OVPR Announces 2026-2027 Brown Graduate Fellowship Cohort

Twelve Iowa State University graduate students have been selected to receive a total of $120,000 in Brown Graduate Fellowship Program funding supporting strategic university research for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Established in 2011 and administered by the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR), the annual Brown Graduate Fellowship Program is used to advance Iowa State research in areas of study – science, agriculture, and space science – covered by the Valentine Hammes Family and Leopold Hammes Brown Family Trust. Each year, an internal review committee selects a group of Ph.D. or master’s degree students from across the university to receive $10,000 each in institutional funding, which can be used to enhance existing fellowships, partially fund a fellowship, or assist with recruitment of new graduate students.

The 12 recipients forming the new cohort were selected from a pool of 23 accomplished candidates. A committee of research faculty from across campus made their selections after reviewing the nomination letters provided be each candidate’s respective director of graduate education (DOGE).

“The Brown Graduate Fellowship is a vital program for helping our institution achieve our strategic aspiration of being the most student-centric research university in the nation,” said Vice President for Research, Peter Dorhout. “The depth of the 2026-2027 cohort is a credit not only to the creativity and innovation of these exceptional graduate students, but to the mentors and departments that have helped cultivate environments for these young scholars to achieve research and academic excellence.”

Here is a synopsis of each 2026-2027 Brown Graduate Fellowship recipient as shared by their nominating DOGE.

Meet the 2026-2027 Recipients

Yao Abusa

Graduate Program: Inorganic Chemistry

Nominated by: Young-Jin Lee, professor and DOGE, Chemistry

Lee: “Yao Abusa is an exemplary student, a role model to many in our graduate program. Yao joined our graduate program in 2021 and passed (his)

Ph.D. preliminary exam in 2023. He is a (high achievement) individual, among the very top of hundreds of Ph.D. students in our graduate program in the last few years. Yao has already made eight publications at Iowa State, including four as the first author. All four first-author papers are published in highly prestigious chemistry journals. Considering he is preparing a few more publications, he is expected to publish a dozen papers in peer-reviewed journals by the time he graduates. Yao received the Joseph F. Nelson Graduate Scholarship from the department – one of the highest honors in our graduate program, selecting only one a year – and made 12 oral and poster presentations.

“Beyond his research excellence, Yao is an outstanding mentor. He supervised undergraduate researcher Emma Ross, who coauthored two publications and will enter graduate school. Yao is also deeply committed to outreach. He actively participated in chemistry demonstrations at Fellows Elementary School in Ames and at the Des Moines Science Center, sharing the beauty of chemistry and inspiring young students to pursue science.

“In every respect – intellectual ability, creativity, independence, leadership, and mentorship – Yao Abusa stands out as a truly exceptional scientist. I am confident that he possesses all the qualities necessary to become a first-class researcher and excel in an academic career.”

Abdulrahman A.B.A. Mohammed

Graduate Program: Mechanical Engineering

Nominated by: Pranav Shrotriya, Bahadur Manorama and Shyam Bahadur Professor and DOGE, Mechanical Engineering

Shrotriya: “Abdul is beginning his fourth year of PhD study advised by professor Xianglan Bai in Mechanical Engineering and his research focuses on the development of low-cost, high-performance carbon fiber for commercial applications. His work addresses a critical barrier to the widespread adoption of carbon fiber – its high cost – by developing scalable bioresource-based alternatives to petroleum-based polyacrylonitrile (PAN).

“Abdul’s research productivity over the last three years has been exceptional. He has authored eight peer-reviewed journal publications, contributed one book chapter, filed one U.S. provisional patent, received a first-place poster award at an international conference, and accumulated more than 670 citations. These accomplishments reflect both the significance of his research and his ability to execute complex, interdisciplinary work at a very high level. Based on my close interaction with Abdul, I can state with confidence that he is an outstanding researcher with strong technical depth, excellent problem-solving skills, and a clear vision for translating fundamental research into practical solutions. I believe he will continue to make significant contributions to advanced materials research and manufacturing.”

