Graduate College News Congratulations To The 2026 Image of Research Finalists!

Congratulations to the 2026 Image of Research Finalists!

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Image of Research 2026 finalists grid

Every year, as we prepare for the annual Image of Research exhibition, we are amazed at the diversity and beauty of graduate student research on our campus. 

We invite you to explore the online exhibition and vote for your three favorites. Your votes will determine the People's Choice winner ($100 award). Voting closes Friday, April 10. Winners of all awards will be announced on April 13.

The exhibition will also be on display on the second floor of the Graduate College during Graduate Student Appreciation Week (April 6-10). Stop by anytime between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. during the week to see them in person.

The exhibition includes:

  • Syed Faizaan Ahab  (Art Education)
  • Marcos Gildemaro Alarcon Olivos (History)
  • Kimberly Araya Guzman (Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences)
  • Bayezid Baten (Civil & Environmental Engineering)
  • Qianlu Feng (Neuroscience)
  • August D. Hoffman (Anthropology)
  • Kevin Huang (Electrical & Computer Engineering)
  • Janet Husunukpe (Urban & Regional Planning)
  • Brooke Kadel (Psychology)
  • Chansong Kim (Materials Science & Engineering)
  • Chirayu Kothari (Civil & Environmental Engineering)
  • Grace Magavern (Plant Biology)
  • Jennie Maydew (Art & Design)
  • Iván Ronnaldo Mina Zavala (Crop Sciences)
  • Nama Naseem (Medicine)
  • Roya Nazari Najafabadi (Theatre)
  • Michelle Patiño-Flores (Anthropology)
  • Marisa Peacock (Art & Design)
  • Diana Razo Jimenez (Education Policy, Organization & Leadership)
  • Alexa Rojas (Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences)
  • Alexander Sandoval Campos (Civil & Environmental Engineering)
  • Jaden Thompson (Veterinary Medicine)
  • Victoria Tiki (Physics)
  • Katie Worrall (Political Science)

View the online gallery and vote for the People's Choice Award

Image of Research is an annual multidisciplinary competition celebrating the diversity and breadth of graduate student research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It is organized by Media Commons of the University Library and the Graduate College. For more details about the competition, see the Image of Research website. For more information about Graduate Student Appreciation Week, visit the Graduate College website.