The Beckman Institute has recognized eight student researchers with its annual fellowships and awards for 2026. Many are doing research that will help them better understand the brain, improve medical imaging and create more sustainable, cost-effective materials. The students will present posters at an Aug. 6 celebration event at Beckman. Read on to learn more about this year’s recipients and their research.

2026 Beckman Institute Undergraduate Fellows

The Beckman Institute Undergraduate Fellows Program provides undergraduate students with a $3,000 award to pursue interdisciplinary research at the Beckman Institute during the summer. The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation provides funding to support the program.

Anna Arsenyeva is a junior studying psychology and behavioral neuroscience. She works with Beckman Director Steve Maren’s Emotion and Memory Systems Laboratory. Maren is a professor of psychology and neuroscientist.

“Our work seeks to understand the brain circuits underlying emotional memory, particularly those that inhibit pathological fear and regulate fear expression,” Arsenyeva said. “Overall, our goal is to deepen understanding of these neural systems to improve future treatments for mental health disorders.”

Quoc Minh Nhat Bui is a sophomore in the Siebel School of Computing and Data Sciences who works with bioengineering professor Yuan Yang in the Illinois-Carle Joint Neural Engineering and Rehabilitation Laboratory.

“I am developing an artificial intelligence framework that combines resting-state brainwave data, also called EEG, with statistical and machine learning techniques to both better understand how the brain works and ensure the AI’s reasoning is transparent and interpretable rather than a black box,” Bui said.

“My grandmother passed away after suffering from brain lesions and motor impairment, a loss that weighed heavily on my mother and our family,” he said. “I cannot change what happened to her, but I can work toward a future where brain diseases are better understood with more personalized and effective treatments.”

Charlie Grabiner is a junior studying neuroscience in the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology. Grabiner works with Dr. Dan Llano, a professor of molecular and integrative physiology and a practicing neurologist.

Grabiner studies methods for improving the visualization of myelin and related brain structures.

“My work focuses on optimizing staining and imaging techniques to more reliably study the organization of neural pathways in the brain,” he said. “The award specifically supports me by allowing me to dedicate much more time, energy and focus on not only my research, but also the development of my skills as an aspiring scientist. Beyond supporting my research project, the award is especially meaningful in supporting my long-term goal of pursuing a career in medicine.”

Karl Jackiewicz is a junior studying chemical and biomolecular engineering with a minor in philosophy. He’s working with the team consisting of bioengineering professor Wawrzyniec Dobrucki, health and kinesiology professor Marni Boppart and electrical and computer engineering professor J. Gary Eden, related to their 2025 Beckman seed grant to promote vascular repair in limbs.

Jackiewicz is studying how the state of the cells lining blood vessels affects medical imaging and angiogenesis, or how blood vessels in limbs heal.

“I’m looking into standardizing how labs prepare cell cultures prior to conducting healing studies,” he said.

Yejin “Jane” Shim is a sophomore studying chemical engineering and working with Ying Diao, a professor of chemical and biomedical engineering. Their goal is to learn to manufacture micropatterned optoelectronic devices (for example, solar cells) “how we print newspapers — in reproducible, cost-effective and robust ways,” Shim said.

Shim is studying organic materials like conjugated polymers, which are cheaper and more flexible than the material currently used to make optoelectronics.

Elsa Wartick is a junior studying molecular and cellular biology, and is working with Martha Gillette, a professor of cell and developmental biology.

“I’m working on understanding the role of circadian rhythms in stroke risk and severity by trying to observe changes in the leakiness of mammalian brain cells,” Wartick said. “This award allows me to have a more hands-on experience in the lab, providing me with valuable skills for my goal of having a career in pharmaceutical research.”

2026 Erik Haferkamp Memorial Award for Undergraduate Research

The Erik Haferkamp Memorial Award for Undergraduate Research allows a promising undergraduate neuroscientist to pursue research at the Beckman Institute during the summer. The $3,000 award is supported by friends and family in memory of Erik Haferkamp.

Nicole Tchorz is a junior studying electrical engineering and working with Yun-Sheng Chen, a professor of electrical and computer engineering.

"This summer at the Beckman Institute, I will be working on a project that combines electroencephalography and functional ultrasound imaging to investigate the relationship between neural activity and hemodynamic responses in the brain,” Tchorz said. “Through this work, I have the opportunity to contribute to an interdisciplinary research effort while gaining hands-on experience in neuroscience, signal processing and instrumentation.”

2026 Thomas and Margaret Huang Award for Graduate Research

The Thomas and Margaret Huang Award for Graduate Research supports graduate students studying human-computer intelligent interaction. The $3,500 award is supported by the Huang Fund.

Shagun Ajmera is pursuing a Ph.D. in the Neuroscience Program and works with speech and hearing science professor Fatima Husain. She is also a previous winner of the Nadine Barrie Smith Memorial Fellowship and the Beckman Institute Graduate Fellowship.

“This award supports my study regarding application of MRI for mindfulness training in tinnitus patients,” Ajmera said. “My research uses real-time brain images for guiding targeted modulation of brain dynamics in individuals with bothersome tinnitus.”