Future Star Award 2022: the winner is…
This year’s Future Star Award has come to a close. We have counted your votes for the three finalists, and it’s now time to announce the winner for 2022. Congratulations to Smruthi Karthikeyan!
Smruthi Karthikeyan is a postdoctoral researcher in the Knight Lab at the University of California, San Diego (CA, USA), where she is developing ways to study microbial dynamics and their effects on environmental and human health.
Find out more about Smruthi’s work in her finalist interview.
As this year’s winner, she joins previous winners as a Mentor for BioTechniques LEARN, where she will be able to inspire and encourage the next generation of early career researchers.
“I feel proud and honored to have won the Future Star Award for 2022! I’m extremely grateful for everyone who voted and for the panel in reviewing and recognizing the research. This award will continue to motivate me to do cutting-edge research and share the outcomes of a rewarding science career,” commented Smruthi on her win. “I also appreciate BioTechniques for recognizing and encouraging early career scientists through this award and continuing to motivate the next generation of researchers!”
Smruthi will also receive a cash prize to support her research and have the opportunity to feature on a Talking Techniques Podcast episode.
“It is an honor to recognize Dr. Smruthi Karthikeyan with the BioTechniques Future Star Award 2022! Dr. Karthikeyan’s research has had an impressive impact, from work on oil-eating microbes to COVID-19 wastewater monitoring programs. Dr. Karthikeyan’s dedication to using advanced research techniques to address critical needs for society is truly inspiring and we are excited to support her as she continues in her research endeavors and works to motivate future generations of scientists.” – Michelle S. Itano, Editor-in-Chief for BioTechniques.
“We are delighted to announce Dr. Smruthi Karthikeyan as this year’s winner of the BioTechniques Future Star Award. Dr. Karthikeyan’s research is incredibly interesting and has already had a positive impact on ecosystems across the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, where she used computational approaches to monitor and predict recovery of ecosystems affected by the 2010 oil spill. Dr. Karthikeyan is definitely a scientist to watch, and I look forward to keeping up to date with her future research!” – Ebony Torrington, Head of Editorial, Future Science Group.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s award, from nominators to nominees and judges to voters. Of course, special mention to our finalists – Kelsey Loupy and Giacomo Valle – both of whom are conducting exceptional research that positively impacts the STEM community. We look forward to watching them continue to make outstanding contributions to science and act as brilliant mentors.
Have someone in mind for next year’s Future Star Award? Why not nominate them now?