Olajesu Olanrewaju

Graduate Program: Materials Science and Engineering

Nominated by: Patrick Johnson, professor and associate chair for Graduate Education and Research, Materials Science and Engineering

Johnson: “Olajesu Olanrewaju is a doctoral researcher in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering where he has distinguished himself as an exceptionally driven, intellectually rigorous, and highly productive scholar. Since the onset of his graduate training under the tutelage of Dr. Sid Pathak, he has consistently demonstrated the depth of curiosity, technical sophistication, and leadership capacity that are symbolic of future leaders in materials science and engineering.

“Mr. Olanrewaju’s scholarly productivity is exceptional. He is the author or co-author of multiple peer-reviewed journal articles (over 10), book chapters, and a published textbook . . . Beyond publications, Mr. Olanrewaju is an outstanding scientific communicator. He has given over 14 technical presentations (oral and poster) at premier international conferences . . . Equally notable is his commitment to mentorship and teaching. Mr. Olanrewaju has mentored multiple undergraduate researchers (5) and Boeing Fellowship awardees (2), providing hands-on training in experimental mechanics, microscopy, and data analysis, while also offering guidance on scientific writing.

“Mr. Olanrewaju is an outstanding researcher, a proven leader, and a scholar of exceptional promise. I am confident that he will make full use of the opportunities provided by this fellowship and will continue to make significant contributions to materials science and engineering throughout his career.”

Vivek Garg

Graduate Program: Chemical Engineering

Nominated by: Zengyi Shao, Hershel B. Whitney Professor, Global Initiatives, and DOGE, Chemical and Biological Engineering

Shao: “Vivek Garg’s doctoral work aligns directly with Brown Fellowship priorities through an ambitious, process-centered approach to sustainable polymer manufacturing. His research program targets a key barrier limiting real-world adoption of compostable polymers: brittle performance and narrow processing windows in widely used bioplastics such as polylactic acid and poly(butylene succinate). Vivek is developing compostable core–shell acrylic impact modifiers and demonstrating their viability in realistic manufacturing pathways, including injection molding and 3D-printed filament production.

“Vivek has already produced results that reflect exceptional technical maturity and research execution. In his preliminary work on compostable, impact-modified blends, he reports approximately 15–20× improvements in impact strength, while also recognizing the manufacturing reality that toughness alone is insufficient unless viscosity control, melt flow, and printability are addressed through chemical engineering-informed design. This ‘manufacturing-first’ framing is one of Vivek’s defining strengths: he couples green synthesis and polymer architecture design with rheology, processing constraints, and scale-up considerations that are central to Iowa State’s land-grant mission and translational research culture.

“I consider Vivek integral to advancing Iowa State research in sustainable polymers and scalable manufacturing. His work is technically strong, aligned with institutional research priorities, and positioned to produce durable capability gains for (the university) through methods transfer, collaboration networks, and publishable datasets that enable future funding and research growth.”

Alexandra Grajales

Graduate Program: Geology

Nominated by: Elizabeth Swanner, professor and DOGE, Geology and Earth Science

Swanner: “Alexandra Grajales came to Iowa State with an impressive research experience in geology, paleontology, and geochemistry. Her PhD research focuses on using nitrogen and carbon analyses of modern, historical, and fossil plants. Alexandra has developed the first ever analytical approach to quantify nitrogen from fossil leaves . . . Alexandra is specifically measuring the nitrogen composition of alder fossils from the Eocene about 50 million years ago . . . This work is “integral to advancing research at Iowa State within her field of study” because Alexandra’s particular lab skills, and her overall approach of integrating modern, historical, and fossil data is unique in our research community.

Alexandra currently has an impressive CV of journal publications, presentations, and awards. She is a co-author on two manuscripts from undergraduate research on paleontology in Puerto Rico and is currently preparing two first-author manuscripts from her PhD: one on nitrogen methods for measuring fossil plants and another on changes observed in plant geochemistry over the industrial revolution. Her PhD will lead to one or two more manuscripts.

“Alexandra is spending the 2025-2026 academic year at the Smithsonian Institution as a pre-doctoral fellow. This award is highly competitive, and her success in being selected demonstrates her research creativity and clarity of communication. Beyond her research acumen, Alexandra has been an outstanding and valuable member of our department’s teaching mission . . .  Overall, Alexandra has instructed over 350 students, investing the time and effort to provide positive feedback on assignments. Every faculty member she has been a TA for has requested her again, which is a sign of real character and quality of work.”

