The Honored Student Award encourages and recognizes graduate students doing research in one of the areas represented by AOCS Divisions. Sponsored by the AOCS Foundation.
What does the recipient receive?
- Certificate
- Up to a US $500 travel allowance for U.S. and Canada residents [or up to a US $1,000 travel allowance for recipients residing outside of those countries]
- Complimentary AOCS Annual Meeting registration, lodging and Division meal ticket
- Opportunity to present an award lecture at the AOCS Annual Meeting
Who is eligible?
Current graduate students:
- who have not begun a career in their chosen field by May 1 of the presentation year:
- whose research is comprised of fats, oils and related fields
- who have never received the Honored Student Award
How do I nominate someone?
Login to the Awards Portal to submit the following application materials.
- Complete application questions using the Awards Portal
- Letter of support from the student’s academic advisor
- At least one other letter of support from anyone familiar with the student’s academic endeavors
- University transcripts
- Detailed Curriculum Vitae
- Abstract submitted for the current year’s AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo
Most Recent Recipient
2026 recipients:
Purlen Sezer Okur
Purlen is a Research Associate at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where she earned her Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology following B.S. and M.S. degrees from Middle East Technical University in Food Engineering. Her research focuses on developing sustainable green platform technologies using supercritical carbon dioxide to engineer innovative, stable solid lipid particles for food applications. An accomplished researcher, she has authored nine peer-reviewed publications and received 14 research awards, including the 2026 AOCS Honored Student and Manuchehr Eijadi Awards. Purlen is highly active in the AOCS community, serving as the Student Liaison and Newsletter Editor for the Edible Applications Technology (EAT) Division.
Timilehin David Oluwajuyitan
Timilehin David Oluwajuyitan is a Ph.D. candidate in Food and Human Nutritional Sciences at the University of Manitoba. His research focuses on the structural, functional, and bioactive properties of fava bean proteins and peptides, emphasizing sustainable extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis, and peptide-based health applications. Beyond his research, Timilehin serves as President of the University of Manitoba Graduate and Postdoctoral Society and is an active volunteer and member of AOCS, IFT, and CIFST. He is passionate about advancing sustainable plant proteins and functional food innovation.
Chenge Wang
Chenge (Charley) Wang is a PhD candidate in the Department of Food Science at Rutgers University. Her research focuses on the lipid oxidation mechanisms of monounsaturated oils, with Dr. Karen M. Schaich. She earned dual B.S. degrees in Food Science and Nutritional Sciences from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In addition to her academic work, she is an active student leader, currently serving on the IFT Student Association Board as a Member-at-Large and co-chairing a lipid oxidation technical session for the 2026 AOCS Annual Meeting.
Nirat Katuwal
Nirat Katuwal is a PhD student at South Dakota State University, Brookings. His research focuses on upcycling oilseed processing byproducts, specifically canola, soybean, and camelina meals, as a source of bioactive compounds that inhibit Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs) and modulate the AGE-RAGE pathological axis. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed articles and has been actively presenting at conferences. He is also active in student leadership and currently serves the AOCS Health and Nutrition Division as a session co-chair.
Santosh Thapa
Santosh Thapa is a PhD student at the South Dakota State University under the supervision of Dr. Bishnu Karki. Santosh's research is focused on developing plant-based protein ingredients and advanced biomaterials from agro-industrial wastes. Till date, Santosh has published two scientific articles from PhD research, received multiple awards, including AOCS 2024 Biotechnology Division Student Excellence Award, and have delivered multiple oral and poster presentations at AOCS meetings.