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Lake Forest, IL
The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) awarded Shubhik DebBurman the 2024 Biology Division Faculty Mentor Award (Advanced Career). He is the Disque D. & Carol Gram Deane Professor of Biological Sciences at the Lake Forest college.
“This prestigious award recognizes Dr. DebBurman’s exceptional commitment to undergraduate research mentorship and his transformative impact on students’ scientific careers,” said Chair, CUR Biology Division Mentor Awards Committee Jessica Clark.
In last 26 years, DebBurman has trained 106 undergraduates in his D-Lab, with a special emphasis to support students from underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds. His commitment continues even after students graduate, by providing ongoing support and guidance. The impact of Dr. DebBurman’s mentorship reflects in the career paths of his former students, holding positions in academia, research, and healthcare across the country.
After receiving this national recognition, DebBurman said he finds it “incredibly personal and humbling” that students he previously taught, trained, and mentored over the span of his career nominated him for this honor.
Dr. Nijee Sharma Luthra, one of Professor Shubhik DebBurman’s first lab students, led the nomination for this award. She is Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology at University of California, San Francisco where she is researching Parkinson’s Disease.
“The work we do with students to develop them as scholars is absolutely central to the mission of a small college professor,” DebBurman said. “It drives the purpose with which we pursue our teaching, scholarship, and citizenry. I am so fortunate to be at Lake Forest College, where I am surrounded by like-minded faculty across disciplines that share this passion, and where motivated students from all backgrounds come to be educated and then head to strong STEM careers.”
In 2023, he received the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) Distinguished Mentor Award at the national Society for Neuroscience (SfN) meeting in Washington DC.
