Julius Marmur Past Awardees

29th Annual Julius Marmur Symposium - March 24, 2025

Ian C. MacArthur

Developmental DNA demethylation is a determinant of neural stem cell identity and gliogenic competence
Mentor: Dr. Meelad Dawlaty

Elizabeth Wood

Novel role for TLR9 signaling in memory formation
Mentor: Dr. Jelena Radulovic

Matanel Yheskel

KDM5-mediated transcriptional activation of ribosomal protein genes alters translation efficiency to regulate mitochondrial metabolism in neurons
Mentor: Dr. Julie Secombe

28th Annual Julius Marmur Symposium - March 20, 2024

Sarah Aminov

Resistance to CD19 Immunotherapy in B-cell ALL is associated with loss of CD19 and CD22 and an enhanced vulnerability to B cell receptor signaling inhibition
Mentor: Dr. Amit Verma

Zachary Flamholz

From the human gut to the ocean: the unfolding universe of bacteriophages and their functions
Mentor: Dr. Libusha Kelly

Nadege Gitego

Chemical modulation of cytosolic BAX homodimer potentiates BAX activation and apoptosis in cancer
Mentor: Dr. Evripidis Gavathiotis

Jake Lachowicz

Structural and mechanistic studies of viperin and biotin synthase
Mentor: Dr. Tyler Grove

27th Annual Julius Marmur Symposium - March 20, 2023

Lindsay Gurska, Ph.D. '22

For her work, “Crizotinib has Preclinical Efficacy in Philadelphia-Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms”
Mentor: Dr. Kira Gritsman, Department of Cell Biology

Gregory Krause

For his work, “Contribution of mammalian endosomal microautophagy to cellular proteostasis”
Mentor: Dr. Ana Maria Cuervo, Developmental and Molecular Biology

Emilio Merheb, Ph.D. '22

For his work, “Understanding the Pathogenesis of Pol III-related Leukodystrophy”
Mentor: Dr. Ian Willis, Department of Biochemistry

Yacoba V.T Minnow, Ph.D. '23

For her work, “Targeting Purine Salvage Enzymes in Plasmodium falciparum for Novel Antimalarial Therapy”
Mentor: Dr. Vern Schramm, Department of Biochemistry

26th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 21, 2022

Hayden A. M. Hatch

For his work “Regulation of neuronal development and function by the intellectual disability-associated transcriptional regulator KDM5”
Mentor: Dr. Julie Secombe

Pablo J. Lituma, Ph.D. ‘22

For his work “Mechanisms of information transfer and storage in the mammalian hippocampus”
Mentor: Dr. Pablo Castillo

Maxim I. Maron, M.D., Ph.D. ‘23

For his work “Transcriptomic and proteomic regulation by protein arginine methyltransferases”
Mentor: Dr. David Shechter

Bianca A. Ulloa

For her work “Hematopoietic stem cells minimally contribute to embryonic hematopoiesis”
Mentor: Dr. Teresa Bowman

25th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 22, 2021

Helen Belalcazar, Ph.D. '21

For her work “The intellectual disability-associated protein KDM5 regulates synaptic structure and function”
Mentor: Dr. Julie Secombe Department of Genetics

Marta Gronska-Peski, Ph.D. '20

For her work “Diverse roles of FGFRs in the hippocampal adult neurogenesis”
Mentor: Dr. Jean Hebert Department of Neuroscience

Joshua Weinreb, M.D., Ph.D. '22

For his work “Uncovering the roles of DDX41 in hematopoiesis”
Mentors: Dr. Teresa Bowman, Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology

24th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 16, 2020

Jeetayu Biswas, M.D., Ph.D. '21

For his work “RNA binding proteins, mechanisms underlying recognition of targets”
Mentor: Dr. Robert Singer Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology

Hannah Monday, Ph.D. '21

For her work “Presynaptic protein synthesis supports structural and functional plasticity in the adult mammalian brain”
Mentor: Dr. Pablo Castillo Department of Neuroscience

Justin Wheat, M.D., Ph.D. '21

For his work “Single Molecule Imaging of Transcription Dynamics in Somatic Stem Cells”
Mentors: Dr. Ulrich Steidl, Department of Cell Biology and Dr. Robert Singer, Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology

