College of Natural Sciences Celebrates the 2026 Dean’s Honored Graduates

Samara Bartoluchi

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Textiles and Apparel

Samara Bartoluchi, from Torreón, Mexico, is graduating with a B.S. in textiles and apparel, a minor in business and analytics in sports and a certificate in innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. She completed an honors research thesis on circular business models and brand-led resale in the fashion industry. At UT, Bartoluchi served as head of public relations for University Fashion Group, head of external relations for the National Retail Federation Student Association and as a member of the Latin Economic Business Association. She was an undergraduate course assistant for four years and served as the student representative for the founding cohort of the Textiles and Apparel Industry Board. Bartoluchi gained international experience working for UNIQLO in Tokyo, Japan, where she earned first place in a global business strategy competition and interned with Ralph Lauren in New York City, supporting apparel development for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. After graduation, she will begin her career in sportswear at Under Armour.

Payton Bryant

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Marine Science

Payton Bryant is graduating with a B.S. in biology (marine science) and a minor in science communication, earning a distinction in research. Her research focuses on the intersection of genetics, evolution and coral reef ecology. As a member of the Matz Lab, Bryant spent three years developing expertise in molecular techniques while contributing to studies on genotype-by-environment interactions and cryptic diversity in reef-building corals. Through a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program at Boston University, she expanded her work to coral physiology, identifying metabolic and symbiotic differences among cryptic coral lineages. She also gained experience in fish behavioral ecology at the UT Marine Science Institute, broadening her understanding of how reef structure influences ecological interactions. These experiences have shaped her interest in how genetic and environmental variation drive coral resilience. After graduation, Bryant plans to spend time in the field and on the water before pursuing graduate studies in coral reef conservation and evolutionary biology.

Asmit Chakraborty

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Statistics and Data Sciences

Asmit Chakraborty, from Houston, is graduating with a B.S. in statistics and data science and a certificate in computing. His undergraduate research focused on statistical methodology. Working with Jay Bartroff, Chakraborty helped develop the Push algorithm, which produces fixed-width confidence intervals for bounded parameters, and will present this work at the 2026 Conference of Texas Statisticians. He also collaborated with Peter Müller and Paul Rathouz on Bayesian semi-parametric extensions to generalized linear models and contributed two open-source R packages developed through these projects. Outside of research, Chakraborty was an active member of the American Statistical Association student chapter, hosting workshops and community events and serving as a project mentor during the 2024–2025 academic year. In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar and exploring the Austin food scene. After graduation, Chakraborty will begin a Ph.D. in statistics in fall 2026.

Sneha Chandak

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Biology

Sneha Chandak is graduating with a B.S.A. in biology; a certificate in scientific computation and data science; and an evidence and inquiry certificate through the Polymathic Scholars Honors program. At UT, she participated in the Microbe Hackers Freshman Research Initiative stream, where she worked on biosensor development within the cyanobacteria project. She also conducted research with Justin Havird and Brian Sedio, investigating metabolites in microbial crusts from anchialine ponds. Chandak completed an honors thesis titled “Death of DEI: Implementation and Impacts of SB‑17 at UT Austin,” examining the effects of Texas policy on campus diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. She is a writer for the online publication Her Campus and a contributor to the Texas Undergraduate Research Journal and was supported twice by the Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Scholarship. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, running and looking at pictures of her dog. After graduation, Chandak will join the synthetic, systems and physical biology Ph.D. program at Rice University.

Caroline Cole

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Molecular Biosciences

Caroline Cole is graduating with an honors B.S. in biochemistry, earning distinctions in research and in service and leadership. Her research spans biochemical and microbiological systems and includes work at NASA-affiliated facilities and the SETI Institute, where she studied extremophile proteins using temperature-dependent X-ray crystallography. At UT, Cole contributed to genomic analyses of deep-sea carbon cycling in the Baker Marine Microbial Ecology Lab under the direction of Brett Baker and Emily Hyde. Through the Urban Ecosystems Freshman Research Initiative stream, she led undergraduate research teams studying bioremediation using algal-bacterial consortia. Her work has resulted in peer-reviewed publications, national conference presentations and multiple research awards. In addition to her involvement in research, Cole has played a significant role in undergraduate education, independently teaching classes and mentoring large instructional teams. In the fall, she will pursue a Ph.D. in Earth systems science at Stanford University.

