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Emory selected for 2026 Beckman Scholars Program to further undergraduate science research
Salaita and student in lab

Samuel Chandler Dobbs Professor of Chemistry Khalid Salaita (right) is one of 15 professors who will act as a faculty mentor for undergraduate students selected as Beckman Scholars. Students in his research group work with DNA to decode cell mechanics, build synthetic motors and advance therapeutics.

— Kay Hinton, Emory Photo/Video

The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation has announced that Emory University is among 14 institutions selected for its signature program for high-achieving undergraduate students studying chemistry and life sciences.

The Beckman Scholars program will fund a 15-month independent research experience for six students across three years. Students will work with one of the 15 Beckman research mentors, from Emory College of Arts and Sciences and the Emory School of Medicine, for two summers and one academic year.

“This is wonderful recognition of Emory’s commitment to interdisciplinary undergraduate research and our faculty’s track record in building the skills and resources our students need to become the next generation of scientific leaders,” says Anita Corbett, senior associate dean for research and Samuel C. Dobbs Professor of Biology in Emory College.

The Beckman Foundation selected Emory and the other recipients following a rigorous application process, which included a two-part review led by a panel of scientific experts. 

“Fostering undergraduate researchers and inspiring them to explore new ideas and experiences through mentoring is central to our Beckman Scholars Program,” said Anne Hultgren, executive director and CEO of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, in a press release announcing the selection.

The Beckman Scholars’ faculty mentors will act as advisers to name the first two scholars of the new cohort later this spring. The professors will select the scholars from sophomores who are already conducting research in mentors’ labs and planning to pursue PhDs in their fields.

The selected students will begin their Beckman Scholar-supported research in June.

Scholars will also have the opportunity to work with Emory’s Biological Discovery through Chemical Innovation initiative, which fosters cross-disciplinary research to accelerate understanding of disease and advance drug discovery.

After completing the Beckman Scholars program, students will serve as peer mentors during their senior year and will receive ongoing support from Emory to apply to graduate programs.

“We are excited at the opportunity to leverage our existing resources in a way that deepens Emory’s culture of undergraduate research and inspires our students to consider how their talents and commitment can make them the future faces of innovation and discovery,” Corbett says.

Corbett will serve as one of the faculty mentors. This group also includes two recipients of the Beckman Young Investigator Award: Emory College chemist Katherine Davis and Charles Bou-Nader, an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry. That award, which is also supported by the Beckman Foundation, supports promising young faculty members in the early stages of their careers in the chemical and life sciences.


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