Two UNMC students named Presidential Graduate Fellows

Jesse Cox, a M.D., Ph.D. candidate in cancer research, and Parama Dey, a Ph.D. candidate in biochemistry and molecular biology, are two of the eight recipients of the University of Nebraska’s 2011-12 Presidential Graduate Fellowships.

Jesse Cox

Parama Dey

The prestigious fellowships honor NU graduate students on the basis of high scholastic performance, personal accomplishment and innovative research.

“The recipients of Presidential Graduate Fellowships are among the University of Nebraska’s most outstanding students — future scientists, teachers and business leaders who are accomplishing extraordinary things in the laboratory, the classroom and beyond,” NU President James B. Milliken said. “I’m confident we will see great things from each of our fellows.”

Each fellow receives an annual stipend provided through the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Cox’s research focuses on understanding how transcription factors, specifically Sox2, and their associated proteins contribute to the self-renewal of embryonic stem cells and tumor cells. His studies will provide new insights into the mechanisms driving stem cells and tumor cell self-renewal.

Dey’s research focuses on the role of human ecdysoneless protein in pancreatic cancer. Her work has important implications for developing new therapies and treatments for pancreatic cancer.