Assistant Professor Yuecheng "Peter" Zhou has been named a Scialog Fellow for Neurobiology and Changing Ecosystems and received a Biophysical Society early career travel award. The Scialog Fellowship will support his research on how neural systems adapt to environmental changes, while the travel award will enable him to present his group's work on novel biophysical tools at an annual BPS meeting.
Written by Jackson Brunner
Why it matters: Assistant Professor Yuecheng "Peter" Zhou of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been selected as a Scialog Fellow and Biophysical Society travel award winner. These honors highlight Illinois' growing leadership in interdisciplinary science at the intersection of materials, biology and environmental research.
Pictured: Assistant Professor Yuecheng "Peter" Zhou
Scialog Fellowship
Zhou was among approximately 50 early-career scientists selected for the Neurobiology and Changing Ecosystems (NCE) Scialog Fellowship, awarded through the Research Corporation for Science Advancement.
Fellows will explore how neural systems adapt to human-caused environmental changes including pollution, toxins and unpredictable environments.
The three-year program's 2026 meeting takes place March 12-15, 2026 in Tucson, Arizona.
The program brings together experts from neuroscience, biology, physiology, genetics, climate science, chemistry, physics, engineering and other fields.
Biophysical Society Travel Award
Zhou also received an Early Career Travel Award from the Biophysical Society to attend the 2026 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, themed "Biophysics by the Bay."
The meeting will highlight advances in science and technology brought forth by big data and AI.
The program features symposia ranging from intrinsically disordered proteins to emerging frontiers in immunity, cancer, and protein design.
"The BPS travel award allows me to share my group's latest research with leading experts in the biophysics community. As we develop novel biophysical tools leveraging innovations in polymers and optics, this award also gives me the opportunity to connect with potential collaborators who might be interested in using our tools." - Assistant Professor Yuecheng "Peter" Zhou