Congratulations to the 2022 Olsteins, Bighley, and Rowell Fellowship Recipients!

The Biruta K. and Peter A. Olstein Fellowship is awarded to a full-time CoP PhD graduate student with exceptional potential in their field.

Tian Lan earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Sun Yat-Sen University before joining the College of Pharmacy. Tian is a 5th year graduate student in Medicinal Chemistry and an advisee of Professor Courtney Aldrich and Professor David Ferguson. Tian’s research – “Developing novel rifamycin antibiotics for the treatment of drug-resistant mycobacteria” focuses on development of antibiotics for non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections caused by Mycobacterium abscessus. A secondary line of his research is on discovering treatments against rifamycin resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We are proud to present Tian Lan with the Olsteins Fellowship.

Congratulations to the Bighley Graduate Fellowship recipients: Caroline Buchholz and Lutong Liu

The Bighley Graduate Fellowships are awarded to full-time CoP PhD graduate students who have great potential and are conducting research in basic and applied pharmaceutical sciences.

Caroline Buchholz earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Iowa State of University before joining the College of Pharmacy in 2018. Caroline is a 4th year graduate student in Medicinal Chemistry and an advisee of Professor William Pomerantz. Caroline’s research: “Chemical Probe Development for BPTF Reader Domains” investigates the biological function of two epigenetic reader domains of the protein, BPTF (bromodomain and PHD finger containing transcription factor), a nucleosome remodeling protein, and an underexplored protein in cancer biology. A secondary line of research focuses on characterizing the functional effects of BPTF inhibition in cellular models of drug-resistant chronic myeloid leukemia. We are proud to present Caroline Buchholz with the Bighley Fellowship.

Yutong Liu earned a Bachelor of Science degree from China Pharmaceutical University in Nanjing, China before joining the College of Pharmacy. Yutong is a 4th year graduate student in Medicinal Chemistry and an advisee of Professor Gunda Georg. Yutong’s project- “Development of CatSper Inhibitors for Nonhormonal Male Contraception” focuses on optimizing the hits identified from high-throughput screening through structure-activity relationship studies. We are proud to present Yutong Liu with the Bighley Fellowship.

Congratulations to the Ted Rowell Graduate Fellowship recipients: Conrad Fihn and Melanie Nevins

The Ted Rowell Graduate Fellowships are awarded to full-time CoP PhD graduate students who are conducting research in basic pharmaceutical sciences with an emphasis in nutrition or drug delivery systems.

Conrad Fihn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Occidental College before joining the College of Pharmacy.  Conrad is a 7th year graduate student in Medicinal Chemistry and an advisee of Professor Erin Carlson. Conrad’s research “Development of Histidine Kinase Inhibitors as Anti-Virulence Agents in Pseudomonas aeruginosa” focuses on developing covalent probes for in cell profiling purposes to enable the identification of the main targets of our inhibitors in live cells. We are proud to present Conrad Fihn with the Rowell Fellowship.

Melanie Nevins earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Olaf College in 2020 before joining the College of Pharmacy. Melanie is a 3rd year graduate student in Medicinal Chemistry and an advisee of Professor Valérie Pierre. Melanie’s research “Redirecting Anti-Cancer Agents as Antimicrobials: A Novel Strategy for Addressing Antibiotic Resistance” focuses on developing a new class of antibacterial metallodrugs that function via novel mechanisms of action by synthesizing and evaluating platinum-siderophore conjugates as antimicrobial agents. We are proud to present Melanie Nevins with the Rowell Fellowship.