Monica Brown, a PhD candidate in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, has been selected as the 2026 Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar.
She will receive a $1,000 cash prize and will be mentored by the recipient of the 2026 Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science, Eva Nogales, PhD, an internationally known structural biologist and pioneer in molecular imaging. Nogales is the Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology at the University of California, Berkeley; Senior Faculty Scientist in the Division of Molecular Biophysics and Integrative Bioimaging at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.
Brown will be recognized as the 2026 Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar during Nogales’ Discovery Lecture on May 6, 2027.
“I am honored and thrilled to be selected for this award and have the opportunity to be mentored by Dr. Nogales,” Brown said. “Her pioneering work on microtubule dynamics and transcription at the macromolecular level offers exciting opportunities to better understand molecular mechanisms that shape cell structure and function, which closely connects to my own research on cell protrusion structure and function in the gut.”
Brown is studying tuft cells, specialized chemosensory epithelial cells in the gut that respond to the contents of the lumen and modulate immune responses. She is particularly interested in the functional significance of tuft cell cytospinules — cytoplasmic projections extending into adjacent cells. Brown hypothesizes that tuft cell cytospinules facilitate synapse-like communication, and she will use innovative imaging methods to study the structures.
“Monica is operating as a scientist well beyond her years of training,” wrote Ian Macara, PhD, the Louise B. McGavock Professor and Chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, in a nomination letter. Macara is the chair of Brown’s doctoral dissertation committee.
“One of Monica’s outstanding qualities is her genuine passion for science,” Macara wrote. “She is inquisitive, insightful, and actively engages in scientific discussions. She has an amazing ability to handle multiple and complex tasks and then to develop the appropriate approach.”
Macara praised Brown’s scientific productivity; her involvement in the national and international scientific community, where she has taken on leadership roles; and her dedication to mentorship and service. He also noted her “extraordinary record of scholarly presentations” and “her ability to engage diverse scientific audiences and position her work within the broader landscape of epithelial biology research.”
Brown said she looks forward to “learning Dr. Nogales’ perspective and exploring how her expertise can help me approach my research questions in new ways. Even more, I am excited to gain insight from her experiences as both a scientist and a mentor, and to carry these lessons forward as I continue to grow as a researcher and develop my future career.”
Brown graduated with BS degrees in genetics and microbiology from Iowa State University and worked for several years as a research assistant and shared resource manager at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She entered the Vanderbilt University biomedical PhD program (Interdisciplinary Graduate Pathway) in 2022 and joined the laboratory team of Ken Lau, PhD, Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and Surgery and holder of the Louise B. McGavock Chair.
Her research is supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, and she has been awarded multiple travel grants to support her presentations at national and international scientific conferences. This year, she won the Dean’s Award for Exceptional Achievement and the Steve Hann Outstanding Cell and Developmental Biology Graduate Student Award.
For more information about the Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar, visit https://www.vumc.org/oor/vanderbilt-prize-student-scholar.
