Twelve promising young members of the UW–Madison faculty, have been honored with Romnes Faculty Fellowships.

Romnes awards recognize exceptional faculty members who have earned tenure within the last six years. Selected by a Graduate School committee, winners receive an unrestricted $50,000 award for research, supported by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).

The award is named for the late H. I. Romnes, former chairman of the board of AT&T and former president of the WARF Board of Trustees.

Audrey Gasch, associate professor of genetics, has a longstanding interest in understanding how cells sense and respond to environmental stresses. Her work applies genomic, proteomic and genetic analysis to reveal how cells integrate diverse signals from the environment to mount the proper response. Her lab uses these insights for diverse applications — from understanding how cells regulate growth control in cancer to engineering yeast for better biofuel production. 

Dane Morgan, professor of materials science and engineering, is focused on energy applications — including fuel cells, batteries and nuclear materials — but he also works in the areas of high-pressure geoscience and defect properties in semiconductors. Morgan served as vice president of research at Pellion Technologies, a startup energy technology company, and is a co-director of the Wisconsin Materials Institute.