23rd Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 18, 2019

Jiahao Chen, Ph.D. '19

For his work “Myelodysplastic Syndromes Progression to Acute Myeloid Leukemia at the Stem Cell Level”
Mentor: Dr. Ulirich Steidl Department of Cell Biology

Anthony Gizzi, Ph.D. '18

For his work “A naturally occurring antiviral ribonucleotide encoded by the human genome: A unifying mechanism for the antiviral effects of the radical SAM protein viperin”
Mentor: Dr. Steven Almo Department of Biochemistry

Penelope Ruiz, Ph.D. '19

For his work “Dissecting the functions of macroH2A1 in transcriptional regulation and the DNA damage response”
Mentor: Dr. Matthew Gamble Department of Molecular Pharmacology

22nd Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 19, 2018

Denis Reyna Ruiz, Ph.D. '18

For his work “Direct Activation of BAX by BTSA1 Overcomes Apoptosis Resistance in Acute Myeloid Leukemia”
Mentor: Dr. Evripidis Gavathiotis Department of Biochemistry

Christopher Warren, Ph.D. '18

For his work “Structural Regulation of Histone Chaperone Function by Intrinsically Disordered Regions and Acidic Streches”
Mentor: Dr. David Shechter Department of Biochemistry

Ali Zahalka, M.D., Ph.D. '19

For his work “Adrenergic nerves activate an angio-metabolic switch in prostate cancer”
Mentor: Dr. Paul Frenette Department of Cell Biology

21st Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 20, 2017

Longyue (Lily) Cao, M.D./Ph.D. '18

For her work “Control of mitochondrial function and cell growth by the atypical cadherin Fat1”
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Nicholas Sibinga Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology

Halley Pierce, Ph.D. '17

For her work “Central nervous system Chrm1 signals prime hematopoietic stem cells for mobilization via a glucocorticoid mediated relay”
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Paul Frenette Department of Cell Biology

Robert Stanley, M.D./Ph.D. '18

For his work “A myeloid tumor suppressor role for NOL3”
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Ulrich Steidl Department of Cell Biology

Anna Wec, Ph.D. '18

For her work “A ‘Trojan Horse’ Bispecific Antibody Strategy Broadly Protects Against Ebolaviruses”
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Kartik Chandran Department of Microbiology & Immunology

20th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 21, 2016

Philip D. Campbell, M.D./Ph.D. '17

For his work "Vital roles of Kinesins in development and disease in zebrafish"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Florence Marlow Department: Developmental and Molecular Biology

Fanny Cazettes, Ph.D. '16

For her work "How the brain handles sensory uncertainty"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Jose Luis Pena Department: Neuroscience

Veronica Miskolci, Ph.D. '16

For her work "Optical tools to study the isoform-specific roles of small GTPases in immune cells"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Dianne Cox & Dr. Louis Hodgson Department: Anatomy & Structural Biology

Dachuan Zhang, Ph.D. '16

For his work "Neutrophil aging is regulated by the microbiome"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Paul Frenette Department: Cell Biology

19th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 23, 2015

Rachel Freemont, M.D./Ph.D. '16

For her work "The role of the cerebellum and cerebello-basal ganglia interactions in dystoniar"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Kamran Khodakhah Department: Neuroscience

Jamie Schneider, M.D./Ph.D. '16

For her work "Consequences of selective blockage of chaperone-mediated autophagy in vivo"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Ana Maria Cuervo Department: Developmental & Molecular Biology

Thomas Younts, Ph.D. '14

For his work "Presynaptic forms of long-term plasticity in the mammalian hippocampus"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Pablo Castillo Department: Neuroscience

18th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 24, 2014

Michelle Antoine, Ph.D. '13

For her work "Impacts of inner ear dysfunction on brain activity and behavior"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Jean Hebert Department: Neuroscience

Adina Buxbaum, Ph.D. '14

For her work "Single beta-actin mRNA detection in neurons reveals a mechanism for regulating its translatability"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Robert H. Singer Department: Anatomy & Structural Biology

