Alan Attie (Department of Biochemistry), Anjon Audhya (Department of Biomolecular Chemistry), and Andrew Buller (Department of Chemistry) were among thirty-two UW–Madison faculty who received fellowships or professorships offered by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) for 2025-2026. The awardees span the four research divisions on campus: arts and humanities, physical sciences, social sciences and biological sciences.
The awards are possible due to the research efforts of UW–Madison faculty and staff. Technology that arises from these efforts is licensed by WARF and the income from successful licenses is returned to the OVCR, where it’s used to fund research activities and awards throughout the divisions on campus.
Alan Attie: Henry and Annrita Lardy Professor of Biochemistry WARF Named Professorship
Ten faculty were awarded WARF Named Professorships, which honor faculty who have made major contributions to the advancement of knowledge, primarily through their research endeavors, but also because of their teaching and service activities.
Attie has devoted his career to advancing our knowledge of diabetes and metabolism, making great strides in understanding metabolic pathways and the genetic basis of conditions such as diabetes and Tangier Disease. He continues to investigate metabolic disease, dissecting the genetic basis of dietary responses and identifying blood markers and phenotypes associated with disease. Attie’s dedication as a researcher extends beyond the bench to his commitment as a mentor and educator, preparing future scientists for their careers. In the classroom and the lab, Attie fosters learning by helping students establish a deep connection to the science of metabolic disease.
Read more about Attie’s career and the named professorship here.
Anjon Audhya: Kellett Mid-Career Award
Eleven faculty were honored with Kellett Mid-Career Awards, which support researchers promoted to tenured positions seven to 20 years ago and who have made key research contributions in their fields.
Audhya takes advantage of genetic, biochemical, and microscopy-based approaches to dissect basic regulatory mechanisms that control protein trafficking and organelle dynamics. Although basic research is the cornerstone of his program, he also seeks to define pathomechanisms that underlie human disease, focusing on the impact of mutations in key trafficking components that lead to neurodegeneration and cancer.
Andrew Buller: H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellowship
Eleven faculty were awarded the H.I. Romnes Fellowship, which recognizes faculty with exceptional research contributions within their first six years from promotion to a tenured position.
Buller develops innovative biocatalysts for organic synthesis, focusing on engineering C-C bond forming enzymes and collaboratively developing a new-to-nature cofactors using cobalt. With over 40 publications, he has successfully mentored eight Ph.D. graduates and 19 undergraduate researchers. He leads a popular graduate chemical biology course that attracts students from diverse Ph.D. programs across campus.