Sriya Dommaraju

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Integrative Biology

Sriya Dommaraju is graduating with a B.S. in human biology, a B.A. in Plan II Honors and a certificate in patients, practitioners and cultures of care. In the Lambowitz Lab under the mentorship of Elizabeth‑Ferrick Kiddie, she conducted research validating blood-based RNA biomarkers for inflammatory breast cancer; this work is currently being prepared for publication. Her work has been recognized with an Excellence in Clinical Medical Research award at the Undergraduate Research Forum, first place at the Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium and an Undergraduate Research Fellowship. Beyond the lab, Dommaraju is deeply committed to children’s advocacy. She co-founded the Children’s Advocacy Initiative, a student-led organization focused on raising awareness of child abuse through research, philanthropy and community outreach. As president, she helped empower students to engage meaningfully with vulnerable populations. In the fall, Dommaraju will begin medical school at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where she hopes to continue integrating research, advocacy and patient-centered care into her practice.

John Dunbar

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Computer Science

John Dunbar is graduating with a B.S. in computer science through the Turing Scholars program. His research in artificial intelligence alignment theory, conducted with Scott Aaronson, focuses on understanding connections between the internal structure and global behavior of computational circuits. Dunbar recently published a first-author paper identifying conditions for a continuous analogue of the Computational No‑Coincidence Conjecture, a major open problem in the field. The paper was accepted with an editor’s highlight at the ILIAD Conference on Mathematical Alignment. Outside of research, Dunbar served as president of the undergraduate AI Alignment Club, bringing together students interested in alignment theory and responsible AI development. After graduation, he will continue research in AI alignment theory as a Ph.D. student at UT Austin.

Ashley Hardy

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Chemistry

Ashley Hardy is graduating with a B.S. in chemistry and a pre-health professions certificate. Motivated by the intersection of oncology and bioengineering, she joined the Advanced Protein Therapeutics Core under the mentorship of Annalee Nguyen and Jennifer Maynard. There, she developed pH-dependent bispecific antibodies targeting VISTA as a potential cancer therapeutic. Hardy presented this work at multiple conferences, including the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer’s Spring Scientific meeting and the University of Texas MD Anderson Collaborative Research Summit. She is currently preparing a paper with the results. Her research achievements have been recognized through multiple scholarships, an Undergraduate Research Fellowship and a distinction in research. Hardy has also served as a Freshman Research Initiative peer mentor and a Young Life leader at Westlake High School. After graduation, she will attend medical school at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Sidney Harris

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Neuroscience

Originally from Saint Paul, Minnesota, Sidney Harris is graduating with a B.S. in neuroscience, a minor in history through the Normandy Scholar Program and a distinction in service and leadership. He conducted research in Bess Frost’s lab, studying the role of lipid droplets in Alzheimer’s disease pathology, where he performed extensive Drosophila microdissections that sparked his interest in surgery. Harris has been deeply involved in the undergraduate neuroscience community, serving as president of Synapse for two years and expanding the organization to over 100 members. He also founded Lifelong Learning with Friends, which organizes educational and social programming for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Committed to mentorship and teaching, he served as a mentor for the Microbe Hackers stream of the Freshman Research Initiative and will work as a genetics lab teaching specialist during his gap year before attending medical school. Outside of academics, Harris completed a 4,100-mile bike ride with Texas 4000 for Cancer and multiple marathon-distance races.

Joshua Ito

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Nutrition

Joshua Ito, a McNair Scholar from Houston, is graduating with a B.S. in nutritional sciences. Under the mentorship of Ryan Gray, he conducted extensive research on pediatric skeletal development, focusing on bone dysplasia associated with a variant in the SOX9 transcription factor identified in a patient with scoliosis. Ito also collaborated with University of California, Los Angeles Orthopedic Surgery on the development of a molecular therapeutic for a rare skeletal malformation that is now in clinical trials. His work has resulted in numerous research posters and conference presentations, as well as a publication in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, with additional papers under review for Nature. Outside the lab, Ito supported the College of Natural Sciences community as a peer mentor in the TIP Scholars program for three years. Driven by a passion for translational science and advancing modern medicine, he will pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences at the MD Anderson/UTHealth Houston Graduate School this fall.

