38 students receive Ph.D.s at Rockefeller’s 66th convocation

Students at convocation. Credit: Matthew Septimus

On June 6, Rockefeller’s graduating class strode across the Caspary Hall stage to collect their Ph.D.s. in a ceremony that commenced with a luncheon in Welch Hall followed by the traditional procession across campus.

“I am so impressed by this year’s graduates,” says Tim Stearns, dean of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies. “Their innovative work covers an impressive span of biomedical research, and I have no doubt this is only the beginning of their illustrious careers.”

This year’s graduates are Dalton Van Banh, Alex Barbulescu, Adi Yedidah Berman, Sarah W. Cai, Ayala Carl, Jeremy Tzu-Huai Chang, Ali Cihan, Matthew H. Davenport, Zachary Gershon, Olivia Goldman, Amer Azim Hossain, Natalie Jones, Danielle Lyn Keahi, James Knox, Joseph Theo Levin, Jesper Bøegh Levring, Rufei Li, Stephanie Marcus, Francisca Martínez Traub, Christoph Neumayer, Masato Ogishi, Karl Hilding Palmquist, Gabrielle Paniccia, Josue Manuel Regalado, Matthew J. Reynolds, Adam Rosenzweig, Anna Ryba, Ariën Schiepers, Mariluz Soula, András Sziráki, Bowen Tan, Yanis Tazi, Rebecca Timson, César Vargas, Camila M. Villasante, Samuel Clay Williams, Sichen Yang, and Yihao Yang.

During the ceremony, honorary degrees were awarded to Frances H. Arnold of the California Institute of Technology, a Nobel Prize winning chemical engineer; Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, who is president emeritus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, known for his advocacy work in science and education; and Michael E. Mann  of the University of Pennsylvania, a renowned climatologist and geophysicist.

“We  honor these individuals for their remarkable achievements,” said President Richard P. Lifton, who  introduced these recipients as well as presided over convocation. “But, as importantly, 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, and to provide a standard to which we can all aspire.”