Carlyn Patterson, M.D./Ph.D. '14

For her work "Effects of adaptation in the visual motion processing hierarchy"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Adam Kohn Department: Neuroscience

17th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 18, 2013

Laura Barreyro, Ph.D. '14

For her work "Molecular characterization of stem and progenitor cells in acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Ulrich Steidl Department: Cell Biology

Hashem Dbouk, Ph.D. '13

For his work "Regulation of p110β signaling and functions by interacting proteins"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Jonathan Backer Department: Molecular Pharmacology

Xiaoxuan Jia, Ph.D. '12

For her work "Effects of adaptation in the visual motion processing hierarchy"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Adam Kohn Department: Neuroscience

Clarissa Melo Czekster, Ph.D. '12

For her work "Mechanistic characterization of enzymes involved in tetrahydrofolate biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. John Blanchard Department: Biochemistry

16th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 26, 2012

Abhishek Bhattacharya, Ph.D. '11

For his work "A Novel Transcriptional Network of Broadly Expressed HLH Genes: Regulating Tissue Specific Cell Fates"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Nicholas Baker Department: Genetics

Vivek Patel, M.D./Ph.D. '13

For his work "Spatial Arrangement of Conserved RNA Recognition Elements Marks Targets for Post-transcriptional Control"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Jonathan Backer Department: Anatomy & Structural Biology

Yong Zhang, Ph.D. '11

For his work "Targeting Pyrimidine Synthesis in Plasmodium Falciparum with Transition State Analogues of Orotate Phosphoribosyltransferase"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Vern L. Schramm Department: Biochemistry

15th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 21, 2011

Catherine Liu, M.D./Ph.D. '12

For her work "Unlocking the secrets of the E1 homotrimerization reaction during Semliki Forest virus membrane fusion"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Margaret Kielian Department: Cell Biology

Diany Paola Calderon, Ph.D. '10

For her work "The neural substrates of Rapid-Onset Dystonia-Parkinsonism"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Kamran Khodakhah Department: Neuroscience

Rotem Rubenstein, Ph.D. '11

For his work "Functional classification and structural characterization of immune regulatory proteins"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Steven Almo & Dr. Andras Fiser Department: Biochemistry

14th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 22, 2010

George Han, M.D./Ph.D. '11

For his work "Nitric Oxide Releasing Nanoparticles: Development, Characterization, and Application of a Novel Therapeutic"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Joel M. Friedman Department: Physiology & Biophysics

Kurt Marsden, Ph.D. '10

For his work "NMDA receptor activation potentiates inhibitory synapses in the hippocampus"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Reed Carroll Department: Neuroscience

Melissa Smith, Ph.D. '11

For her work "Development of targeted therapies for rhabdoid tumors based on the function of the INI1 tumor suppressor"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Ganjam V. Kalpana Department: Genetics

Hongbo Wang, Ph.D. '09

For his work "Rb deficiency-induced tumorigenesis depends on an Rb-Skp2-p27T187p pathway"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Liang Zhu Department: Developmental & Molecular Biology

13th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 23, 2009

Irene Jarchum, Ph.D. '09

For her work "From mice to men and back again: IGRP and insulin as targets of the autoimmune attack in type 1 diabetes"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Teresa DiLorenzo Department: Microbiology & Immunology

Susmita Kaushik, Ph.D. '08

For her work "Mechanisms of regulation of chaperone-mediated autophagy"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Ana Maria Cuervo Department: Developmental & Molecular Biology

Hyungbae Kwon, Ph.D. '08

For his work "Synaptic plasticity at hippocampal mossy fiber to CA3 pyramidal cell synapses"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Pablo Castillo Department: Neuroscience

Irene Puga, Ph.D. '08

For her work "Regulation of T cell anergy by Caspase 3"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Fernando Macian Department: Pathology

12th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 21, 2008

Boris Heifets, M.D./Ph.D. '09

For his work "Molecular mechanisms for a novel form of coincidence detection at inhibitory synapses in the brain"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Pablo Castillo Department: Neuroscience

Shaeri Mukherjee, Ph.D. '07

For her work "The role of the Golgi vesicle protein p115 in apoptosis and mitosis"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Dennis Shields Department: Developmental & Molecular Biology

