Congratulations to our 2025 graduates

The Morgridge Institute for Research extends its heartfelt congratulations and admiration to our 2025 graduating students and research staff. We wish them all the best as they embark on their next journeys!

A few of our graduates shared what their time at Morgridge has meant to them, their accomplishments, and their plans for what’s next.

Kim Huggler, PhD

Cantor Lab

Kim Huggler completed her graduate studies with the Cantor Lab, where she worked on uncovering why certain cellular nutrients are selectively essential for human cancer cell growth. Her work focused specifically on the glycolytic enzyme, hexokinase 2.

One thing Huggler will remember fondly about the Morgridge Institute are the near-daily lunches with members of the Fan Lab. She loved the engagement of fun conversations that helped her build strong relationships. 

Kim is excited to start a two-year fellowship in clinical chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis in June. Managed by the pathology department at WashU School of Medicine, she will receive the training to become an independent clinical lab director.

Shoutout: “I’ve received help from so many different people over the years, and it feels wrong to only give a shoutout to one person. I of course want to first thank my advisor, Jason Cantor, for the years of guidance and support. I also want to thank Jenelle Gierhart-Sutter, Christina McKee, and Ericka Hanson for all of their help with keeping our lab and my science running. I also want to give a shoutout to Ellen Dobson for her help with navigating my career transition — especially with interview prep and cover letter edits!”

Steve John, PhD

Fan Lab

Steve John completed his graduate studies with the Fan Lab, where he studied how immune cells can rewire their metabolism when they initiate an immune response, and how this rewiring can regulate their functions.

While the science itself is exciting, John credits the camaraderie among the community is what defines the Morgridge experience.

After his graduation, John is looking forward to an industry career in the biotechnology space, which he approaches with a Fearless Science attitude.

Shoutout: “I want to shout out all the Morgridge administrative and support staff,” John says. “It made my life so much easier knowing that I can focus on the science while they are working hard in the background, taking care of everything else. I couldn’t have done it without them!“

Kayla Lemens, BS

Spurgeon Lab

Kayla Lemens was an undergraduate genetics student working with Megan Spurgeon and the lab’s mouse colony. She helped by sequencing DNA to identify breeding pairs, as well as collect baseline data for their experiments.

Lemens only spent one semester with the Spurgeon Lab, but her experience left a lasting impression. She recalls the first time she extracted DNA from a mouse tail as “one of the coolest things she’s ever seen.”

Following her graduation, she hopes to get a genetic counseling assistant job to continue building up her skills and understanding of the field.

Shoutout: “If I could shout out at anyone, it would be Megan. Thank you for sitting down at Steenbock’s and talking with me. Your generosity of letting me be involved with your research has really reminded me what science is all about, taking a chance and collaborating.”

Nistha Panda, MS

Gitter Lab

Nistha Panda completed her work as a member of the Gitter Lab where she used biological network analysis to prioritize genetic variants for rare diseases.

Her favorite experience at the Morgridge Institute was roasting marshmallows around a patio heater with the Gitter Lab at the 2024 Morgridge Scientific Retreat. 

This fall, Panda will continue her studies by joining the Biomedical Data Science PhD program in the Department of Biostatistics & Medical Informatics at UW–Madison. 

Shoutout: “I’d like to shoutout my PI, Tony Gitter, and our lab admin, Amy Freitag, for making me feel so welcomed at Morgridge.”