Michael Carroll

Graduate Program: Animal Science

Nominated by: Nicholas Gabler, J.F. Patience Professor in Swine Nutrition and DOGE, Animal Science

Gabler: “I have had the opportunity to work closely with Michael Carroll in his graduate training at Iowa State and can state without reservation that he is an exceptional scholar whose research, leadership, and service directly advance our university’s mission in science and agriculture. Michael is a Ph.D. student in Animal Science . . . Under the supervision of his major professor, Dr. Liz Bobeck, his research integrates poultry nutrition, immunology, and microbiology to address critical challenges in animal health and protein production. Importantly, his research generates practical, science-based solutions that improve health, productivity, and product quality in layer and turkey systems, directly benefiting Iowa’s layer and turkey industries and strengthening the state’s agricultural economy. His work exemplifies the goals of the Brown Graduate Fellowship by strategically advancing agricultural research with direct relevance to industry, food security, and human nutrition.

“Michael has already established a strong publication and presentation record for his career stage, with multiple peer-reviewed manuscripts published in leading journals in his field of research. Equally impressive is Michael’s leadership and service to Iowa State. He has served in numerous governance roles, and his leadership reflects professionalism, collegiality, and a genuine commitment to improving graduate education and research culture at the university. In summary, Michael exemplifies the academic excellence, research productivity, leadership, and service that the Brown Graduate Fellowship was created to support.”

Amlan Datta

Graduate Program: Condensed Matter Physics

Nominated by: Charles Kerton, professor and DOGE, Physics and Astronomy

Kerton: “Amlan Datta is a fifth-year graduate student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Broadly Amlan’s research is in superconductivity – a physical phenomenon in which certain materials, under certain conditions (e.g., pressure, temperature), allow electric current to flow without any resistance . . . Specifically, as a graduate researcher at the Department of Energy (DOE) Ames National Laboratory, and an active collaborator in the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems (SQMS) Center, he investigates how microstructure, interfaces, disorder, and processing conditions in niobium- and tantalum-based superconducting quantum computing devices (e.g., the material-level limitations) influence quasiparticle dynamics, vortex behavior, and electromagnetic loss mechanisms relevant to qubit coherence (i.e., physical processes crucial to having functioning quantum computing technology). Solving these issues is a crucial step towards enabling scalable and reliable quantum computing, and his research is aligned squarely with various national initiatives and DOE priorities.

“In addition to research excellence, Amlan has demonstrated a strong commitment to education, as evidenced by his receiving multiple teaching excellence awards at both the departmental and university levels. He has also trained two undergraduate students on experimental cryogenic measurements in line with our departmental and university focus on providing students with valuable opportunities to participate in the research effort of Iowa State.

“Amlan’s research strengthens the strategic joint venture of Iowa State and Ames National Laboratory by advancing quantum materials research that is directly aligned with DOE mission priorities. His work also strongly aligns with the newly launched DOE Genesis mission by advancing foundational science that underpins next-generation information and energy-efficient computing technologies.”

Mercy Azanu

Graduate Program: Plant Biology

Nominated by: Marna Yandeau-Nelson, chair, Interdepartmental Plant Biology graduate program

Yandeau-Nelson: “Mercy Azanu has been conducting her PhD research with Dr. Kan Wang in the Agronomy Department. Mercy’s work has focused on improving both maize and sorghum transformation. Dr. Wang is most impressed by Mercy’s contributions to sorghum transformation. Sorghum has long been considered a highly recalcitrant crop for genetic modification, posing major challenges to researchers. Mercy’s recent manuscript, titled “Optimization of Agrobacterium-Mediated Seedling Leaf Transformation Across Multiple Sorghum Genotypes,” describes a transformation method adopted and modified by Mercy that utilizes morphogenic transcription factors to improve the transformation of several recalcitrant sorghum varieties and includes a mechanism to remove the genes encoding these transcription factors after successful transformation. Moreover, the publication details successful CRISPR-based genome editing in sorghum using this transformation system. . . The article has already had 1,485 views since its online publication on November 29, 2025, underscoring its likely future impact in the field.