Kyuang-Min Noh, Ph.D. '08

For her work "REST-dependent epigenetic remodeling of AMPA receptors is critical to ischemia induced neuronal death"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Michael Bennett & Dr. R. Suzanne Zukin Department: Neuroscience

11th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 29, 2007

Erhu Cao, Ph.D. '07

For his work "T Cell Immunoglobulin Mucin 3 Crystal Structure Reveals a Novel Ligand Binding Surface"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Stanley G. Nathenson Department: Cell Biology

Ashish Massey, Ph.D. '08, MD '13

For his work "Cellular Consequences of the Selective Blockage of Chaperone-mediated Autophagy"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Ana Maria Cuervo Department: Anatomy & Structural Biology

Sean McBride, M.D./Ph.D. '10

For his work "Pharmacological Reversal of Age Dependent Behavioral Plasticity Deficits in a Drosophila Model of Alzheimer's Disease"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Thomas V. McDonald Department: Molecular Pharmacology

10th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 22, 2006

Jelena Arnold, Ph.D. '06

For her work "Role of TBX1, the 22q11 Deletion Syndrome candidate gene, in mouse development"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Bernice Morrow Department: Genetics

Maofu Liao, Ph.D. '06

For his work "Characterization and Inhibition of Class II viral membrane fusion proteins"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Margaret Kielian Department: Cell Biology

Vipender Singh, Ph.D. '06

For his work "Transition States and Analogues for MTAP and MTAN "
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Vern Schramm Department: Biochemistry

Joy Walter, Ph.D. '07

For her work "Decreases in the precision of intrinsic Purkinjue cell pace-making cause cerebellar dysfunction and ataxia"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Kamran Khodakhah Department: Neuroscience

9th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, April 7, 2005

Laura Antar, M.D./Ph.D. '06

For her work "Sunrise at the synapse: FMRP shapes the synaptic interface"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Gary Bassell Department: Neuroscience

Peng Ji, Ph.D. '06

For his work "Skp2 connects Rb, cyclin A, and p27kip1 in oncogenesis"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Liang Zhu Department: Developmental & Molecular Biology

Utpal Pajvani, M.D./Ph.D. '05

For his work "FAT-ATTAC - an inducible, reversible fatless mouse model"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Philippe Scherer Department: Cell Biology

Huafeng Xie, Ph.D. '06

For his work "Stepwise reprogramming of B cells into macrophages"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Thomas Graf Department: Developmental & Molecular Biology

8th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 18, 2004

Eliah Aronoff-Spencer, M.D./Ph.D. '06

For his work "The structure and function of neurotoxic proteins: Biochemical and biophysical studies of metal binding and conformation-encoded pathogenesis of prion protein"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Peter Davies, Dr. Gary J. Gerfen, Dr. Jack Peisach Department: Physiology & Biophysics

Scott Lieberman, M.D./Ph.D. '05

For his work "A study of pathogenic CD8˖ T Cells in autoimmune diabetes"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Teresa DiLorenzo Department: Microbiology & Immunology

Michael Rajala, M.D./Ph.D. '05

For his work "The role of resistin in insulin resistance and Type II Diabetes"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Philippe Scherer Department: Cell Biology

7th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 27, 2003

Don Gibbons, M.D./Ph.D. '04

For his work "Biochemical and structural studies of the semliki forest virus fusion protein"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Margaret Kielian Department: Cell Biology

Yonathan Melman, M.D./Ph.D. '05

For his work "Control of the KvLQT1 potassium channel by KCNE proteins"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Thomas V. McDonald Department: Molecular Pharmacology

Caroline Woo, Ph.D. '03

For her work "V region chromatin modifications are associated with the induction of mutation in BL2 cells"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Matthew D. Scharff Department: Cell Biology

6th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 21, 2002

Anna Kagan, M.D./Ph.D. '04

For her work "14-3-3 Mediates PKA Regulation of the Herg K˖ Channel"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Thomas V. McDonald Department: Molecular Pharmacology

Brett Lewis, M.D./Ph.D. '04

For his work "Isotope Effects and Molecular Changes in Glucose: Anomeric Equilibrium and Binding to Human Brain Hexokinase"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Vern Schramm Department: Biochemistry

