We’re thrilled to announce the Spring 2026 recipients of the DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics!

Awarded twice each year, these grants support graduate students and postdoctoral researchers as they take important next steps in their careers. Whether attending a scientific conference, participating in a hands-on laboratory course, or building connections within the genetics community.

The award celebrates the legacy of DeLill Nasser, a visionary leader and dedicated mentor whose decades of service at the National Science Foundation helped shape the field of genetics. A passionate advocate for early career scientists and bold, innovative research, Nasser inspired generations of researchers through her unwavering commitment to what she called “real genetics.”

Please join us in congratulating this season’s award recipients!

Leah Anderson
University of Washington

Research topic: I use experimental evolution and genomics to investigate antifungal resistance in yeast through a research-education partnership that engages high school students in authentic scientific discovery.

Rem Burton
University of Georgia

Research topic: I investigate how modifications to meiotic proteins in female fruit flies affect fertility outcomes.

Isaac Chizhik
Cornell University

Research topic: I investigate how incompatibilities between DNA repair genes in yeast arise and how they can be suppressed.

Logan Edvalson
University of Rochester

Research topic: I study the mechanistic diversity of complex meiotic driver haplotypes in inducing sperm dysfunction and their consequences for the evolution of gametogenesis.

Glafira Ermakova
University of British Columbia

Research topic: I study how the nuclear hormone receptor NHR-49 regulates stress responses in C. elegans.

Marco Gontijo
Duke University

Research topic: I study how genetic adaptations allow Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes human tuberculosis, to resist immune defenses and persist in the body.

Yi Han (Betty) Huang
Johns Hopkins University

Research topic: I study how genetic variation influences gene expression.

Emily Longman
University of Vermont

Research topic: My research seeks to advance our understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of adaptive variation in non-model marine systems.

Daniel Shaw
University of Montana

Research topic: By studying animals living in extreme environments and comparing genomes across species, I investigate how evolution rewires DNA to solve biological challenges and generate biodiversity.

Chi Wei
Old Dominion University

Research topic: I study a long-term monitored population of Acorn Woodpeckers in central coastal California, investigating how movement between groups and environmental conditions shape genetic diversity and population structure over time in this socially complex bird species.

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