“Mercy’s research is integral to advancing Iowa State University’s mission in the areas of science and agriculture because it directly addresses one of the most pressing global challenges – to ensure food, feed, and biofuel security for a growing population. Her innovative contributions to the improvement of genetic transformation methodology highlight her potential to tackle critical challenges in plant biology and biotechnology.

“Mercy is not only an accomplished researcher; she is a strong leader. Mercy has taken on multiple leadership roles at Iowa State, simultaneously excelling as a researcher, mentor, and community leader. Mercy is a person of remarkable character. As described by Dr. Wang, she is humble, respectful, and highly collaborative, earning the trust and admiration of her peers and of faculty. Her organizational skills, enthusiasm, and commitment underlie her research successes. Dr. Wang states ‘Her ability to persevere and excel in the face of challenges speaks volumes about her character and commitment to research.’”

Alhassan Abdalla

Graduate Program: Kinesiology

Nominated by: Jason Gillette, associate professor, director, Kinesiology Graduate Program

Gillette: “Alhassan Abdalla is an exceptional early-career scientist whose research contributions already play a central role in advancing Iowa State University’s research capacity in space biology, mechanobiology, and translational physiology. Mr. Abdalla is far more than a trainee executing predefined tasks. He demonstrates clear intellectual ownership of his research program and is instrumental in establishing new experimental capabilities at Iowa State University. He designed and executed the first hindlimb unloading animal experiments conducted in our program, providing foundational infrastructure for future spaceflight analog studies. He independently performs complex tissue-level and molecular analyses, including histology, protein isolation and fractionation, and immunoblotting. He also leads multi-omics data analysis and bioinformatics workflows through NASA-affiliated platforms, such as GeneLab initiatives.

“Mr. Abdalla’s research productivity and trajectory are further evidenced by his growing scholarly output. He presented first-author work at institutional and national venues, including studies on sex-specific exosome cargo alterations during spaceflight and circulating extracellular vesicle miRNA signatures of spaceflight-induced stress. In addition, he is a co-author on a peer-reviewed book chapter on skeletal muscle adaptation to spaceflight and is currently preparing a first-author manuscript focused on exosomes as biomarkers of physiological stress during spaceflight. . . . Beyond his research, Mr. Abdalla makes meaningful contributions to the academic mission of the department and the university. He served as a teaching assistant for multiple semesters, mentors undergraduate honors-program students, one of whom has transitioned into a paid undergraduate research role (URA program) and participates in departmental service through committee involvement.

“In summary, Mr. Abdalla represents the type of graduate scholar this fellowship was designed to support: a Ph.D. trainee whose work is already advancing ISU’s research profile in strategically important areas, who demonstrates independence and leadership well ahead of career stage, and whose trajectory points toward sustained contributions to science, space biology, and translational physiology.”

Bruno do Rosario Petrucci

Graduate Program: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Nominated by: Dean Adams, DOGE, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program

Adams: “Bruno do Rosario Petrucci is a Ph.D. candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB). His research, which focuses on the development and application of statistical phylogenetic methods for understanding macroevolutionary processes, is highly interdisciplinary and cutting-edge. Bruno combines mathematical modeling, phylogenetics, and paleontology to unravel the tempo and mode of evolution in organisms. What’s more, he develops new software for others, thereby providing the scientific community access to the cutting-edge tools he develops.

“One area where Bruno’s work breaks new ground is at the interface of contemporary organismal diversity and paleobiology. As an undergraduate, Bruno trained as a paleontologist, and so he understands that patterns in the fossil record can alter the trajectory of contemporary evolution. Likewise, he knows that biological patterns estimated entirely from living taxa can sometimes be misled. To evaluate this, he developed a novel simulation study to investigate how fossil data impact estimates of speciation, extinction, and state transition rates across the tree of life. His work was instrumental in demonstrating that the inclusion of fossil data in analyses of state- dependent speciation and extinction rates improves the accuracy and precision of rate estimates. This work was recently published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (do Rosario Petrucci et al., 2025).

