Our lab features some of the best and brightest doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members, and staff. The accolades they have received reflect that.
- Dr. Athanasiou, Elected to the National Academy of Engineering, 2025
- Dr. Athanasiou, Distinguished Senior Faculty Award for Research (“the most prestigious award University of California faculty members can receive from their colleagues”), 2025
- Dr. Athanasiou, Robert A. Pritzker Distinguished Lectureship Award – Biomedical Engineering Society, 2024
- Ryan Donahue, UCI Beall Applied Innovation’s Graduate Innovation Fellowship, 2023-2024
- Special Issue in journal Tissue Engineering honoring Dr. Kyriacos A. Athanasiou organized by Drs. Guilak, Detamore, Espinosa, and Hu (February 2025)
- Dr. Athanasiou, Honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc. honoris causa), New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY, 2024 (also commencement speaker)
- Benjamin Bielajew, F32 Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award – National Institutes of Health, 2023-2026
- Dr. Athanasiou, Lifetime Achievement Award – Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS), 2023
- Dr. Athanasiou, Herbert Voigt Award – Biomedical Engineering Society, 2022
- Dr. Athanasiou, Lifetime Achievement Award – Federation of Cypriot-American Organizations, 2022
- Wendy Brown, L’Oréal For Women in Science Fellowship, 2020
- Nathan Castro, Diversity Supplement – National Institutes of Health, 2020
- Jessica Herrera, Graduate Research Fellowship Program – National Science Foundation, 2020
- Jessica Herrera, UROP Fellowship Grant – UCI Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, 2020
- Gabriela Espinosa, Diversity Supplement – National Institutes of Health, 2019
- Jessica Herrera, Gutierrez Family STEM Fellowship – California Alliance for Minority Participation, 2019
- Jessica Herrera, UROP Fellowship Grant – UCI Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, 2019
- Rachel Nordberg, Post-Doctoral Fellowship from the NIH-funded ICTS TL1 Training Award, 2019
- Erik Gonzalez-Leon, Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study – Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 2018
- Erik Gonzalez-Leon, Graduate Research Fellowship Program – National Science Foundation, 2018
- Evelia Salina, Diversity Fellowship – National Institutes of Health, 2018
- Dr. Athanasiou, Savio L-Y. Woo Translational Biomechanics Medal – American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2018
- Le Huwe, Alumni Travel Award – Amgen Scholar, 2016
- Wendy Brown, Summer Graduate Student Research Award – UC Davis, 2016
- Wendy Brown, Travel Award – UC Davis Biomedical Engineering Graduate Group, 2016
- Wendy Brown, Best Oral Presentation – Biomedical Engineering Graduate Group Research Conference, 2016
- Jeni Lee, Zuhair A. Munir Best Dissertation Award – UC Davis College of Engineering, 2016
- Jarrett Link, Graduate Research Fellowship Program – National Science Foundation, 2016 – 2019
- Jamie White, Mentored Clinical Research Training Program – National Institutes of Health, 2015 – 2017
- Jamie White, Year-Long Exposure to Advanced Research (YEAR) Program for Vet Students – National Institutes of Health, 2014 – 2015
- Joanna Quach, Provost Undergraduate Fellowship – UC Davis, Summer/Fall 2013
- Gina MacBarb, P.E.O. Scholar Award, 2013 – 2014
- Kyriacos Athanasiou, Nemitsas Prize, 2012
- Wendy Brown, International Space Station Research Competition winner – Space Florida, 2012
- Meghan Murphy, Graduate Research Fellowship Program – National Science Foundation, 2012 – 2015
- Eleftherios Makris, Montreal scholarship for the 10th World Congress of the ICRS – International Cartilage Repair Society, 2012
- Eleftherios Makris, Scholarship – International Cartilage Repair Society, 2011-2012
- Pasha Hadidi, Fellowship – HHMI-IMBS, 2011
- Gina MacBarb, training grant – National Institutes of Health, 2011
- Dr. Grayson DuRaine, Arthritis Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2011
- Andrew Reimer, Thomas J. Watson Memorial Scholarship, 2010
- Gina MacBarb, NIH training grant, 2010
- Najmuddin Gunja, BMES Graduate Student Award, 2008
- Benjamin Elder, 1st place, ASME Summer Bioengineering Conference Ph.D. student podium competition, July 2008 (Keystone, CO)
