Beckman Foundation Announces 2026 Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellows

Expanded Class of 18 Research Fellows to Receive Over $6.7M in Science Funding

IRVINE, Calif., April 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation announced today the selection of its 2026 expanded class of Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellows, individuals who underscore the Foundation's mission of supporting basic research in chemical sciences and chemical instrumentation. They were selected after a three-part review led by a panel of scientific experts.

The Foundation will award more than $6.7 million in funding over the next three years for 18 exceptional research fellows from 14 universities and research institutions (where noted, some awardees have Mentors with their own past Beckman awards or Foundation connections):

Chemical Instrumentation

MaKenna Koble
University of Wisconsin, Madison

Ryan McDonnell
Yale University

Jaclyn Rebstock
University of Washington

Chemical Sciences

Megan Bentley, PhD
University of Colorado, Boulder

Emily Boyd
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mentor: Dr. Yogesh Surendranath, 2x Previous AOB Postdoc Mentor

Thomas Clarke, PhD
Northwestern University
Mentor: Dr. Chad Mirkin, 1992 BYI

Richard Kang
Princeton University

Farid Khoury, PhD
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mentor: Dr. Ariel Furst, 2016 AOB Postdoc

William Lyon
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mentor: Dr. Stephen Buchwald, 3x Previous AOB Postdoc Mentor

Samantha McDonald, PhD
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Mentor: Dr. Frank Leibfarth, 2019 BYI

Ryan Murphy, PhD
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mentor: Dr. Danna Freedman, 2x Previous AOB Postdoc Mentor

Levi Palmer
Stanford University

Kevin Qian, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
Mentor: Dr. Rebekka Klausen, Previous Reviewer and AOB Postdoc Executive Committee Member

Ethan Quinn, PhD
California Institute of Technology
Mentor: Dr. Frances Arnold, Nobel Laureate and Previous AOB Postdoc Mentor

Allison Smith, PhD
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Christian Strong
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mentor: Dr. Alexander Radosevich, Previous AOB Postdoc Mentor

Johnny Wang
University of California, Berkeley
Mentor: Dr. Colin Gould, 2021 AOB Postdoc

Todd Whittaker, PhD
Georgia Tech Research Corporation (First-time AOB Postdoc Award at this Institution)

"We are delighted to welcome our expanded cohort of Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellows, a group whose work undertakes solutions to intricate scientific challenges, from developing novel strategies for selective, safer, and more environmentally-friendly thermal energy delivery, to exploring interstellar peptide bond formation, to building a new instrument that can enable detailed insights into the chemical and physical properties of complex polymer samples," shared Dr. Anne Hultgren, Executive Director of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. "Congratulations to the 2026 class of Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellows; we are eager for the positive impact your research discoveries will bring and look forward to celebrating your future career successes."

The Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship serves as a catalyst for postdoctoral scholars looking to shift from "mentored yet independent" status into outstanding, independent researchers with positions in academic or industry/governmental labs.

About the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation

Located in Irvine, California, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation supports researchers and nonprofit research institutions in making the next generation of breakthroughs in chemistry and the life sciences. Founded in 1977 by 20^th century scientific instrumentation pioneer Dr. Arnold O. Beckman, the Foundation supports United States institutions and young scientists whose creative, high-risk, and interdisciplinary research will lead to innovations and new tools and methods for scientific discovery. For more information, visit beckman-foundation.org.

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SOURCE Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation