The annual Graduate Education Honors Banquet honored doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty members who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, excellence in academics, innovation and mentorship. The March 19 banquet recognized the outstanding achievements taking place across more than 50 graduate programs and departments.
This year鈥檚 banquet brought together what were previously separate celebrations鈥攖he Postdoctoral Awards Ceremony and the Graduate School banquet. This change represents the university鈥檚 overarching commitment to foster a connected and collaborative scholarly community.
鈥淭hose of you being honored have accomplished exceptional achievements through your research and innovative work,鈥� said Andrea Page-McCaw, associate dean for academic affairs in the Graduate School and Stevenson Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology. 鈥淎s important members of our academic community, you embody a spirit of curiosity and discovery. The impact of your work reaches across our campus and into the broader community. Through your research, mentorship and dedication to advancing knowledge, you are helping shape the future of your disciplines and beyond.鈥�
鈥淎 special thanks to all of our students and postdoctoral scholars who joined us this evening. You are an essential part of our academic community, and we are proud to celebrate you and your accomplishments,鈥� said Juli谩n Hillyer, associate dean for academic affairs in the Graduate School and Centennial Professor of Biological Sciences. 鈥淎nd to the faculty in attendance, thank you for your dedication to student and postdoctoral fellow success.鈥�
EXCELLENCE IN GRADUATE STUDENT MENTORING AWARD
The Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring award, established in 2022, is presented annually to recognize exceptional mentorship. It reflects Vanderbilt鈥檚 commitment to supporting students in achieving their fullest potential, academically and personally. Each year, three recipients are honored.
Maureen Gannon
Maureen Gannon has been at Vanderbilt since 1996. She is a professor of molecular physiology and biophysics, professor of cell and developmental biology, and the inaugural associate dean for faculty development for the School of Medicine. Gannon鈥檚 goal is to help each trainee in her lab discern where their talents and passions lie and to give them the resources and opportunities to explore potential careers while in graduate school so that they are prepared for that career upon graduation. One of her colleagues shared: 鈥�Dr. Gannon鈥檚 mentorship has 鈥榬ippled鈥� across multiple departments and programs in the School of Medicine. She has been and continues to be an outstanding and highly effective mentor for trainees within her lab, within multiple graduate programs in the Basic Sciences, and across the entire institution.鈥� Her graduate mentees cite that Gannon鈥檚 mentorship continues to shape their careers in meaningful ways.
Ilana Horn
Ilana Horn is the Wachtmeister Family Chair of Teaching and Learning. She has been at Vanderbilt since 2009, as a professor of mathematics education, previously serving as the Director of Graduate Studies, and is the only faculty member to advise students across all four areas of study in the Ph.D. program for the Department of Teaching and Learning. Horn views mentoring as a long-term investment by cultivating highly engaged, ethical scholars who will be her future colleagues in the field. One of her graduate student mentees said, 鈥�[Dr. Horn鈥檚] high expectations are always paired with encouragement and guidance, making her mentorship both demanding and deeply supportive. Through this balance, Lani helps students grow into confident, independent scholars while modeling integrity and excellence in research, teaching, and service.鈥� Horn noted that mentoring students has been the cornerstone of her scholarly identity.
Neil Osheroff
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Neil Osheroff holds the John Coniglio Chair in Biochemistry and is professor of biochemistry. He has been at Vanderbilt since 1983 and, over the course of the past 43 years, has mentored dozens of Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. students to success in his Osheroff Laboratory.鈥疧ne of his graduate student mentees said, 鈥�He sets exceptionally high standards while simultaneously providing the support, encouragement and structure necessary for students to meet and exceed those expectations. Under his mentorship, students do not simply learn how to conduct experiments; they learn how to think as independent scientists, how to communicate clearly and ethically, and how to build careers grounded in excellence and integrity.鈥� Osheroff鈥檚 mentorship has profoundly influenced how his former mentees mentor their own students and trainees.
EXCELLENCE IN POSTDOCTORAL MENTORING AWARD
The Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring Award was established to honor outstanding mentorship. The recipient must demonstrate a willingness to share expertise and advice; services to the community at large, including other mentoring activities; and scholarship within the mentor鈥檚 own career, including publications, awards, presentations and honors.
Laurie Cutting听
Laurie Cutting is the Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Special Education. She has been at Vanderbilt since 2009 and exemplifies an exceptional willingness to share guidance and expertise. Cutting provides mentees with opportunities to explore ideas, develop independence and take intellectual risks. She is a systems and design thinker who helps mentees balance short-term goals, intermediate-term plans and long-term visions. Trainees mention one enduring lesson from Cutting鈥檚 mentorship, which is how to be 鈥�patient yet proactive.鈥� Cutting鈥檚 mentorship is grounded in leadership through service and collaboration, with a constant focus on how today鈥檚 work can best support the next generations of scientists and learners.
OUTSTANDING DOCTORAL STUDENT AWARDS
The Outstanding Doctoral Student Award recognizes doctoral students who demonstrate exceptional scholarly accomplishments. The awardees were nominated by faculty and selected from across the various colleges and schools for their academic record and the quality of their research, scholarship and creative expression.
