2026 Symposium Honors Outstanding Researchers and Presenters

September 21, 2026
Categories: College News, Klein College of Science
Artwork of a flask with the skyline of Charlotte and the text: 2026 Charlotte Regional Biomedical Science Symposium

As part of the 2026 Biomedical Sciences Symposium and North Carolina Life Sciences Week, the Center for Biomedical Engineering and Science’s sponsors and partners recognized exceptional students, researchers and professionals whose work is helping shape the future of biomedical sciences.

The poster and presentation awards highlight the creativity, rigor and collaborative spirit that defined this year’s record-setting symposium. The following award recipients were recognized for their contributions during this year’s event.

Poster winners:

Outstanding Undergraduate Poster Award- Kaustubh Tiwari, UNC Charlotte

Outstanding Graduate Poster Award- Sara Scala, UNC Charlotte

Outstanding Postdoctoral Poster Award- Chathura Paththamperuma, UNC Charlotte

Young Scholar Award- Aathmika Thanigai and Avanthika Thanigai, TERLA Institute

A person in a suit stands smiling in front of a research poster at a university event.
Kaustubh Tiwari
Sara Scala stands beside a scientific poster presenting research on modulating CXCL12-mediated activities using a peptide mimic at a conference.
Sara Scala
Chathura Paththamperum stands in front of his scientific research poster from the Truman Lab at the 2026 Biomedical Science Symposium.
Chathura Paththamperuma
Two young individuals stand beside a research poster titled "Hemovue: An Innovative Low-Cost Device to Measure Microplastics" at a presentation event.
Avanthika Thanigai and Aathmika Thanigai

Poster Honorable Mentions:

Undergraduate Student- Angela Alozie, UNC Charlotte

Graduate Student- John McCoy, Clemson

Postdoctoral Scholar- Ashraf Alsagheer, UNC-Chapel Hill

People’s Choice Awards:

People’s Choice- Poster Award- Sofia Jiménez-Murillo, Costa Rica Institute of Technology

Graduate Oral Presentation Audience Choice- Doaha Awad, UNC Charlotte

Postdoctoral Oral Presentation Audience Choice- Youjun Wu, UNC Charlotte

Sofia Jimenez-Murillo wears a black shirt and glasses and gestures while speaking to another individual at the 2026 Biomedical Sciences Symposium.
Sofia Jiménez-Murillo
Doaha Award presents at the 2026 Biomedical Sciences Symposium, standing before a screen displaying a talk titled "Investigating the Role of Pancreatic Cancer..." and their affiliation with the Dasgupta Lab.
Doaha Awad
Youjun Wu, postdoc researchers in the Mukherjee lab, speaks to an audience in the Dubois Center lecture hall for "Activation of Interferon-Gamma Signaling Sensitizes Pancreatic Cancer Cells to Chemotherapy," at the 2026 Biomedical Sciences Symposium.
Youjun Wu presents “Activation of Interferon-Gamma Signaling Sensitizes Pancreatic Cancer Cells to Chemotherapy,” in the Dubois Center lecture hall.

Whova Leaderboard contest winners:

  1. Joseph Bauer, Nitric Oxide Services
  2. Ryan Springer, Selkius
  3. Adam Reitzel, UNC Charlotte
Read More about the 2026 Biomedical Sciences Symposium
See more photos in the Gallery