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Celebrating the 2025 Stowers Graduate School and Open University graduates

The Stowers Graduate School celebrated the accomplishments of nine new Ph.D. recipients, whose research contributions spanned regeneration, gene regulation, stem cell biology, and neuroscience.

09 May 2025

On May 5, 2025, the Graduate School of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research held its commencement ceremony, celebrating the achievements of seven Ph.D. program graduates. The ceremony also celebrated the final two graduates of the Open University, of which the Stowers Institute has served as an Affiliated Research Centre since 2006. With this year's graduates, the Graduate School now has a total of 40 alumni who have earned doctoral degrees in biology.

Graduates of the Stowers Graduate School program include Kaelan Brennan, Ph.D., from the lab of Investigator Julia Zeitlinger, Ph.D., Luciana Castellano, (degree to be conferred), from the lab of Associate Investigator Ariel Bazzini, Ph.D., Rahul Garg, Ph.D., from the lab of former Investigator Ron Yu, Ph.D., Aubrey Kent, (degree to be conferred), and Augusto Ortega Granillo, Ph.D., both from the lab of Stowers President and Chief Scientific Officer Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Ph.D., and Raktim Roy, Ph.D., and Kyle Patton, Ph.D., both from the lab of Stowers Scientific Director Kausik Si, Ph.D.

The Open University graduates are Michelle DeVore, Ph.D., from the Bazzini Lab and Xie He, Ph.D., from the lab of Investigator Paul Trainor, Ph.D. The nine graduates’ scientific contributions span diverse fields, including gene regulation, regeneration, stem cell biology, and neuroscience.

Several members of the 2025 graduating class have already embarked on postdoctoral research positions. Brennan is at Stanford University, Garg is at Case Western Reserve University, and Ortega Granillo holds a joint position with Dresden University of Technology and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics. Roy will be joining the Centre for High Impact Neuroscience and Translational Applications in India as a postdoctoral fellow, Kent accepted a faculty position at William Jewell College, and DeVore is exploring positions in the Midwest.

Two graduates are continuing their work at the Stowers Institute: Castellano is now an associate scientist in the Cellular Tissue and Molecular Biology Department, and He is a senior researcher in the lab of Investigator Linheng Li, Ph.D.

The ceremony was attended by Graduate School faculty and board members, Institute staff, Stowers family members, current predoctoral researchers, and the graduates’ families and friends—all gathered in person and virtually to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of the 2025 class.

Matt Gibson, Ph.D., Stowers Investigator and President of the Graduate School welcomed the graduates and attendees, “Earning a doctoral degree is a public trust. You now join the ranks of those seeking to understand the natural world and apply that knowledge for the betterment of all.”

Stowers Investigator and Dean of the Graduate School Jennifer Gerton, Ph.D., congratulated the class and reminded them, “The world today needs your voices, your scientific minds, and your leadership.”

Following the hooding ceremony, Castellano addressed the 2025 class, “This journey has been truly transformative, marked by unforeseen challenges but with a community that has supported us every step of the way.”

President Emeritus Betty Drees, M.D., told the graduates and attendees, “We stand here today at a very unique point of time for the Graduate School,” she said. “Being mindful of our origin is how we build culture and heritage as we continue to grow and mature as an educational institution.”

All speakers also honored the legacy of founding Dean Scott Hawley, Ph.D.

Congratulations to this year’s graduates and to everyone who supported their journey and success.

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