Grant Winners | GENEWIZ Europe

Explore some of our grant winners from past GENEWIZ Weeks, GENEWIZ University, Summer Camp, and the Academic Fast Grant Program. We’re proud to support innovative research and help advance discoveries that are shaping the future of genomics. Check out our 2025 GENEWIZ Grant Winners Recap and be on the lookout for future GENEWIZ grant opportunities.

Interested in funding your next breakthrough? Stay in the loop and be among the first to learn about our next competition. You could be our next grant winner!

$10,000 PacBio Kinnex SMRT Grant

Anna Dischler
Research Scientist/Lab Manager, University of Colorado Anschutz
Resolving Full-Length FMR1 Transcript Isoforms Associated with CGG Repeat Expansions in FXTAS
$3,000 PacBio Kinnex SMRT Grant

Jing Wang
Associate Specialist, University of California, San Francisco
Temporal Dynamics of RNA Splicing During Human Brain Development
$2,000 PacBio Kinnex SMRT Grant

Kanishk Jain
Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota
Characterizing full-length transcript isoform changes after acute PHRF1 degradation using PacBio Kinnex mRNA sequencing
$500 Sanger Sequencing Grant

Priya Arumugam
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Penn State University College of Medicine
Genetic variants in IRGM and PNPLA3 impair autophagy and lipophagy, reducing metabolic hepatic responses to exercise in liver disease patients
$300 Sanger Sequencing Grant

Courtney Clark-Hachtel
Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina, Asheville
Mechanisms of extreme survival: Uncovering how tardigrades can tolerate extreme radiation
$5,000 New Wizard Grant

Vivek Khambhati
Graduate Research Assistant, Louisiana State University
Engineering a Scalable Escherichia coli RNAi Platform Integrating SIGS and MIGS for Enhanced Durability in Plant Disease Control
$3,000 New Wizard Grant

Jonathan Dain
Ph.D. Student, UMass Boston
Identifying the molecular mechanism of HPAI tolerance in asymptomatic Mallards
$2,000 Gene Synthesis Grant

Wesley Leong
Visiting Undergraduate Research Fellow, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Generative Design of Cell Type-Specific mRNA Splicing for Programmable Gene Regulation
$3,000 NGS Grant

Tamilselvi Elango
Research Scientist, University of Virginia
Transcriptomic Profiling of Nano-Romidepsin Induced Epigenetic Reprogramming in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

$3,000 Single-Cell Superstar Grant

Ryan Weiss
Assistant Professor, University of Georgia
Investigating peripheral nervous system dysfunction in Sanfilippo syndrome
$2,000 Single-Cell Superstar Grant

Raissa Dani
Graduate Student, University of California, Davis
Defining the chromatin state and transcriptomic landscape heterogeneity of oocytes during ovarian reserve formation
$5,000 Antibody All-Stars Grant

Lester Suarez
VP, M34, Inc.
Structure-guided engineering of a novel anti-PD-L1 antibody for canine cancer immunotherapy
$2,000 Antibody All-Stars Grant

Riss Kell
Postdoctoral Scientist, Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute
One gene, 100 years: p63’s role in cancer-free longevity
$3,000 New Wizard on the Block Grant

Fergus Woods
Ph.D. Candidate, University College Dublin
Unveiling sex-bias in Alzheimer’s disease using astrocyte cells
$2,000 New Wizard on the Block Grant

Olayemi Ajayi
Graduate Assistant, University of Cincinnati
Seasonal changes in the transcriptome of ring-tailed lemurs
$5,000 Genomics Mixtape Grant

Yaamini Venkataraman
Assistant Professor, Santa Clara University
Investigating genomic and plastic contributions to thermal tolerance in a non-indigenous crab
$3,000 Genomics Mixtape Grant

Des Field
Senior Researcher, APC University College Cork
Exploring the therapeutic potential of nisin peptides of gut microbiome origin
$3,000 Genomics Mixtape Grant

Amaranatha Vennapusa
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Delaware State University
Development of genetic resources for high-temperature stress tolerance in industrial hemp
$3,000 NGS Explorer Grant

Imane Allaoui
Ph.D. Student, University College Cork
Impact of the immunization route (oral, patch, and intramuscular) on the pigs transcriptomics profile
$2,000 NGS Explorer Grant

Michael Metzger
Assistant Investigator, Pacific Northwest Research Institute
Evolution of an outbreak of transmissible cancers in clams
$5,000 Synthesis Voyager Grant

Karen Mruk
Assistant Professor, East Carolina University
New RNA-based switches to study regenerative biology
$2,000 Synthesis Voyager Grant

Alejandro Olmedo-Velarde
Assistant Professor, Iowa State University
Harnessing viral proteins to deliver and enhance protein-based biopesticides to control soybean aphid populations
$5,000 Wizard Pioneer Grant

Fatima Farouk Aminu
Postgraduate Researcher, Coventry University
Investigating the role of hypoxia-mediated metabolic dysregulation in immune evasion in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
$3,000 Wizard Pioneer Grant

Reilly Brennan
Graduate Student (Ph.D. Candidate), Virginia Tech
De novo genome assembly of Oligoryzomys longicaudatus: Unlocking host tolerance to Andes orthohantavirus
$2,000 Wizard Pioneer Grant

