PHILADELPHIA (June 11, 2025) — The Cancer Epigenetics Institute (CEI) at Fox Chase Cancer Center recently selected two graduate students for its inaugural Graduate Student Fellowship Awards.
The fellowships were awarded to William Lautert Dutra, a bioinformatics researcher at the Institute of Petroleum and Natural Resources at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and Rebecca Smith, a technician in the lab of Yu “Sunny” Liu, PhD, a member of the CEI and an Assistant Professor in the Nuclear Dynamics and Cancer Research Program at Fox Chase.
“In these challenging times for funding, awarding these two fellowships demonstrates the commitment of both Fox Chase and Temple to welcoming diverse voices, skillsets, and backgrounds that allow us to grow as a research institution,” said Johnathan Whetstine, PhD, Director of the CEI and the Jack Schultz Chair in Basic Science at Fox Chase.
The awards are a collaborative effort between Fox Chase, CEI, and the Temple University College of Science and Technology doctoral program. These competitive fellowships aim to recruit trainees who want to focus their training and research on epigenetics or related nuclear processes within CEI faculty laboratories that are affiliated with the College of Science and Technology.
To be selected, eligible candidates must apply directly to one of the Temple University College of Science and Technology doctoral programs and be accepted into the associated program. Once applicants are accepted into their chosen program, they then submit their CEI fellowship applications indicating their career goals and scientific interests. Those applications are then reviewed by an external committee of peers for selection.
“I am deeply honored to have received this fellowship from the Cancer Epigenetics Institute at Fox Chase. I am especially grateful for the invaluable mentorship I’ve received from many faculty members, particularly Drs. Whetstine and Liu, who have supported me every step of the way. I am excited and grateful to remain part of the CEI family during my graduate studies,” said Smith.
The fellowship provides two travel funds to be used on a meeting or workshop during the course of the applicant’s doctoral training and a competitive stipend for the first year that will then be followed by funding from the mentor’s laboratory. It also includes financial resources for relocation when needed.
“The CEI fellowship will support my graduate study in bioinformatics at Temple and enable me to develop computational tools that integrate multi-omics data to better classify tumor heterogeneity, predict treatment response, and uncover new therapeutic targets. This opportunity will not only strengthen my technical skills but also prepare me to lead research that bridges molecular insights with clinically impactful discoveries,” said Dutra.
“These fellowships offer an opportunity to facilitate and promote equitable research that serves our community,” said Whetstine. “We are eager to welcome these students to our CEI family and are proud to be providing an opportunity for future researchers to obtain essential experience in the field.”