Page 11 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

Aging

Özpolat receives MIRA grant renewal

B. Duygu Özpolat, a biologist in Arts & Sciences, received a renewal of her Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Awards & Notables

Martin to receive national Career Services Champion Award

WashU Chancellor Andrew D. Martin has been named the 2026 recipient of the National Association of Colleges and Employers Career Services Champion Award, a national honor recognizing visionary leadership in advancing career education and student success.

Appointments & Promotions

Duch, Rockwell-Hopkins named to expanded enterprise leadership roles

Tate Duch and Melissa Rockwell-Hopkins have been named to expanded leadership roles in the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration and Chief Administrative Officer at Washington University in St. Louis.

Advancement

Yu installed as Art Krieg Professor

Yan Yu, a scientist trained in both chemistry and engineering whose research focuses on developing nanotechnologies to detect and treat immune-related diseases, is the inaugural Art Krieg Professor at WashU. Yu gave a talk titled “Breaking Barriers: From Immune Cells to Classrooms.”

Obituaries

Collin Maher, student in Arts & Sciences, 19

Collin Charles Maher, a student in Arts & Sciences, died by suicide May 15. He was 19 and had recently completed his first year at WashU. Friends remember Maher for his open heart, big smile and the care he showed everyone he encountered.

Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Bateman and Holtzman receive 2026 American Innovator Award

WashU Medicine researchers Randall J. Bateman, MD, and David M. Holtzman, MD, were honored for their work developing diagnostic blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease with the Bayh-Dole Coalition’s 2026 American Innovator Award.

Engineering

Ready to fire

a person lying down while another looks at a computer

WashU biomedical engineers in Ismael Seáñez’s lab are evaluating which strategies and treatments are the most effective for spinal cord injuries.

Engineering

Boundaries of agricultural fields worldwide now publicly available

Nathan Jacobs, at WashU McKelvey Engineering, was part of a collaboration of academic and industry researchers who developed a model of every agricultural field boundary worldwide.

Alzheimer's

Blood test powered by AI could transform diagnosis of dementia

A tool developed by WashU Medicine researchers can accurately distinguish among several major neurodegenerative diseases — including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, frontotemporal dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies — as well as detect when these conditions overlap, potentially improving early diagnosis, monitoring and treatment.

Advancement

Drewry installed as inaugural Llorin-Roa professor

Anne M. Drewry, MD, a nationally recognized leader in critical care medicine, has been installed as the inaugural Llorin-Roa Professor of Anesthesiology at WashU Medicine.