Campanile tower with Congrats projected in lights at dusk.
Image courtesy UC Berkeley Digital Gallery, Keegan Houser.

The MCB department is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020 PhD Commencement Honors and we congratulate the awardees! 

2020 MCB Graduate Commencement Honors
The following are the recipients of our annual graduate awards for research, academic, and community achievement.

Cris Alvaro Memorial Prize
The Cris Alvaro Memorial Prize honors MCB graduate student Cris Alvaro, who identified as a trans and non-binary person, using the preferred pronouns they/them/their.

This award was established after Cris's untimely death in 2018 at age 29 and is presented annually to MCB Ph.D. students who embody excellence in research and commitment to diversity, inclusion, tolerance, acceptance, and sense of community that Cris Alvaro epitomized.

Lisa Eshun-Wilson (Nogales lab)

Nicholas Cozzarelli Prize
The Nicholas Cozzarelli Prize was established in honor of Professor Nick Cozzarelli after his passing in 2006. It is presented annually to a graduating MCB student for excellent Ph.D. research.

Ella Hartenian (Glaunsinger lab) & Carl Ward (Nomura lab)

Alan Bearden Book Award
The Book Award in honor of emeritus professor Alan Bearden was established after his death in 1999 and is presented to graduates who have performed outstanding research in the area of Biophysics.

Emma Carroll (Marqusee lab)