Lena Grinsted
Senior Lecturer in Zoology, University of Portsmouth
The tolerant spider: A new model for understanding alternative sociality
$2,000 Gene-to-Discovery Grant

Paulina Misztak
Postdoctoral Researcher, Louisiana State University
Determining the astrocytic role of specific potassium channel subunits in alcohol drinking
$5,000 Gene Synthesis Grant

Lewis Hibbs
CTO & Co-Founder, NKA Bio
Gene-to-hit in 8 hours
$3,000 Gene Synthesis Grant

Lyon Bruinsma
Postdoctoral Researcher, Wageningen University & Research
Carbon Link: Creating enzymes for single-to-multi-carbon synthesis
$3,000 Pioneer Grant

Michael Sadler
Research Scientist, University of Washington
Microbial community of the ultraoligotrophic Crater Lake
$5,000 Gene Synthesis Grant

George Chao
Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School
Coupling AI and genome-wide screening for patient-specific genome editing
$3,000 Gene Synthesis Grant

Menglin Li
Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California, Los Angeles
Identification of cell-type-specific cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) in the primate retina
$5,000 Sequencing Grant

Young Song
Assistant Professor, Michigan State University
Role of uterine E-proteins TCF3 and TCF12 in decidualization and placentation
$3,000 Sequencing Grant

Phillip Dumesic
Assistant Professor, University of California, San Francisco
Transcriptional regulation of metabolic flexibility
$2,000 Sequencing Grant

Zhihao Wu
Assistant Professor, Southern Methodist University
Changes in tRNAs in aging
$3,000 New Wizard Grant

Aleeza Zilberman
Graduate Student, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institutes
Investigate the physiological effects of CDKN1a/p21 deletion on muscle during aging
$5,000 Pioneer Grant

Simon Grelet
Assistant Professor, University of South Alabama – MCI
Synthetic biology development of an integrated Mito TRACER mouse model for in vivo lineage tracing of mitochondrial transfer
$3,000 Pioneer Grant

Jacob Fischman
Ph.D. Candidate, University of Pennsylvania
Barcode sequencing of kinase variants expressed via constitutive, inducible, or repressible systems to resolve T cell fate decisions in skin
$2,000 Pioneer Grant

Giada Padovani
Ph.D. Candidate, University of Florida
Uncovering regulatory adaptations in hypercarnivorous metabolism and disease resistance in polar bears

$5,000 Emerging Technologies Award

Xiang Zheng
Assistant Professor, Aarhus University
Advancing personalized oncology through spatial single-cell-type multi-omics in renal cancer
$2,000 Emerging Technologies Award

Andrea Elia
Ph.D., Temple University
Single-cell transcriptomic profiling of cardiovascular impairment in Alzheimer’s disease
$1,000 Emerging Technologies Award

Christina Penaranda
Research Associate, Thomas Jefferson University
Unveiling the molecular landscape and spatial distribution of reprogrammed hepatocytes in alcoholic liver disease
$5,000 Integrated Solutions Award

Taylor Gill
Molecular Engineering Lead, Helix Nano
Screening pipeline for multiplexed CAR-T therapies
$1,000 Emerging Technologies Award

Ankita Srivastava
Research Associate, Thomas Jefferson University
Unveiling the molecular landscape and spatial distribution of reprogrammed hepatocytes in alcoholic liver disease
$1,000 Emerging Technologies Award

Denise Ragusa
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Brunel University London
Single-cell transcriptomics of t(7;12) infant acute myeloid leukemia patients
$5,000 Sequencing & Quantification Award

Nicola Annels
Senior Research Fellow, University of Surrey
Investigating the prostate cancer microbiome and tumor immune microenvironment to understand ethnic disparity in prostate cancer clinical outcomes
$2,000 Sequencing & Quantification Award

Ana Saldarriaga
Graduate Student, Fordham University
Unveiling the hidden presence: assessing the Orinoco crocodile’s distribution in Colombia through eDNA
$5,000 Integrated Solutions Award

Dariusz Abramczyk
Research Associate, University of Edinburgh
A synthetic nanochromosome as a repository for extraneous genetic material in the biotech yeast Pichia pastoris
$1,000 Sequencing & Quantification Award

Aayushi Uberoi
Assistant Professor, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Characterizing emerging lineages within Staphylococcus aureus complex
$1,000 Sequencing & Quantification Award

Bailey West
Graduate Student, Johns Hopkins University
HMGA1 modulates chromatin state and transcriptional networks involved in plasticity in refractory myeloid leukemia
$1,000 Sequencing & Quantification Award

Brenna Levine
Assistant Professor, Kean University
Genomics of rattlesnake hybridization with implications for evolution of venom complexity and toxicity
$5,000 Gene Synthesis Award

Patricia Lam
Research Scientist, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Screen for promoter/enhancer elements that increase transgene expression in dual-gene AAV vectors
$2,000 Gene Synthesis Award

Elina Tanskanen
Ph.D. Student, Imperial College London
Delivering RNA for cancer immunotherapy using polymer nanoparticles
$1,000 Gene Synthesis Award

Rock Zhi-Yan Du
Assistant Professor, University of Hawaii
Using microalgae as the super factories to produce important bioproducts