Awards

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences recognizes the exceptional achievements of its faculty and staff.

Yanhai Yin, genetics, development and cell biology (GDCB) chair and professor, was named a 2025 Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher. 

Iowa State University undergraduate student Ella McGrath is one of 12 students who received a newly funded scholarship this semester, the Wentz-Griswold Agricultural Undergraduate Research Scholars Award.

A mentee of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology Associate Professor Dior Kelley, Ella McGrath, received World Food Prize honors as she was named the 2025 Lambert "Hunger Fighter" Scholar.

Congratulations to GDCB Associate Professor Hua Bai, GDCB Teaching Lab Specialist Aron Nakama and Madelyn Clements (teaching lab specialist in GDCB and the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology) on receiving College of Liberal Ar

Sabrena Rutledge, graduate student in the Tuteja Lab, is one of four Iowa State University graduate students selected to receive a total of $40,000 in Brown Graduate Fellowship Program funding supporting strategic univer

Erik Vollbrecht aims to improve the yield and crop resilience of maize for peak performance during less-than-ideal growing conditions.

Congratulations to genetics, development and cell biology (GDCB) faculty members Dior Kelley and Renu Srivastava and  on being the recipients of College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Spring Awards in 2025.

Dior Kelley, assistant professor in genetics, development and cell biology, is the recipient of the faculty 2025 Early Achievement in Research Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University.

Renu Srivastava, assistant teaching professor in genetics, development and cell biology, is the recipient of the term faculty 2025 Early Achievement in Teaching Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University.

Geetu Tuteja, professor of genetics, development and cell biology, received Iowa State University’s 2025 Bailey Research Career Development award.

Proper cell division is essential for life on earth. The process is a complicated dance involving intricate cellular mechanisms and signaling, and it all happens on a microscopic level. Much about how this works is still unknown.

Dr. Stan Duchman, ’87 biology, of Houston, Texas, received the 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award from the Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology (GDCB).

A biology undergraduate and genetics and genomics graduate student received top honors in the Norman Borlaug Lecture Poster Competition for Graduate and Undergraduate Students, which took place Oct.

Clark Coffman, genetics, development and cell biology associate professor, and other faculty and staff in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, received honors at the Iowa State University Learning Communities Institute on May 13. 

Joe Aung, genetics, development and cell biology assistant professor, is the recipient of an $830,000 amended grant, bringing the total funded by the National Science Foundation to $1.2 million for his research in determining the function of plasm

Raquel Espin Palazon, assistant professor in genetics, development and cell biology, is the recipient of the faculty 2024 Early Achievement in Research Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University.

Several graduate students affiliated with the Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology (GDCB) received Research Excellence and Teaching Excellence awards from the Graduate College in fall 2022 and spring 2023. 

The Maize Genetics Cooperation recently honored two Genetics, Development and Cell Biology (GDCB)  faculty, Carolyn Lawrence-Dill and Marna Yandeau-Nelson.