2025 Marth Award Recipient – Yaakov Bar-Shalom
Please join us in congratulating Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Yaakov Bar-Shalom, this year’s winner of the Edward C. Marth Mentorship Award. Named for Edward Marth, former Executive Director of the AAUP UConn Chapter, the award recognizes outstanding mentoring of graduate students by UConn Graduate Faculty members. Professor Bar-Shalom brings almost 50 years of mentorship experience, having chaired or served on the PhD committees of more than 40 graduate students. His reviewers describe him as “truly dedicated to his students’ success;” someone who has had a “transformative influence” and is “demanding yet deeply supportive, offering clear direction while fostering independence.” His students have gone on to excel in academia, national laboratories, and industry.
In honor of his contributions, Professor Bar-Shalom will be giving an address that will be included in The Graduate School doctoral commencement ceremony.
Past Recipients of the Marth Award include Željko Bošković (2024), Diane Burgess (2023), David Knecht (2022), Crystal Park (2021), Preston Britner (2020), Sandra Chafouleas (2019), Maria-Luz Fernandez (2018), Elizabeth Jockusch (2015-2016), Shareen Hertel (2014-2015), John Mathieu (2013-2014), JC Beall (2012-2013) and Dipak Dey (2011-2012).
2026 Summer Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
We are pleased to announce that The Graduate School’s Summer Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship will begin accepting applications on February 1, 2026!
The Graduate School is committed to helping graduate students achieve their academic, professional, and personal goals during their time at the University of Connecticut. In support of this goal, The Graduate School invites applicants for the Summer Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, which is intended to support the successful completion of the dissertation. Please review the eligibility criteria for this fellowship carefully before applying. This is a one-time $2,000 fellowship. If awarded, the funds will be distributed during the summer term and paid through the Office of the Bursar. Please note that The Graduate School will validate each student’s status as of the Summer 2026 semester and are entitled to rescind the fellowship if a student has graduated or is no longer an active student.
Eligibility Criteria:
- The applicant must be a doctoral student in a program that requires a dissertation.
- The applicant must be an active student when they apply and are awarded. Students who complete their degree during the prior semester cannot be awarded.
- The applicant must have documented successful completion of the General Examination by submitting the Report on the General Exam.pdf to the Office of the Registrar’s Degree Audit team no later than February 28, 2026.
- The applicant must have documented successful completion and submission of the dissertation proposal by submitting the Dissertation Proposal form.pdf to the Office of the Registrar’s Degree Audit team no later than February 28, 2026.
- The Dissertation Proposal form may be submitted to Degree Audit without IRB/IACUC approval. The milestone will be posted as “in progress” and that will satisfy eligibility for this application. IRB/IACUC approval must be submitted to Degree Audit when received so that the milestone may be updated to “complete” on the student record.
- Students in the following doctoral programs may submit their application without having the Dissertation Proposal milestone on their account:
- Business Administration
- Communication
- Clinical Psychology
- Industrial and Organizational Psychology
- EPSY – Research Methods, Measurement, and Evaluation
- EDLR – Learning, Leadership, and Education Policy
- The applicant is not eligible if they have previously received a Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship.
- Students at UConn Health (with the exception of Public Health doctoral students) and UConn Law are not eligible to apply for this fellowship.
Please note, while we hope to provide funding to all eligible applicants, fellowships are not guaranteed, as funds are limited and pending budgetary approval.
The application period for this fellowship is February 1-February 28, 2026. Applications received outside of these dates will not be processed. You can access the application form and more information on this page.
If you have questions regarding your eligibility for this fellowship, please contact gradschool@uconn.edu before applying.
Industry Insights
The Graduate School, together with the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills, invites you to attend Industry Insights, a series of virtual events designed to introduce graduate students and postdocs to a variety of industries. Each series will be held online and will feature working professionals from different industries. The discussions will be based on the skills required to enter and succeed in these industries.
The first series of the program, taking place in the spring of 2026, will focus on the biotech and pharmaceutical industries.
The online events will take place:
- Friday, January 30, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (NOTE: Date change)
- Monday, February 23, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
- Monday, March 30, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
- Monday, April 27, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
To register for any of the events, please visit this link. Once registered, you will receive the link to attend virtually.
First Session: Friday, January 30, 2026, 12:00 – 1:00 PM (NOTE: Date Change)
Speakers include:
Manisha Sinha, Founder of Clarity Bio
Manisha Sinha, Ph.D., is a strategic R&D leader, a well-published translational biologist, founder of Clarity Bio, and an adjunct faculty member with a proven track record of advancing programs from target validation to clinical candidates. With 12+ years of experience at Biogen and high-growth biotechs, she leads multi-disciplinary teams to advance complex therapies while mentoring the next generation of scientists to lead with data-driven rigor and operational excellence in the life sciences industry.
Cassandra Tierney, Senior Principal Scientist and Lab Head, Pfizer
Cassandra Tierney, PhD is a Senior Principal Scientist and Lab Head at Pfizer, where she leads a CLIA‑regulated genomics laboratory dedicated to advancing biomarker strategies and delivering pharmacogenomics insights that inform drug exposure in clinical trials. With deep expertise in qPCR, NGS, digital PCR, and the development of laboratory‑developed tests, Cassandra combines scientific rigor with a passion for mentorship. She actively supports early‑career scientists through her role as a mentor in Pfizer’s R&D rotational program and continues to teach as an adjunct instructor in human biology. Cassandra earned her PhD in Molecular & Cell Biology (Genetics) from the University of Connecticut.
To register: Visit this link.
