Each year, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) Maria Lastra Awards recognize graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who provide exceptional mentorship and support for their peers.
Anonymously nominated by students they’ve guided, supported and helped, the Maria Lastra winners represent the best of the collaborative, innovative research network UChicago PME engineers every day.
The 2025 Maria Lastra Award winners are PhD student Sean Sutyak and postdoctoral researcher Yeghishe Tsaturyan. In total, there were 33 nominations this year, highlighting 19 individuals across 20 different labs.
In presenting the award during the annual holiday party, Dean Nadya Mason highlighted how the strong scientific community UChicago PME built supports its members through good times and bad.
“In moments of achievement and in moments of challenge, we support each other, strengthen our community, and continue to thrive,” Mason said.
Graduate Student Honoree Sean Sutyak
Sutyak, a PhD candidate focusing on chemical sensing for preventive/proactive medicine and translation neuroscience tools in the lab of Asst. Prof. Sihong Wang, said mentorship is science’s core.
“We stand on the shoulders of giants,” he said, quoting Isaac Newton. “Someone else wrote a book that we learned from, or someone else had to hands-on teach somebody everything they know, and that's how we got to where we are.”
Sutyak said he comes from a heritage of mentorship, learning from his father, a medical school professor.
“One of his most rewarding experiences was seeing his residents succeed beyond him, knowing that he was providing that platform for people to succeed. A handful of times I got to hear about the positive impact directly from his students and that confirmed the importance of mentorship for me,” Sutyak said.
It’s a lesson Sutyak carries into the lab, said one of the UChicago PME students who nominated him.
"Through his thoughtful guidance, optimism, and kindness, he has shaped every part of my development as a researcher, from technical and analytical skills to communication and career direction,” the nomination said. “He creates an environment that is inclusive, encouraging, and intellectually vibrant, where students feel both supported and inspired to reach their full potential.”
Andrea Diaz from the Patel Group and Shinya Wai from the Wang Group received honorable mentions.
Postdoctoral Scholar Honoree Yeghishe Tsaturyan
Yeghishe Tsaturyan, a postdoctoral researcher in the quantum lab of Prof. David Awschalom, said mentorship comes from a place of understanding.
“I've been a graduate student myself. I know how hard it can be to pursue original, challenging research while facing high expectations from supervisors, peers, friends, and family,” he said. “I would be remiss not to try to be a supporting structure and resource for those young scientists.”
His student nominations emphasized how Tsaturyan’s example helps set the tone for the entire lab.
“Yeghishe exemplifies what it means to be an outstanding mentor in every dimension – research, interpersonal support, inclusion, and professional development,” one of his student nominations read. “His technical expertise, ethical leadership, and extraordinary patience have deeply shaped the trajectories of multiple students in our lab, me included. I owe much of my success, development, and resilience through graduate school to his mentorship, training, and friendship.”
Aman Agrawal from the Tirrell Group, Ki Hyun Kim from the Nealey Group and Abhimanyu Thakur from the Joyce Chen Group received honorable mentions.