The Laboratory of Genetics is thrilled to announce Evelyn Browning as the recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Senior Award, an award dedicated to recognizing exceptional achievement in academics, research, and service! Evelyn was chosen out of many qualified nominees, and showcases the best of what a UW Genetics student has to offer.
At UW–Madison, Browning conducted over 800 hours of research under the mentorship of Dr. Steven Schrodi and Dr. David Schwartz! Evelyn has been actively engaged in research exploring the genetic and epigenetic basis of neurological disorders, as well as studying the epigenetic regulation of familial idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) in her lab at UW-Madison. Her senior honors thesis focused on analyzing DNA methylation data from affected families using novel statistical approaches to identify patterns between cases and controls, as well as among related individuals. In April 2024, Browning was featured in ‘Gel-Stacks’ gently confine or reversibly immobilize arrays of single DNA molecules for manipulation and study, published in BioTechniques.
Her contributions extend beyond the lab, as she actively participated in exemplary service as the Academic Chair for the Undergraduate Genetics Association (UGA). Additionally, Evelyn was involved on campus as a Student Sport Club Lead for RecWell and a student representative for WALSAA.
Throughout her undergraduate journey, Evelyn has received a variety of awards to recognize and showcase her accomplishments:
- 2026 Marshall Scholar
- 2026 Herfurth-Kubly Award
- 2025 Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Pioneer Award
- 2025 Hilldale Undergraduate Research Award
- 2023/2024 William F. Villas Scholarship
- 2024 Albert J. & Adelaide E. Riker Academic Merit Award
- 2024 WALSAA Outstanding Sophomore Award
In the fall, Evelyn will be returning to the U.K., a place she spent much of her childhood, to pursue a PhD in Biological Science. As a 2026 Marshall Scholar recipient, she plans to investigate genetic variants associated with neurodevelopmental conditions as a graduate student under Dr. Hilary Martin at the Wellcome Sanger Institute at the University of Cambridge.
Browning’s achievement highlights both her dedication to advancing human genetics research and the strength of the Genetics & Genomics undergraduate program at UW–Madison. We are excited to see all the future successes Evelyn will undoubtedly achieve, and we congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition!