SLB 2026 Awards Announced

The SLB Award Committee is pleased to announce the 2026 award finalists. Come see the presentations in-person in Columbus, OH, September 14-17, 2026 and vote for your favorite!  Please join us in congratulating all of the finalists in recognition of their research efforts.

Excellence in Leukocyte Biology
Rachel Kinsella, Emory University
Sadiya Parveen-Nesson, Louisiana State University Health Shreveport

Presidential Scholars - Postdocs
Sudrishti Chaudhary, University of Pittsburgh
Saranyaraajan Varadarajan, University of Michigan
Xingsheng Ren, Northwestern University
Laura Manzanares, Northwestern University
Akash Ahuja, Cleveland Clinic

Merit Finalists
Armando Montoya-Garcia, University of Michigan
Alda Diaz Perez, Cleveland Clinic Research


Presidential Scholars - Graduate Students
Anagha Betadpur, University at Buffalo
Mary Grace Murray, Loyola University Chicago
Saloni Bhimani, University of Florida
Fernando Gutierrez Garcia, Brown University
Abidemi Ruth Idowu, University of Louisville

Merit Finalists
Rachel Woodfint, The Ohio State University
Dayron Leyva Rodriguez, University at Buffalo
Priya Hegde, UMass Chan Medical School
Caitlyn Smith, University of Kentucky
Charlie Speelmon, Uni. of Nebraska MC
Lillian Levin, Brown University
Alexandra McNally, Tulane School of Medicine
Matthew Kays, West Virginia University
Aitana Ignes-Romeu, Uni. of Colorado at Boulder
Heba El-Ahmad, University of Florida
Kunming Shao, Purdue University
Conwy Zheng, Purdue University

Join the meeting in September to see presentation from these awardees plus an Undergraduate Researcher poster talk competition.

SLB is pleased to support certain attendees with need-based travel grants ensuring access to this event.