students. Kamaya grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico and outside of school, she enjoys playing on the UW Water Polo team, running, cooking, and reading.
Sahana Sateesh is an undergraduate researcher in Professor Alshakim Nelson’s group. She is working on developing engineered living materials for oil degradation and protein-based materials for 3D printing applications. Sahana grew up in Redmond, Washington, and Hyderabad, India. This spring, she will be graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in bioengineering: nano and molecular engineering and a minor in data science. After graduating, she will pursue a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences, conducting research in drug delivery. In her free time, she enjoys doing jigsaw puzzles and drawing.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention 2026
Queminh Tran is a graduating senior majoring in chemistry with a minor in business. She has a strong interest in synthetic chemistry and conducts research in the group of Associate Professor Dianne Xiao, where she works on polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) for CO2 separations. As president of the Free Radicals Chemistry and Biochemistry student organization and undergraduate representative for Inclusion in Chemical Sciences (InCS), she is passionate in fostering a more supportive community for students in the Department of Chemistry. She also serves as an undergraduate mentor, where she finds fulfillment in guiding other undergraduate students. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking, reading, and picking up new hobbies. After graduation, she will pursue a Ph.D. in organic chemistry.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship 2026
Annabelle Hannah is a first-year graduate student in Associate Professor Dianne Xiao's lab. She is working on developing multi-qubit metal organic framework (MOF) systems for applications in quantum information science. She is originally from Salt Lake City and earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and physics from Simmons University in Boston. In her free time, she likes to thrift, camp, spend time outdoors, and watch movies and tv shows.
Thanh Huynh is a first-year graduate student in the research group of Assistant Professor Douglas Reed. She is working on synthesizing new cuprate superconductors with accessible porosity. Thanh grew up in Orange County, California and received a B.S. in chemistry from the University of California, Irvine. In her free time, she enjoys baking, thrifting, and going to concerts.
Hena Kachroo is a first-year graduate student working with Professor Sarah Keller. Hena is currently investigating whether copolymers selectively extract lipids during nanodisc formation and how this affects the compositional fidelity of nanodisc-based membrane models. She grew up in Lexington, Kentucky and received a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Kentucky. Outside of the lab, she enjoys watching movies, spending time with friends, and dancing.
Henry Sprueill is a first-year graduate student in the research group of Associate Professor Ting Cao (Materials Science & Engineering). He develops machine learning methods to study the quantum behavior of materials. Henry grew up in Forest Grove, Oregon, and received a B.S. in mathematics and physics from Oregon State University. After graduating, he worked at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for three years before returning to graduate school. When he’s not coding or reading papers, he enjoys photography and watching movies.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention 2026
Kyra I. Brosnahan is a Ph.D. student in Professor Alshakim Nelson's lab. She is currently working on the synthesis and characterization of HPG-based vitrimers. Originally from the California Bay Area, she received her bachelor’s degree from Scripps College in 2024 while working in Professor Anna Wenzel's lab. Outside of lab, Kyra enjoys cooking, reading, and running along the Burke-Gilman Trail.
Vanessa Encinas is a first-year graduate student in the research group of Assistant Professor Nicholas M. Riley. She uses advanced mass spectrometry techniques to investigate post-translational modifications of proteins located on the outer surface of cultured human cells. Vanessa grew up in Lakewood, California, and graduated with a B.S. in chemistry with honors from the University of California, Irvine. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking, relaxing by the water, trying new recipes, and exploring her new home city of Seattle.
Amy E. Nam is a first-year graduate student in Associate Professor Dianne Xiao's research group. She is working on synthesizing and developing screening methods for environmentally relevant porous catalysts. Amy grew up in California and earned her B.S. in chemistry from University of California, Irvine. Outside of the lab, she enjoys cooking new recipes, doing puzzles, and drawing.
ALUMNI
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship 2026
Jessica Keane is an alumna of the University of Washington, where she graduated in 2024 with a B.S. in biochemistry and a minor in chemistry. During her time at UW, she conducted research in Dr. Lorenzo Giacani’s lab within the Department of Medicine, focusing on vaccine engineering for Treponema pallidum. Currently, Jess is a researcher at the Stanford Cancer Institute, investigating chromosomal instability in cancer. This fall, she will begin her Ph.D. in biomedical sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. In her spare time, Jess enjoys watching women's sports, playing board games, and exploring Bay Area nature.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention 2026
Phoenix Davis ‘24
Dan B. Lotan ‘25
Ivan Woo ‘25