Andrea DeFreese
Andrea DeFreese is a doctoral student in the otolaryngology program in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. In her dissertation, DeGreese focuses on using genetics to identify biomarkers of the central auditory system and their impact on cochlear implant outcomes. One professor cited that DeFreese 鈥�has six first-author publications and has earned authorship on eleven additional papers.鈥� Another professor remarked that, 鈥�simply put, Andie is a once-in-a-generation trainee and scholar. She has been an exemplary doctoral student and demonstrates extraordinary potential to become a leader in the field.鈥� As noted by her mentors, DeFreese demonstrates tremendous potential as she moves forward in her career.
Can Luo听
Can Luo is a doctoral student in the biomedical engineering department, specifically on the computational genomics track. Luo鈥檚 research focuses on developing machine learning models to detect complex genomic variations and interpret their functional impact on human health. To date, she has authored seven papers in her lab and is listed as first author on six of those publications. One professor shared that 鈥�Can combines intellectual depth, technical rigor and independence at a level that is exceptional even among top doctoral candidates.鈥� Through her excellence in research, mentorship and community engagement, Luo embodies the qualities of the next generation of computational biologists and future leaders.
Nicollette Mitchell
Nicollette Mitchell is a doctoral student in the teaching and learning department at Peabody College. Mitchell鈥檚 dissertation focuses on Black women geoscientists, which fills a sizable gap in the literature. Through this work, she is engaging in theory building with an intersectional justice lens. To date, Mitchell has co-authored five peer-reviewed papers published in proceedings for conferences, co-published a peer-reviewed article in AERA Open, co-written an invited chapter for an edited volume and is finalizing three article-length manuscripts. One professor remarked that Mitchell鈥檚 鈥�excellence in teaching, research mentorship and campus service reflect her potential as a future tenure-track faculty member in education.鈥� Mitchell brings a strong work ethic, collaborative stance, attention to iterating ideas, openness to and curiosity about feedback, and creativity to her work.
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW OF THE YEAR
The Postdoctoral Fellow of the Year award was established to honor a postdoctoral scholar who exemplifies excellence across research, leadership and science.
Kyle David听
KyleDavid is a postdoctoral fellow in biological sciences in the laboratory of Antonis Rokas. David studies evolutionary biology, specifically long-standing macroecological patterns of yeasts and the phenotypic impact of the expansion and contraction of gene families. In addition to having 19 publications in top-tier journals and receiving NSF funding, David is a recipient of the American Society of Naturalists Early Career Investigator Award. He also is a lead developer of a unique outreach program between the Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative and Dismas House, a residential reentry program for Tennessee state prisons.
Julia Garon-Bissonnette
Julia Garon-Bissonnette has an interdisciplinary appointment spanning the departments of psychology and human development and special education. She has co-authored 34 peer-reviewed articles, three book chapters and more than 150 scientific presentations, with an additional nine manuscripts currently under review and seven in preparation. Notably, she was the lead author on a paper that received the 2024 Paper of the Year Award from the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. She was recently awarded the Early Career Research Award from Mental Health & Prevention, reflecting the international visibility and impact of her scholarship. Professors have noted that Garon-Bissonnette serves as an exceptional colleague, mentor and leader; she is intellectually curious, generous with her time and deeply committed to others鈥� success.
POSTDOCTORAL MENTORING AND TEACHING AWARD
The Postdoctoral Mentoring and Teaching Award recognizes postdoctoral scholars who demonstrate exceptional dedication to mentoring students, supporting trainees and meaningfully contributing to learning environments.
Chelsea Mann
Mann is a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Medicine in the laboratory of Neil Osheroff. Mann consistently goes鈥痑bove and beyond鈥痶o support others in the laboratory and takes鈥痝reat pride鈥痠n mentoring junior graduate students and undergraduate researchers. She contributes intellectually to the projects of every trainee in the group, offering thoughtful scientific insight and constructive feedback. Equally important, she fosters a supportive and encouraging laboratory鈥痚nvironment, ensuring that all members feel valued, empowered and confident in their work.鈥疭he holds an adjunct professorship at her alma mater, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, and has also contributed to the pre-clerkship curriculum at鈥痶he Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, consistently receiving outstanding student evaluations. In addition to her substantial teaching and mentoring commitments, Mann continues to generate high-quality, impactful data that contribute to the development of new antibacterial drugs.
EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION AWARD
This award is co-sponsored by the Wond鈥檙y and the Graduate School. The award recognizes one exceptional doctoral candidate鈥檚 excellence across scholarship, creativity, innovation and the translation of their research into practical impact.
Julia Steele听
Julia Steele is a doctoral student in the cancer biology program. As explained by her professor, Steele鈥檚 research is dedicated to 鈥渦nderstanding how antibody-drug conjugates reshape the tumor-immune microenvironment and influence response and resistance to immunotherapy. Steele鈥檚 innovative approach鈥攚hich bridges immunology, molecular engineering, computational modeling and clinical oncology鈥攈as generated fundamental insights and will have meaningful impacts going forward. Speaking to Steele鈥檚 scholarly excellence, one of her professors noted that her 鈥�accomplishments are extraordinary at her career stage and speak to her ability to translate innovation into durable science and institutional value.鈥� Steele is a leader and innovative thinker鈥攅xhibiting dedication, adaptability, growth and intellectual independence.