Aravind Karthigeyan

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Physics

Aravind Karthigeyan, from Celina, Texas, is graduating with a B.S. in physics with honors, a B.S. in mathematics, a certificate in quantum information science and a distinction in research. In Junyeong Ahn’s QuAHNtum group, he studies topological phases of matter, exploring exotic quantum behavior relevant to topological qubits. His honors thesis examines magnetoconductivity oscillations as a probe of Stiefel–Whitney topology in nodal-line semimetals. Karthigeyan also completed a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied magnonics and co-authored a preprint article on cavity-magnonic sources, with an additional paper in preparation. He has presented his research at multiple conferences and received the Moffitt Presidential Scholarship in Physics and support through the Bengston Undergraduate Research Endowment. Beyond research, he mentored students in the Quantum Computing stream of the Freshman Research Initiative. He will pursue a Ph.D. in theoretical physics at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, where he has been awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. 

Aryan Khatri

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Computer Science

Aryan Khatri is graduating with a B.S. in computer science as a Turing Scholar and a B.S. in mathematics. Since his first year at UT, he has conducted research with Aditya Akella as part of the National Science Foundation-funded Learning Directed Operating Systems (LDOS) Expedition. His work focuses on developing lightweight machine learning techniques that guide computer system behavior during runtime. His honors thesis introduces a machine learning algorithm that automatically discovers relationships between events in real time, improving the performance of systems such as web caches and cloud servers. Khatri has also gained industry research experience at Jane Street, where he worked on reducing the resource usage of large GPU-based models. At UT, he led the LDOS Directed Reading Program for three semesters, teaching the foundations of machine learning and systems research to undergraduates. His long-term goal is to strengthen the feedback loop between machine learning models and the systems that support them.

Ragini Khullar

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Public Health

Ragini Khullar is graduating with a B.S. in public health and a minor in business. Her academic work reflects a commitment to advancing maternal and child health and addressing global health inequities. As a research assistant on the federally funded Healthy Start grant, she evaluated community-based maternal health programs and co-authored a publication about an innovative model of care in the journal Health Equity. She contributed to data-driven program improvement efforts and presented her work at the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs Conference in Washington, D.C. Khullar has also conducted and published a community needs assessment for People’s Community Clinic, supported global maternal health initiatives through work with US Agency for International Development and the United States Pharmacopeia and interned with the Texas Department of State Health Services in the Newborn Screening Program. Outside the classroom, she enjoys cooking, traveling and attending Longhorn sporting events. She will pursue an M.S.P.H. at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health this fall.

Hannah Lawson

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Astronomy

Motivated by a fascination with uncovering the mysteries of the universe, Hannah Lawson is graduating from the Dean’s Scholars Honors program with a B.S. in astronomy and a B.S. in physics. She earned a distinction in research and received the Ralph Cutler Greene Endowment Scholarship for her contributions to astrophysics research. As a member of Steven Finkelstein’s Galaxy Evolution Vertically Integrated Projects program, Lawson identified a population of objects known as “little red dots,” believed to be black holes embedded in dense gas, and this was the basis for her honors thesis. She also is writing a first-author paper on this work, which has motivated proposals for the James Webb Space Telescope. Lawson completed National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates at Lowell Observatory and West Virginia University, resulting in an additional first-author publication. Outside of research, she served on Ignite Texas’s leadership team, supporting incoming freshmen. After graduation, Lawson will pursue a Ph.D. in astronomy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to continue investigating the universe.

Meredith Linnell

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Neuroscience

Meredith Linnell, from Spring, Texas, is graduating as a College Scholar with a B.S. in neuroscience and a distinction in research. As a sophomore, they joined Amy Lee’s lab and contributed to research on calcium channel–related synaptic dysfunction in the retina, earning the College of Natural Sciences Advanced Summer Research Fellowship. This work led to a forthcoming second-author publication. Linnell later expanded their research to study mutations in a calcium-binding protein and its links to tactile hypersensitivity and autism spectrum disorder. Outside the lab, Linnell served as a neuroscience course assistant and competed with the UT Ultimate Frisbee Club for all four years, serving as a Mayhem team captain for two seasons. They were also involved with the Children’s Advocacy Initiative and volunteered with the Center for Child Protection. After graduation, Linnell will continue research in Dr. Lee’s lab before pursuing medical school.

