We are excited to announce the recipients of the 2026 MCB Lisa Eshun-Wilson Community Award. This award recognizes outstanding contributions by MCB graduate students and postdocs who demonstrate exceptional leadership and a deep commitment to strengthening our department’s sense of connection and collaboration through community engagement and mentorship.
We are proud to present this year’s awardees:
Izaiah Ornelas, PhD Candidate, Nuñez Lab
Expanded access to molecular biology for community college, CSU, and undergraduate students, particularly first-generation and transfer students, through outreach efforts including CRISPR-based demonstrations, mentoring for summer research internships, and lab tours at UC Berkeley. His work focuses on making research pathways more transparent and attainable for students from underrepresented backgrounds, grounded in a mentorship approach centered on trust, listening, and meeting students where they are.
Julia Falo-Sanjuan, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar, Eisen and Garcia Labs
Strengthened postdoctoral and graduate community through hosting monthly coffee hours, serving as the GGED postdoc representative, being an elected leader in the Union of Academic Workers at UC and supporting trainees through diversity-focused programs such as PREP and CalBridge. Her work emphasizes mentorship, community building, working with other researchers to improve academia and supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds as they prepare for and succeed in graduate training.