We are thrilled to announce the fall 2025 recipients of the De Lille Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics!
Awarded twice a year, these grants help graduate students and postdocs take the next step in their careers—whether they’re attending a scientific meeting, taking a lab course, or connecting with the broader genetics community.
The award honors the legacy of Dale Nassar, a visionary leader and beloved mentor who championed “real genetics” during his decades of service at the National Science Foundation. Known for his strong support of early-career scientists and his passion for bold, new ideas, Nasser left an indelible mark on the field.
Please join us in congratulating this season’s recipients!
Tematope Adebombo, Emory University
Research Interests: I study how genes and environmental exposures interact to drive brain development and how disruptions in these processes lead to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.
Dashiell Desravens, University of Central Florida
Research Topic: My research uses fruit flies to study how nutrients essential for survival are taken up through the gut.
Harrison EstesUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
Research Topic: I study how pathogenic fungi reprogram gene expression and metabolism to combat metal stress from the host immune system and competing microbes.
Kenya Grimaldo, Sam Houston State University
Research Topic: My research investigates mitochondrial changes prior to cachexia muscle wasting using a Drosophila larval tumor model.
Montana Lara, University of California, San Diego
Research Topic: I study how genetic variation affects complex neurobehavior and disease using quantitative genetics and model biology.
Kimberly Louiser, University at Buffalo, SUNY
Research Topic: Longevity-Related Gene Duplication in a Family of Freshwater-Sucking Species.
Gonan Mamisoglu, University of Chicago
Research Topic: I am exploring how cells detect and respond to DNA damage to protect their genomic integrity.
Happy Opula., University of Louisville
Research topic: I study how genetic differences affect how much food fruit flies eat, to help us better understand the biology of hunger and metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
Amber Ridgway, University of Pennsylvania
Research topic: How and why adaptive evolution at the nuclear lamina preserves the integrity of the early embryonic genome.
Nicolas Vergara Ruiz, Cornell University
Research topic: How “at-me” signals are regulated and recognized during neuronal degeneration.
