BioE PhD Student Receives 2026 Outstanding PhD Student Award in Leadership
Vasuretha Chandar, PhD’27, bioengineering, received the 2026 Outstanding PhD Student Award in Leadership, which recognizes graduate students who have demonstrated significant leadership and a deep commitment to giving back to members of Northeastern’s community or surrounding neighborhoods.
Chandar is a 4th year PhD student in Bioengineering at Northeastern University. Her research in mechanobiology and fibrosis focuses on understanding how cellular and mechanical signals drive disease progression and inform future therapies. Beyond her research, she has spent the past four years advancing graduate student advocacy through sustained service and institution-building. Through elected roles culminating in President of the Bioengineering Graduate Student Council, she has established mentorship, professional development, and community-building initiatives that have enriched the graduate student experience across Northeastern’s campuses. Inspired by the guiding principles of the Bhagavad Gita on service, duty, and purposeful action, she has sought to lead in ways that create lasting support for those around her.
See related Northeastern Global News article: Academic honors abound for students and faculty across the global network