The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) has awarded two students with the Louis and Elsa Thomsen Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship. The year-long fellowship was established in 1999 by the estate of Elsa Thomsen to support CALS graduate students who demonstrate excellence in research.
The 2026 recipients are Holly Rucker (Kaçar Lab, Department of Bacteriology) and Sourav Agrawal (Lim Lab, Department of Biochemistry).
Agrawal, who is earning a Ph.D. in biophysics, studies telomeres, the protective caps made of repetitive DNA sequences and proteins found at the ends of human chromosomes. He identified that replication protein A (RPA) likely plays a key role in regulating telomerase, an enzyme responsible for maintaining telomeres. His research, which was published in Science, employed enzymatic assays to reveal that RPA plays an essential role in stimulating telomerase.
Malfunctions in RPA can lead to shortened telomeres and diseases such as cancers. For Agrawal, the immediate implications of his research findings have been unexpected and rewarding. “We have standardized protocols in our lab so we can run assays on mutations for collaborators and test whether those mutations are affecting telomerase-RPA interactions,” says Agrawal. “I do basic science research, but I have really appreciated the real-world impact.”
Now, with the fellowship funding, Agrawal will continue to explore other proteins that are known to stimulate telomerase activity, and he will study whether these proteins work together or independently.
“It’s so great to be appreciated for this work and to be supported in continuing this research next year,” says Agrawal, who hopes to continue developing research skills as a post-doctoral researcher after he graduates. “I’m also grateful that this award highlights the importance of this research. These diseases stemming from shortened telomeres are genetic and can be passed down [through generations]. It’s nice to know that our research would help in understanding the reasoning behind those diseases and hopefully solve them in future.”
Written by Renata Solan