“Beyond his dissertation work, Bruno is an active collaborator, both at Iowa State and beyond. For instance, with his PhD advisor and collaborators at the University of Chicago, he has developed an NSF proposal which will strengthen connections between the two institutions through a joint project that leverages the new methods Bruno develops for use on empirical projects regarding canid macroevolution. Perhaps most astounding is the fact that Bruno’s active research program has progressed while he served as a TA nearly every semester. Further, Bruno dedicates as much to his teaching as he does to his research and has garnered two teaching awards: A TEX from the Graduate College and a Departmental Teaching Award. Clearly, Bruno embodies what Iowa State strives to foster in our graduate students: that they become academics and scholars.”

Douglas Kamaru

Graduate Program: Wildlife Ecology

Nominated by: Michael Weber, professor and DOGE, Natural Resource Ecology and Management

Weber: “Douglas Kamaru’s proposed work has a very good chance of doing three things simultaneously, each making him worthy of consideration for the honor of a Brown Graduate Fellowship. First, Douglas’ research itself is top-notch. Through a combination of intense familiarity with his study system and a network of collaborators, Douglas has been able to identify connections that many of his collaborators overlooked. Second, Douglas’ research has applications for real-world conservation. Douglas has dedicated serious time and effort to building and maintaining partnerships with a multitude of government wildlife authorities and non-government organizations. As a result of his understated, collegial personality, Douglas is able to bring stakeholders together, building connections to not only maximize impact from his dissertation but to form the scientific basis for lion conservation plans formulated by the Kenya Wildlife Service. Results from Douglas’ dissertation will be used to implement a standardized and systematic series of surveys to monitor lion populations across the country. Third, Douglas’ work has great promise for education and outreach in Kenya, and East Africa more broadly. He is a natural teacher. He co-taught a field course for undergraduates with his PhD advisor, Dr. Jake Goheen, in 2019, 2022, and 2024. Further, Douglas worked to show our undergraduates how location “clusters” from telemetered lions could be used to generate data on how, when, and where lions made kills, and why such data were important. In addition, Douglas regularly hosts field activities for Kenyan high school and university students, who are uniformly impressed to see one of their own doing such work (historically, lion research has been the exclusive purview of western researchers).

“Douglas also has another critical skill for young scientists – the ability to finish things. This was exemplified in his recent lead-authored paper, published in Science, that was covered by over 100 local, national, and international media outlets (including Science Friday, NPR’s All Things Considered, TED Ed Talks, and others). Although this was a major effort – involving approximately 20 collaborators from Kenya, the U.S., Canada, and Argentina – this work was entirely his, and Douglas was responsible for building collaborative networks in the spirit of doing science and conservation. He is truly a superb young scientist and educator.”

Adam Yakubu

Graduate Program: Soil Science

Nominated by: Bradley Miller, associate professor and DOGE for Soil Science

Miller: “Adam Yakubu – a third-year PhD student – is an exceptional scholar whose research, leadership, and academic trajectory embody the highest standards of our graduate program. Adam’s doctoral research addresses a critical challenge in Midwestern agriculture: improving nitrogen and sulfur management in corn-based cropping systems while reducing nutrient losses to Iowa’s water resources. His work uses advanced isotopic tracing to understand how overwintering cover crops contribute to nutrient cycling. This work is strategically important, as it directly supports Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy and the university’s leadership in sustainable nutrient management.

“Adam’s record of achievement is outstanding. In 2025, he was selected as the Outstanding Graduate Student at the North Central Extension‐Industry Soil Fertility Conference. That same year, he secured a highly competitive USDA‐NIFA NCR‐SARE Graduate Student Grant ($19,998), placing him among the top proposals selected from 132 submissions across the North Central region. His publication record includes peer‐reviewed articles in Catena, Field Crops Research, Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, and the Journal of the American Society of Agronomy, demonstrating exceptional productivity.

“Adam is equally impressive in his professional conduct and contributions to our graduate community. He is collaborative, intellectually generous, and deeply committed to applying science to real‐world agricultural challenges. His interdisciplinary background, spanning soil science, agricultural engineering, and remote sensing, enables him to approach complex problems with multidisciplinary expertise and technical depth. His research excellence, leadership potential, and commitment to science and agriculture make Adam an ideal candidate for the Brown Graduate Fellowship.”