Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Receives Top Honors for Research

Biomedical engineering alum Anna Kolesov, who graduated with a bachelor's in June, has received the 2024 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research from the University of California, Davis.

The award recognizes outstanding research, scholarship or creative activity in any academic subject while a student at UC Davis. Each year, the Undergraduate Research Center in the Office of Undergraduate Education selects awardees from a pool of nominees who demonstrate the best in research and who must be graduating seniors with independent research conducted under a faculty member.

Kolesov researched cancer diagnostic technologies under Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Randy Carney, who nominated her for the award.

"Anna is an intelligent, hard-working and caring young researcher poised to thrive in her bright future, with a proven track record of research innovation and the kind of interdisciplinary insight that I believe signals the hallmark of an emerging leader," Carney said. "She has not only been a crucial part of our lab's groundbreaking research in inorganic nanomaterials for biosensing but shown her exceptional aptitude and passion for the field in various capacities."

Among her many accomplishments, Carney noted her leadership on a project to synthesize core-shell nanomaterials as flares for cancer biomarkers, an effort that led to the development of a novel probe library with great diagnostic potential. He also celebrated her ability to initiate high-impact research projects independently.

"Over the past four years in the Carney Lab, I have gained invaluable insights into the true nature of research," Kolesov said. " I am very grateful for the exceptional mentorship I received from Professor Carney and [biomedical engineering graduate student] Hannah O'Toole. Their guidance and unwavering support have been instrumental in my development as a researcher."

Kolesov also expressed deep gratitude for receiving the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research, which has motivated her to continue an academic career that advances cancer therapeutics and diagnostics.

In the fall, Kolesov will begin a Ph.D. program in biomedical engineering at Northwestern University.