University of Kansas Madison and Lila Self Graduate Programs

09/02/2026

This year's Self Graduate Fellowship public policy topic is health. For our first public policy luncheon, Fellows heard a presentation from Christina Holt and Stephen Fawcett, Ph.D., co-directors of KU's Community Toolbox.

09/01/2026

Welcome back, Fellows, we can't wait to see what you'll accomplish this year!

08/31/2026

Amina Tbaba-Roy, 2025–2029 Self Graduate Fellow and PhD candidate in Neuroscience, attended the 30th Annual Meeting of the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology in Niagara Falls, NY. During the conference, she presented a poster outlining her recent research findings, titled "Dopamine Signaling in the Insular Cortex Regulates Partner-Seeking After Social Loss."

08/19/2026

Congratulations to Sean Anderson (2026-2027 Self Memorial Scholar, accounting) on receiving the The KU School of Business 2026 Dana Anderson Knock on the Window Award.

The award was established by Anderson’s investment advisor and friend Wayne Woodman and recognizes and supports entrepreneurship students who exemplify hard work, tenacity, hustle and determination — characteristics exemplified by Anderson throughout his career.

Congratulations, Sean!

The KU School of Business has named Sean Anderson, a spring 2026 ac...

08/18/2026

Claire Sabolay (2025-2029 Self Graduate Fellow pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Kansas) presented at the 2026 Ionic Liquids Gordon Research Conference. Her poster, “Solubility Measurements to Process Design: Evaluating Difluorophosphate-Based ILs for Refrigerant Separations” discussed her current research. Her poster was chosen through a judging process as one of four featured short talks, where she was able to share her work with a larger audience of researchers in her field.

08/14/2026

On our final day of the Fall Skill Session, the 2024-2028 and 2025-2029 Fellows are participating in a grant writing workshop with Dr. Ane Chicas-Mosier!

08/12/2026

Today, the Self Graduate Fellows are participating in a full-day workshop with Bill Shander focusing on data visualization and storytelling. This session focuses on teaching teams and individuals how to transform data into compelling visuals, engaging narratives, and actionable insights.

08/10/2026

Elizabeth Bartlett, (2023–2027 Self Graduate Fellow and Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry), attended the Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar on Water and Aqueous Solutions in Holderness, New Hampshire. She presented a poster titled "Activation Energies from Single-Temperature Simulations: Insights into Water Dynamics." Elizabeth enjoyed engaging in discussions on the latest advances in the field, reconnecting with colleagues and making new connections, and experiencing the beautiful New England weather.

08/07/2026

Kayla Whatley, 2024–2028 Self Graduate Fellow and PhD candidate in Bioengineering, attended the 10th World Congress of Biomechanics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. During the conference, she connected with biomechanics experts from clinical, academic, and industry backgrounds from across the globe. She also presented her research titled "Preliminary Model of Hinge Epithelium Contraction in Palatal Shelf Elevation.

08/06/2026

Brody Gatza, a 2024-2028 Self Graduate Fellow in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, presented his paper titled “A Modular Reduced-Order Modeling Framework for Rocket Combustion Simulations” at the 2026 International Symposium on Combustion in Kyoto, Japan. Brody used this opportunity to share his research with the combustion community and to connect with researchers from across the globe.