Luisa Mao

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Computer Science

Ashley Mascorro

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Public Health

Ashley Mascorro is graduating with a B.S. in public health, driven by a commitment to improving health equity through research, policy and education. At UT, she served as lead teaching assistant for Introduction to Public Health, supporting over 1,000 students and developing resources to improve accessibility in foundational coursework. Her research and professional experiences include work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, serving as a bilingual medical interpreter at the National Institutes of Health and conducting global health work in Guatemala aligned with World Health Organization guidelines. Mascorro expanded her research experience through the DIY Diagnostics stream of the Freshman Research Initiative and founded the “Unscripted University” podcast to amplify diverse student voices worldwide. Her work has been recognized through multiple national scholarships and service honors. In the fall, Mascorro will pursue a Master of Public Health at Brown University as a Health Equity Scholar.

Alissa Murphy

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Biology

Alissa Murphy is a Terry Foundation Scholar graduating with a B.S. in biology and a minor in studio art. She conducted research with Felicity Muth investigating bumblebee color preference during pollen foraging, earning an Outstanding Undergraduate Presentation Award from the Animal Behavior Society. With Mike Ryan, she studied the effects of climatic variability on túngara frog body condition and completed an honors thesis that will result in two papers submitted for publication. Murphy is passionate about teaching and outdoor leadership, having served as a teaching assistant for calculus and field biology and led adventure trips through UT’s Outdoor Center as a certified wilderness first responder. She also worked at the Gregory Gym Rock Wall and studied abroad in southern France while completing a studio art portfolio of charcoal portraits, large format film photography and landscape paintings. Murphy will spend two years conducting research on frogs and salamanders before pursuing a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology and herpetology.

Kaila Nayvelt

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Molecular Biosciences

Kaila Nayvelt is graduating with a B.S. in biochemistry and a distinction in research. Her research journey began in the Bioprospecting stream of the Freshman Research Initiative (FRI) and continued in Andrew Ellington’s lab, where she works on developing biosensors for hormone and virus detection through protein engineering and assay design. She also participated in the Summer Program in Cancer Research at MD Anderson Cancer Center, studying epigenetic mechanisms underlying cancer and ICF syndrome, affirming her desire to bridge research and clinical impact. Nayvelt’s work has resulted in a publication in Current Protocols and a first-author paper in preparation, and she received the College of Natural Sciences Award for Excellence in Biochemistry at the Undergraduate Research Forum. Beyond research, she served as a course assistant and FRI peer mentor and volunteered with community health organizations. An accomplished dancer, she has performed in showcases with Texas Ballet and Dance Action. Nayvelt will begin an M.D./Ph.D. program at UTHealth Houston/MD Anderson after graduation.

Sophia Nicolella

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Physics

Sophia Nicolella is graduating with a B.S. in physics and a B.S. in astronomy, earning distinctions in research and in service and leadership. Her research in Deirdre Shoemaker’s group focuses on gravitational waves from colliding black holes, with her honors thesis examining extrapolation errors in numerical relativity waveforms and their impact on event parameter estimation. She also completed the Caltech WAVE Fellowship, studying ultraviolet signatures of ultraluminous X-ray sources. Nicolella’s research has resulted in a second-author publication and a forthcoming first-author paper. At UT, she mentored fellow students as a physics learning assistant and astronomy undergraduate teaching assistant, and she served in leadership roles with Gender Matters in Physics and Physics on the Rocks. Outside the classroom, she enjoys painting, playing piano and baking. After graduation, she will pursue a Ph.D. in gravitational physics at Pennsylvania State University. 

Mercy Okougbodu

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Public Health

Mercy Okougbodu is a Health Science Scholar, JAMP Scholar and Jack Kent Cooke Scholar from Balch Springs, Texas, graduating with a B.S. in public health and distinctions in research and in service and leadership. At UT, she focused on student advocacy and access, serving as president of the Natural Sciences Council and helping elevate student voices through structured feedback systems. As co-director of the Food Security Agency, she led initiatives addressing campus food insecurity, co-authored a report on the state of food insecurity at the University for the year 2025 and presented findings at the American Public Health Association. Her honors thesis in the MOSAIC Lab examined race-related vigilance and adolescent well-being, reflecting her focus on social determinants of health. Okougbodu also gained experience through work with the CD Doyle Clinic, a maternal health policy internship and a social justice study abroad program in London. Her work has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Texas Parents Outstanding Student Award. After graduation, she will attend Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin.

