Two students in the Joint Carnegie Mellon-University of Pittsburgh PhD Program in Computational Biology (CPCB) have received honorable mentions from the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). The GRFP is one of the most prestigious fellowships for graduate students in STEM fields.
Anamarie Martinez-Turak and Emma Flynn, both second-year PhD students, were selected for their research proposals. Earning an honorable mention places Martinez-Turak and Flynn among the top applicants nationwide, a significant recognition of their potential and promise.
Martinez-Turak, a Carlow University alumna who majored in chemistry and math, became interested in graduate school through a formative undergraduate experience in the TECBio REU program at Pitt. Now co-advised by Rachel Gottschalk and Jim Faeder, Martinez-Turak is studying how immune signals influence gene expression. Her work uses sequence-to-function models to predict changes in gene behaviors and STAT binding.
“I was really happy to get the honorable mention,” said Martinez-Turak. “They really encouraged us to stay in science and stay in research. It was a nice source of motivation in the middle of my program.”
Flynn, who completed her undergraduate degree at Georgia Tech in computer science and chemistry, worked as a software engineer before pursuing her PhD. She is now a researcher in David Koes’ lab, where she is developing machine learning models for structure-based drug discovery. Her current project uses diffusion models to generate pharmacophores, which are molecules used in drug discovery to identify new lead compounds.
“It was a nice surprise to be recognized, even if it’s just for an honorable mention,” Flynn said. “It gave me a nice boost for a couple of weeks after we got the emails.”
Looking ahead, both students plan to apply for the F31 fellowship award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and are excited to continue building momentum.
“Being able to secure my own funding has been a goal of mine for a long time, and after working on this research plan, I feel like I have a better idea of how to steer future projects,” Martinez-Turak said.
Flynn, who cites Joe Ayoob’s summer writing class as a helpful resource for her GRFP application, plans to continue to refine her fellowship applications.
“I think being able to write either a fellowship or a grant application is an essential skill to have,” Flynn said. “Trying to convince people why they should be interested in my work was really helpful, and it’s made me think about how I can sell myself as a researcher.”
As for their long-term goals, both students envision careers in industry with opportunities to conduct impactful research—and to mentor others the way they were mentored.
Read the full list of GRFP offers and honorable mentions here.