Erika Geisbrecht is a 2025-2026 recipient of the Commerce Bank and WT Kemper Foundation Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award. This award recognizes graduate faculty members for their remarkable academic accomplishments and contributions to graduate education at the institution.
Brian Geisbrecht was selected as a recipient of the 2025 Big 12 Faculty of the Year Award. One outstanding faculty member from each Big 12 school is chosen for this honor. The award celebrates excellence in innovation and research.
Michael Kanost received a 2025 Roots of Research Award. This honor recognizes K-State faculty and staff whose exceptional research and scholarly contributions demonstrate a sustained and impactful commitment to advancing knowledge in their fields.
Erika Geisbrecht received an RO1 renewal award from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) to study "Mechanisms Underlying Muscle Development and Maintenance in Drosophila" in April 2026.
Erika Geisbrecht received an R21 award from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) to study "Regulation of Sarcomere Growth" in August 2025.
Student Achievements
Graduate student Ziwei Zhao (Erika Geisbrecht lab) received the University Distinguished Professors Excellence in Doctoral Studies Award. This award recognizes exceptional achievement in doctoral studies. Ziwei talks about her research (video).
Graduate student Ziwei Zhao (Erika Geisbrecht lab) was selected to give an oral presentation at the 2025 Myogenesis Gordon Research Seminar near Lucca, Italy on June 7-8 where she won an award for best talk. She also presented a poster at the 2025 Myogenesis Gordon Research Conference held June 8-13. The title of her talk and poster were "Pathogenic CryAB Mutations in Muscle Suggest a Novel Mechanism for Amyloid Secretion via Extracellular Vesicles."
Soheila Fatehi (advisor: Brian Geisbrecht) was awarded the 2025 Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Charlie Hedgcoth, Jr. and Phillip Nordin Graduate Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Huiquan Duan received the Alvin & RosaLee Saracheck Predoctoral Honors Fellowship in Molecular Biology. The purpose of this prestigious award is to facilitate his transition to a postdoctoral position. He has accepted a postdoctoral position at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Brian Geisbrecht is Duan's major professor.
M.S. and Ph.D. Defenses
Lauren Apprill successfully defended her master's thesis, "The role of the GIR1-AMTL1 interaction in sepal cell fate and glucosinolate accumulation" on April 1, 2026. Lauren completed her degree under the mentorship of Dr. Kathrin Schrick.
Soheila Fatehi successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, "Staphylococcal Peroxidase Inhibitor: Structure/Function Analysis and Studies on Host-Species Specificity" on March 27, 2026. Soheila completed her degree under the mentorship of Dr. Brian Geisbrecht.
Ying Zhang successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, "A Structural Basis for Bacterial Evasion of Antibody Responses Through Inhibitory Receptor Targeting" on October 23, 2025. Ying completed her degree under the mentorship of Dr. Brian Geisbrecht.
Ziwei Zhao successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, "Kinase-mediated regulation of CryAB in muscle: from NUAK-dependent signaling to extracellular vesicle-driven amyloid secretion" on October 7, 2025. Ziwei completed her degree under the mentorship of Dr. Erika Geisbrecht.
Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award. This award recognizes graduate faculty members for their remarkable academic accomplishments and contributions to graduate education at the institution.
Graduate student Ziwei Zhao (Erika Geisbrecht lab) received the University Distinguished Professors Excellence in Doctoral Studies Award. This award recognizes exceptional achievement in doctoral studies. Ziwei talks about her research (video). 
2025 Myogenesis Gordon Research Seminar near Lucca, Italy on June 7-8 where she won an award for best talk. She also presented a poster at the 2025 Myogenesis Gordon Research Conference held June 8-13. The title of her talk and poster were "Pathogenic CryAB Mutations in Muscle Suggest a Novel Mechanism for Amyloid Secretion via Extracellular Vesicles."