Mansi Patel

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Neuroscience

Mansi Patel is graduating with a B.S.A. in neuroscience honors, a minor in communicating social issues, a bridging disciplines certificate in ethics and leadership in healthcare and a distinction in research. As a Health Science Scholar and peer mentor in the Bioprospecting 2.0 stream of the Freshman Research Initiative, Patel collaborated with ClearCam Inc. to study how suboptimal surgical visualization affects patient safety, contributing to multiple publications, including a first-author paper in Surgical Endoscopy. Her honors thesis in the Cognitive Health Initiative for Cancer Survivors lab examined the intersections of menopausal status, race and cancer-related cognitive impairment, earning her publications in high-impact journals such as Breast Cancer Research & Treatment. Her thesis will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference through the Journal of Clinical Oncology.  Patel received the UT President’s Award for Global Learning for her work abroad conducting community-based research in Tamil Nadu, India. She will pursue an M.D./M.P.H. at UT Southwestern Medical School.

Milit Patel

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Molecular Biosciences

Milit Patel, from Sugar Land, Texas, is graduating with a B.S. in biochemistry with special departmental honors, two minors – in healthcare reform and innovation business and in statistics and data science – and a distinction in research. His honors thesis explored computational therapeutic prioritization for a rare genetic variant under the mentorship of Jeanne Kowalski-Muegge at Dell Medical School. Patel’s interdisciplinary research spans computational oncology, clinical AI fairness and global health equity, with first-author publications in journals including Annals of Oncology, Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, Journal of the National Cancer Institute and The Lancet Public Health. He has collaborated with multiple academic medical centers and participated in programs with the National Institutes of Health and MD Anderson. At UT, Patel served as a teaching assistant across several chemistry and biology courses and worked clinically as an emergency medical technician-basic and medical assistant. He is the chief technology officer of AI-focused biotech startup UViiVE and plans to continue its development before pursuing graduate education.

Thomas Pope

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Chemistry

Thomas Pope is graduating with a B.S. in chemistry and distinctions in research and service and in leadership. Driven by interests in electrochemistry and sustainability, he conducted research with Hang Ren on electrochemical lithium extraction and nitrate reduction. Pope has presented his work at national conferences, including the American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting and Pittcon (the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy), and he is a co-first author on a publication exploring stabilized copper nanoparticles for nitrate reduction. This research earned him the 2025 ACS Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry. Pope has also served as vice president of UT’s American Chemical Society student chapter and volunteered as an organic chemistry learning assistant. He received the Norman Hackerman Endowed Presidential Scholarship and the Grant Willson Award for Undergraduate Research. After graduation, Pope will begin a Ph.D. in chemistry at the California Institute of Technology.

Hyuck-Jin Seo

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Integrative Biology

Hyuck-Jin Seo is graduating with a B.S. in human biology, a pre-health professions certificate and a distinction in research. Driven to bridge basic and translational science with clinical impact, he conducted research in the DIY Diagnostics stream of the Freshman Research Initiative, developing a novel primer set for Salmonella Typhi detection that resulted in a first-author publication. He also worked in the Ellington Lab on advancing cellular reagents for molecular diagnostics to improve global access to infectious disease testing. Committed to service and leadership, Seo co-founded and serves as co-executive of the Student Healthcare Leadership Program at Dell Seton and Ascension Seton, coordinating volunteer efforts for over 1,000 students. He is director of oral health education and prevention for the Children’s Oral Health Advocacy Project, promoting oral health education to children, and leads initiatives to provide free dental care to underserved children across Central Texas through the Texas Pre-Dental Society. After graduation, Seo will conduct oral cancer research at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School before attending dental school.

Siddhartha Shah

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Biology

Sid Shah is graduating with a B.S. in biology from the Dean’s Scholars program. Under the mentorship of Lauren Ehrlich and graduate mentor Colin Moore, he conducted immunology research focused on understanding how thymic B-cells contribute to immune system development and function. Beyond his research, Shah was passionate about promoting undergraduate scholarship, serving as editor-in-chief of the Texas Undergraduate Research Journal during his junior and senior years. In this role, he worked to highlight undergraduate research and expand research-focused networking opportunities for UT students. Shah credits his growth to strong mentorship and a collaborative research environment. After graduation, he will pursue a Ph.D. in immunology at Stanford University.