Babak Razani, M.D./Ph.D. '03

For his work "Caveolin-1 Deficient mice are lean, resistant to diet-induced obesity, and show hypertriglyceridemia with adipocyte abnormalities"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Michael Lisanti Department: Molecular Pharmacology

Jean-Claude Schwartz, M.D./Ph.D. '03

For his work "Structural basis for T cell regulation by CTLA-4"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Stanley G. Nathenson Department: Microbiology & Immunology

Xuewu Zhang, Ph.D. '03

For his work "Structural basis for T cell regulation by CTLA-4"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Stanley G. Nathenson Department: Cell Biology

5th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 22, 2001

Gregory Kicska, M.D./Ph.D. '03

For his work "Disrupting purine salvage is selectively toxic to T-Cells and plasmodium falciparum"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Vern L. Schramm Department: Biochemistry

Jian-Yu Lan, Ph.D. '01

For his work "Protein kinase C modulates NMDA receptor trafficking and gating"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. R. Suzanne Zukin Department: Neuroscience

Amnon Schlegel, M.D./Ph.D. '02

For his work "Caveolin-1 , mechanistic insights into membrane attachment"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Michael Lisanti Department: Molecular Pharmacology

4th Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 23, 2000

Alexis Kalergis, Ph.D. '00

For her work "Role of αβ TCR complementarity-determining regions in antigen binding, recognition and T cell function"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Stanley G. Nathenson Department: Microbiology & Immunology

Wenjie Luo, Ph.D. '01

For her work "Membrane Traffic and Quality Control in Yeast"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Amy Chang Department: Anatomy & Structural Biology

Igor Matushansky, M.D./Ph.D. '01

For his work "Reprogramming Tumor Cells into Terminal Differentiation:  Role of Cell Cycle Regulators"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Athur Skoultchi Department: Cell Biology

3rd Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, March 25, 1999

Benjamin Braunheim, Ph.D. '99

For his work "Theoretical Prediction of Binding Affinity and the Design of Bioactive Properties"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Steven Schwartz Department: Physiology & Biophysics

Richard Lee, M.D./Ph.D. '01

For his work "Follicle Cell Expression of the Drosophila pipe Gene Defines Dorsal Ventral Polarity in the Embryo"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. David Stein Department: Molecular Genetics

Jonaki Sen, Ph.D. '01

For his work "Follicle Cell Expression of the Drosophila pipe Gene Defines Dorsal Ventral Polarity in the Embryo"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. David Stein Department: Molecular Genetics

Wei Tong, Ph.D. '00

For his work "Sex Steroid Hormone Regulation of the Cell Cycle and Its Impact on Female Fertility"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Pollard Department: Developmental & Molecular Biology

2nd Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, April 9, 1998

Shani Bialik, Ph.D. '98

For her work "Molecular Regulators of Ischemia-Induced Cardiac Myocyte Apoptosiss"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Richard Kitsis Department: Cell Biology

Nicole Mahoney, Ph.D. '99

For her work "The Role of Profilin in Site Specific Actin Assembly"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Steve Almo Department: Biochemistry

Oleg Varlamov, Ph.D. '98

For his work "Carboxypeptidases in the Processing and Sorting of Neuroendocrine Peptides"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Lloyd Fricker Department: Molecular Pharmacology

1st Annual Julius Marmur Awardees, April 17, 1997

Mark Mu-Quan Lin, Ph.D. '97

For his work "Antibody V Region Hypermutation  in Vitro"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Matthew D. Scharff Department: Cell Biology

Magali Reyes, M.D./Ph.D. '99

For her work "Must what goes up, come down?  Investigations of the Signal Transduction Cascades Involved in Long-Term Depression of Synaptic Transmissions."
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Patric K. Stanton Department: Neuroscience

Tsu-Shuen Tsao, Ph.D. '97

For his work "Role of Skeletal Muscle Glucose Transporter 4 (GLUT4) in Micro- and Macro-Glucosde Homeostasis"
Thesis Mentor: Dr. Maureen Charron Department: Biochemistry