Graduate Students Nicole Wilkinson and Ryan Shih receive the Sidney C. Rittenberg Award

We are excited to announce that Nicole Wilkinson and Ryan Shih are this year's recipients of the Sidney Charles Rittenberg Award. This award honors Dr. Sidney Charles Rittenberg's vision of promoting exceptional research and teaching that advances graduate education. Each year, it recognizes two outstanding graduate students working in the labs of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics.

Nicole is mentored by Dr. Maureen Su, and Ryan is mentored by Dr. Yvonne Chen. Nicole’s research focuses on the pathogenesis of autoimmunity, specifically exploring the drivers of disease in females, who account for 80% of the population affected by autoimmune diseases. Ryan conducts research on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells, which are genetically engineered to target and eliminate tumor cells. 

We are proud to recognize Nicole and Ryan’s exceptional contributions to research and their promising futures in the field. Please join us in congratulating them on this well-deserved achievement.