Lauren Sukhu

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Biology

Lauren Sukhu, from Dallas, is graduating with a B.S.A. in biology, a minor in Hindi and a certificate in evidence and inquiry, earning a distinction in research. A member of the Polymathic Scholars Honors program, she conducted research at Dell Medical School on excessive school discipline practices, including restraint and seclusion, serving as project manager for the restraint and seclusion initiative in the lab of Micky Marinelli. Her honors thesis, “Level the Playing Field in School Safety,” examines inequities in school discipline policies. Sukhu was actively involved on campus as a peer mentor in the Bioprospecting stream of the Freshman Research Initiative, a program assistant for Women in STEM and a volunteer at Dell Children’s Medical Center. She also played viola in the Engineering Chamber Orchestra. Her work earned her the Distinguished College Scholar Award and the College Scholar Award. After graduation, Sukhu will attend Texas A&M College of Medicine to pursue an M.D.

Ren Watson

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Mathematics

Ren Watson, a Terry Scholar from Austin, is graduating with a B.S. in mathematics with a distinction in service and leadership and a B.A. in philosophy. Through multiple National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates, Watson conducted research in pure mathematics spanning algebraic geometry, combinatorics and combinatorial number theory. Her work has resulted in six published papers and numerous conference presentations. During her sophomore year, Watson studied abroad through Budapest Semesters in Mathematics, where her coursework in combinatorics shaped her choice to pursue graduate studies in mathematics. After graduation, Watson will pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to continue advancing research in combinatorics and number theory. 

Kristen Wong

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Human Development and Family Sciences

Kristen Wong is graduating with an honors B.S. in advanced human development and family sciences, with a concentration in diversity, equity and inclusion. As a sophomore, she joined the Adolescent Psychosocial Opportunities and Youth Outcomes Lab under Francheska Alers-Rojas, completing an honors thesis examining Asian American women’s experiences with infertility. Her work was supported by a Senate of College Councils Undergraduate Research Scholarship, and she earned distinctions in research and in service and leadership. Wong studied abroad at the University of Sydney and participated in the Service Learning in Indigenous Communities program, working alongside communities in Girramay Country in Australia. On campus, she served as vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion for the student organization Alpha Chi Omega and vice president of mentoring for the School of Human Ecology Ambassadors and gained professional experience through internships in human resources and healthcare settings. Wong plans to pursue a Master of Science in Nursing at the University of California, Los Angeles in the fall.

Hillary Xu

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Integrative Biology

Hillary Xu is graduating with a B.S. in environmental science, a B.S.A. in biology and a minor in anthropology, earning distinctions in research and in service and leadership. She supported undergraduate research and mentorship as a peer mentor in the Polymathic Scholars Honors program and in the Freshman Research Initiative, and she served as UT Microfarm co-director for three years, helping grow food for the UT Outpost pantry. Her honors thesis documents the farm’s history and sustainable practices. Xu’s research also centers on native plant ecology, and she is preparing a first-author publication cataloging the vascular flora of the Hill Country Field Station. Beyond UT, she serves on the board of the Native Plant Rescue Project, helping to document the translocation of the MoKan Prairie and researching the rare Texas Almond Weevil. After graduation, Xu will pursue a Ph.D. in biology at the University of New Mexico, focusing on conservation and plant community ecology.

Kevin Xu

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Computer Science

Kevin Xu, from Dallas, is graduating with a B.S. in computer science and a minor in statistics and data science, earning a distinction in research. His honors thesis, supervised by Risto Miikkulainen, investigates training techniques that promote compact and factorized representations in neural networks. Xu is the author of a peer-reviewed publication on neural cellular automata for few-shot generalization, which received an honorable mention for the Computing Research Association Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award. His research interests lie at the intersection of artificial intelligence, evolutionary computation and open-ended learning. At UT, Xu also served as a teaching assistant in the Computer Science Department. After graduation, he plans to pursue a research-focused career advancing machine learning methodologies.

Rishit Yokananth

Dean’s Honored Graduate in Neuroscience

Rishit Yokananth is a Polymathic Scholar graduating with an honors B.S.A. in neuroscience. His work integrates biotechnology and healthcare systems innovation to improve patient-centered care. Yokananth leads Let’s Crush Medical Debt, a student organization that has eliminated over $1.5 million in medical debt and supported nonprofits and legislative advocacy across Texas. His research spans gaps in addiction treatment within HIV prevention, maternal mental health and machine learning applications in healthcare, with publications in JAMA Network Open, AIDS and Behavior and other journals. His work with patients at the Black Men’s Health Clinic was cited in the Austin-Travis County Community Health Assessment. Yokananth also co-founded OtoVision, an AI-powered diagnostic startup, and a university-wide Public Health Research Scholars program to involve undergraduates in research with faculty. He will continue research at Dell Medical School while preparing for a future in medical school.