POSTDOCTORAL EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION AWARD
The Postdoctoral Excellence in Innovation Award honors postdoctoral scholars who demonstrate exceptional creativity, ingenuity and forward-thinking mindsets in their research.
Fan Feng
Fan Feng is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Medicine under the mentorship of Marcela鈥疊rissova. His work bridges鈥痗utting-edge鈥痑rtificial intelligence, rigorous data harmonization and deep biological insight, resulting in platforms, analytical pipelines and computational frameworks used by their team and the broader research community to advance disease treatment, prediction and prevention.鈥疊y adapting and extending modern AI frameworks to domain-specific biological questions, Feng is bringing opportunities for discovery in type 1 diabetes research and positioning the team at the forefront of AI-enabled biomedical science.鈥疐eng鈥檚 research鈥痵howcases鈥痟is creativity and persistence in developing鈥痭ew approaches鈥痶hat will guide future research projects and provide鈥痭ew resources鈥痶o the broader diabetes research community.
Tin Nguyen
Tin鈥疦guyen鈥痠s a postdoctoral fellow in the鈥痵pecial education department鈥痷nder the mentorship of鈥疞aurie Cutting. His鈥痳esearch program integrates literacy,鈥痵ystems鈥痶hinking and neuroscience to understand how听family, school and community environments shape children鈥檚 reading development.鈥疦guyen鈥痟as been extending鈥痟is predoctoral work鈥痓y applying network-science methods to visualize and鈥痲ualify鈥痭aturalistic oral reading and retell processes,鈥痳esulting in鈥疞.A.N.T.E.R.N. (Language Analysis of Text Retell Network), a research-to-practice platform that streamlines the collection, decoding and interpretation of children鈥檚 oral retell data by integrating AI-assisted transcription with network science modeling.听Leveraging Vanderbilt鈥檚 and Nashville鈥檚 uniquely generative ecosystem that is marked by strong commitments to public education, community partnership, creative arts and social innovation,听Nguyen听has built a research and innovation program that is scientifically rigorous and deeply responsive to community needs.
EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP AWARD
The Excellence in Leadership Award honors a graduate student who made a significant impact on their community through service and has inspired others to do the same.
Kyle Enriquez
Kyle Enriquez is a doctoral student鈥痠n鈥痶he microbe-host interactions program, as well as the Medical Scientist Training Program.Enriquez has contributed extensively to student governance and peer review鈥攕erving on MTSP committees, as treasurer of the American Physician Scientists Association national board, and as a member of its Outreach and Engagement Committee. He was also selected as a Future Leaders Mentoring Fellow by the American Society for Microbiology.鈥疌ited by a professor as an 鈥�active advocate for trainees,鈥� Enriquez mentors around 20 undergraduates and post-baccalaureates鈥痺ho are interested in physician-scientist careers. By designing near-peer and peer mentoring opportunities, Enriquez is a valuable resource for younger trainees.鈥疊eyond campus, Enriquez has led meaningful outreach initiatives for middle school students, which involved developing and executing after-school STEM curricula.
Ximena Leon
Ximena Leon is a doctoral student in the biological sciences program.鈥疘n tandem with鈥痟er鈥痵cholastic achievements,鈥疿imena鈥痟as鈥痩aunched a full-fledged research program at her former high school. Through this programming, Leon fosters high schoolers鈥� early interest in data science and computational biology.鈥疘n addition to learning about鈥痶he scientific process, participants develop confidence in their abilities,鈥痩earn marketable coding skills and gain鈥痸aluable鈥痯resentation experience. Leon has personally mentored 11 students at the high school, serving as a reliable and inspirational mentor. She invests鈥痵ignificant time鈥痑nd energy in this program鈥攄riving to Lewisburg for weekly sessions, preparing lectures and supporting students in the development of project ideas.鈥疉s one professor remarks, 鈥�Ximena is, unequivocally and undoubtedly, a leader in her local community and on our campus.鈥�
POSTDOCTORAL LEADERSHIP AWARD
The听Postdoctoral Leadership Award recognizes an outstanding听postdoctoral scholar who听demonstrates听exceptional initiative, mentorship and impact within their research community.
Hyun Bin You
Hyun Bin You is a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Nursing. During her time as a postdoctoral scholar, You鈥痟as鈥痙emonstrated鈥痵ustained, hands-on leadership鈥痶hat has strengthened the postdoctoral experience at Vanderbilt.鈥疭he continues to improve the Vanderbilt postdoc experience through structured peer听support systems, mentoring and inclusive team operations. In addition to holding substantive roles in national societies, she advances science through extensive editorial and reviewing鈥痵ervice, as well through training others. You鈥檚 leadership style is described as one that is inclusive and approachable, elevating scholars at all stages. Taken together, her contributions鈥痳eflect high-impact leadership.