- Benjamin Elder, 1st place, Rice University Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering Annual Symposium, student poster competition, July 1008
- Dena Wiltz, AGEP Fellowship, 2008
- Johannah Sanchez-Adams, AGEP Fellowship, 2008
- Donald Responte, NIH Biotech Fellowship, 2008
- Ben Lu, an undergraduate student in our lab, was chosen to participate in the 2008 NanoJapan Program in Japan
- Gidon Ofek, Nanobiology Fellowship through the Gulf Coact Consortuum, February 2008
- Gidon Ofek, 1st place, Keck Annual Research Conference, poster competition, October 12, 2007
- Gidon Ofek, Nanobiology Fellowship through the Gulf Coast Consortium, August 2007
- Gwendolyn Hoben, 1st place, Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering 3rd Annual Conference graduate poster competition, July 2007
- Roman Natoli, 3rd place, ASME Summer Bioengineering Conference Ph.D. student podium competition, July 2007 (Keystone, CO)
- Chris Revell, 2nd place, ASME Summer Bioengineering Conference PH.D. student poster competition, July 2007 (Keystone, CO)
- Najmuddin Gunja, 1st place, ASME Summer Bioengineering Conference Ph.D. student poster competition, July 2007 (Keystone, CO)
- Ben Elder, NIH Technology Grant, June 2007
- Eugene Koay, 3rd place, Rice BIOE recruiting poster competition, March 2006
- Kyle Allen, 1st place, NSF IGERT poster competition, 2006
- Eugene Koay, 2nd place, NSF IGERT poster competition, 2006
- Zaven Sargsyan, 1st place, Undergraduate Research in Biosciences, poster session, Fall 2005
- Zaven Sargsyan, 3rd place, IGERT Undergraduate research program, Summer 2005
- Roman Natoli, selected for participation in the NASE Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Microbes in Space (MIS) Workshop, July 2005
- Dr. Michael Detamore, Best Thesis Prize, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Rice-TMC Chapter of Sigma Xi, 2005
- Jean Bao, 1st place, Division of Engineering, Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium, 2005
- Alejandro Almarza, Winner of Bioengineering Graduate Recruiting Poster Competition, 2005
- Dr. Rajesh Uthamanthil, Career Advancement Fellowship, Orthopaedic Research Society, 2005
- Alejandro Almarza, Morse Fellowship, 2005
- Kyle Allen, 1st prize, NSF IGERT poster competition, 2005
- Varun Rachakonda (St. Johns High School, Houston, TX), semi-finalist, Siemens Westinghouse Science Competition, 2004
- Rohan Balsaver (St. Johns High School, Houston, TX), semi-finalist, Siemens Westinghouse Science Competition
- Danika Hayman, 1st place, BIOE 400, Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium, 2004
- Kyle Allen, recipient of NSF IGERT Fellowship, 2004
- Eugene Koay, recipient of NSF IGERT Fellowship, 2004
- Sriram Eleswarapu, 2nd place, Division of Engineering, Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium, 2004
- Eric Darling, winner of the 2004 Second Annual Poster Competition (cellular & molecular engineering)
- Sriram Eleswarapu, 2nd place, Division of Engineering, Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium, 2003
- Sriram Eleswarapu, 1st place, BIOE 400, Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium, 2003
- Eric Darling, Michael Detamore, Corey Scott, and Adrian Shieh, BMES Student Travel Awards, 2003
- Michael Detamore, recipient of the 2003 Nettie S. Autrey Fellowship
- Dr. Margaret French, recipient of NRSA NIH (NIAMS) research fellowship 2003-2006
- BMES Student Chapter, Rice University, Honorable Mention Award, BMES Annual Meeting, 2002
- Sriram Eleswarapu, 1st place Co-Winner, NSF Rice IGERT Undergraduate Award, 2002
- Rohan Wagle, 1st place Co-Winner, NSF Rice IGERT Undergraduate Award, 2002
- Livia Van, 3rd place, NSF Rice IGERT Undergraduate Award, 2002
- Adam AufderHeide, recipient of NSF IGERT Fellowship, 2002
- Michael Detamore, recipient of Whitaker Foundation Fellowship and NSF Fellowship, 2001
- BMES Student Chapter, Rice University, Honorable Mention Award, BMES Annual Meeting, 2001
- Eugene Koay, Winner of BMES Whitaker Undergraduate Award, 2001
- Julie Horng and Adrian Shieh, BMES Student Travel Awards, 2001
- Adrian Shieh, NSF GK-12 Fellowship, 2001
- Adrian Shieh, recipient of Whitaker Foundation Fellowship, NDSEG Fellowship, and Rice Presidential Fellowship, 2000