43 students receive Ph.D.s at Rockefeller’s 67th convocation
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On June 5, the 2025 graduating class received their Ph.D.s. in Caspary Hall in a ceremony that commenced with a luncheon in Welch Hall followed by the traditional procession across campus.
“Each of these students has demonstrated remarkable creativity and rigor in their research,” says Tim Stearns, dean of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies. “Their innovative work exemplifies our credo—science for the benefit of humanity—and I am confident they will continue to make important contributions to society.”
This year’s graduates are Christian Fredrick Baca, Nicolas Blobel, Joshua John Brewer, Chloe Burnside, Gabriella Chua, Ariana Brenner Clerkin, Felipe Badke d’Andrea, Irene Duba, Kathryn Eckartt, Benjamin William Fait, Ruby Maria Froom, Alice Gadau, Audrey Moran Goldfarb, Mason Hargrave, Audrey Harnagel, Nathan Harper, David Chun-Cheng Hsieh, Abigail Janke, Hyejin Kim, Kip David Lacy, Tyler Lewy, Rico (Zeran) Lin, Lindsey Lopes, Elif Magemizoğlu-Brewer, Brigid Maloney, Wenbin Mei, Dennis Octavio Melendez, Chad Morton, Sandra Nakandakari-Higa, Yiming Niu, Jesse Stephen Swyer Novak, Donovan Yong Zhi Phua, Patrick Konrad Piekarski, Caleb C. Reagor, Amanda K. Shilton, Alexander James Stuart, Andrea Terceros, Nicolas Velez-Angel, Lauren Elizabeth Vostal, Devany West, Norihiro Yamaguchi, Linzhi Ye, and Yuxi Zhang.
During the ceremony, four honorary degrees were awarded. Honorees included infectious disease epidemiologists Quarraisha Abdool Karim, renowned for her transformational AIDS research, and Salim S. Abdool Karim, whose leadership was instrumental in navigating the AIDS epidemic in South Africa and the global COVID-19 pandemic; longtime Board of Trustees member Marlene Hess, an independent philanthropic consultant; and Michael W. Young, a Nobel Prize–winning Rockefeller faculty member recognized for his research on circadian rhythms in the fruit fly.
“Our honorees are recognized for their remarkable contributions to the advancement of science and the betterment of humanity,” said President Richard P. Lifton, who introduced the recipients as well as presided over convocation. “Moreover, we present these distinguished individuals to all members of our community and the world as exemplars of the impact one can have through a life dedicated to science, pursuit of truth, and service to humanity. They provide a standard to which we can all aspire.”
