UT MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School

Katy Ayers’ path to a PhD included more than a few unexpected turns — from working to support her family in rural Nebraska to returning to school, studying bioengineering and even growing the world’s largest fungal mycelium boat.

Now a Microbiology and Infectious Diseases PhD student, Ayers studies Candida auris (C. auris), a difficult-to-control fungal pathogen that has become an increasing concern in health care settings.

Her pitch on the research earned her third place in the Pre-candidacy PhD Elevator Pitch Contest at Graduate Student Research Day in July.

🎥 Hear her pitch and how Ayers makes the case for understanding what helps C. auris thrive — then read more about her unconventional path in to science: go.uth.edu/AyersPitch2026

#ElevatorPitch #UTMDAnderson #UTHealthHouston #Microbiology #InfectiousDiseases #WeAreGSBS @MIDatGSBS

Phillip Urbanczyk came to graduate school knowing the questions he wanted to explore — and found a mentor who supported his vision.

Phillip is a PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Program at the UT MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, studying how long-term opioid exposure changes regions of the brain involved in executive function and behavior.

Through mentorship, student leadership, and connections with researchers across the Texas Medical Center and Gulf Coast region, he is finding opportunities to expand his perspective and contribute beyond his own research.

Explore his story and his vision for improving science and shaping academia: go.uth.edu/PhillipUrbancz…

#WeAreGSBS #Neuroscience #BiomedicalScience #UTMDAnderson #UTHealthHouston @NeuroMDAUTH

🪔 Happy Diwali!

Cultural traditions from around the world are part of our Graduate School community, including Thursday’s Diwali Lunch hosted by the International Student Association (ISA). Thanks to our ISA leaders for bringing students together to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights, with Indian food, friends and classmates!❤️

#WeAreGSBS #Diwali

🌺 Science went tropical at Friday’s Therapeutics and Pharmacology Program Fall Retreat!

Hawaiian shirts and leis set the tone as students shared their research and heard from keynote speaker Carolyn J. Anderson, PhD, University of Tennessee–Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor’s Chair for Nuclear Medicine: Radiopharmaceutical Therapies.

Congratulations to all of the poster and oral presentation award winners, as well as Anna DeBruine, recipient of the program’s Student Apple Award, and Ali Azhdarinia, PhD, recipient of the Dr. John S. McMurray Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award — and thank you to all of the students who shared their science and organized the event! 🌴🔬

#WeAreGSBS #Therapeutics #Pharmacology #BiomedicalScience @TAPatGSBS

🧬 Graduate School students were among the researchers sharing their science at last week’s fourth annual James P. Allison Institute Scientific Symposium, joining the broader cancer immunology and immunotherapy community for a day of new ideas, discussion and discovery.

Congratulations to Immunology PhD students Ricardo Gonzalez-Delgado and Annette Wu, who won awards in the poster competition!

🔬 Gonzalez-Delgado took first place for his research investigating how CCR7+ dendritic cells in tumors promote the accumulation of regulatory T cells, with the goal of identifying ways to reduce immunosuppression and improve cancer immunotherapy. He is mentored by Mauro Di Pilato, PhD.

🔬 Wu earned third place for her research on myeloid targeting antibody conjugates for pancreatic cancer immunotherapy. She is co-mentored by Wen Jiang, PhD; Betty Y.S. Kim, MD, PhD; and Benjamin R. Schrank, MD, PhD. This marks her third consecutive year placing in the symposium’s poster competition.

#WeAreGSBS #Immunology #CancerResearch #CancerImmunotherapy @ImmunologyGSBS