Jennifer L. Reed Bioenergy Science Award

The Jennifer L. Reed Bioenergy Science Award is given annually to an early career woman who has made significant contributions to the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center research portfolio.

Originally called the GLBRC Early Career Woman in Bioenergy Sciences Award, it was established in 2018 to recognize the impacts of early career women on the success of the Center.

The award is open to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior scientists who identify as women, are funded by the Center, and have demonstrated excellence during their time in the GLBRC. Eligible individuals are nominated by the research coordinators and evaluated by Center leadership based on their GLBRC publication record, representation of their research at high-impact Center events (including the U.S. Department of Energy annual review, Genomic Sciences Program, and other conferences), and service to the Center (such as outreach activities and Annual Science Meeting planning). Generous support for this award is provided by INFORS HT.

Jennifer Reed's research and leadership efforts garnered numerous prestigious awards, including early career awards from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2013. This award was named after her to inspire others to follow in her footsteps of leadership, research excellence, and recognition for highly accomplished early career women scientists.

2023 recipient: Cheyenne Lei

Portrait of Cheyenne Lei Cheyenne Lei

In honor of her significant accomplishments and contributions to GLBRC and the broader scientific community, the 2023 recipient of the Jennifer L. Reed Bioenergy Science Award is Cheyenne Lei, GLBRC collaborator and former Michigan State University graduate student now with the Institute of Global Change Biology at the University of Michigan. Read about her path to geography and contributions to GLBRC and the scientific community in our profile Cheyenne here »

Past Recipients

2022: Francesca Gambacorta, GLBRC scientist and UW–Madison graduate student in chemical and biological engineering
Read about her path to microbial engineering, her advice for young scientists, and her contributions to GLBRC and the scientific community in our profile of Francesca here »

2021: Julia Martien, GLBRC scientist and graduate student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
Read about what sparked her interest in researching bacteria, her infectious passion for microbiology, and her contributions to GLBRC and the scientific community in our profile of Julia »

2020: Gracielou Klinger, GLBRC scientist and graduate student in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Chemistry departments at Michigan State University
Read about what sparked her interest in biofuels research, her passion for science communication, and her journey from undergraduate researcher to graduate student in our profile of Gracielou here »

2019: Anne-Sophie Bohrer, GLBRC scientist and postdoctoral fellow at Michigan State University
Read about her research into maximizing the yield of switchgrass and her passion for science outreach in our 2019 profile of Anne-Sophie here »

2018: Rebecca Smith, GLBRC assistant scientist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
Read about what drew her to studying plants as a career and her innovative research into making lignin more digestible in our 2018 profile of Rebecca here »

Sponsor

Infors HT logo

Generous support for the Jennifer L. Reed Bioenergy Science Award is provided by INFORS HT. Established in 1965, INFORS HT has developed into a global developer and manufacturer of cutting-edge incubation shakers and bioreactors. INFORS HT specializes in bioreactors, incubation shakers, and software for reliable and efficient cultivations, from planning to success.