September 1, 2026

Mahir Mazumder awarded 2026 Jim Hopper Memorial Undergraduate Research Award

Announcement of 2026 Hopper award with Mahir Mazumdar (left) and Jim Hopper (right)

The Department is delighted to recognize the 2026 awardee of the The Jim Hopper Memorial Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Mahir Mazumder is a Molecular Genetics major in Sharon Amacher's lab. Mahir earned this award for his research focused on understanding the function of the khsrp gene in the segmentation of zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos. The bulk of his work to date has involved manipulating khsrp expression in zebrafish and analyzing how this affects expression of the her1 gene, a key regulator of segmentation.

Mahir shares with us:

"I chose to study Molecular Genetics at OSU for a few reasons. Throughout middle and high school, genetics was always one of the subjects that piqued my interest. Additionally, I've always been a huge nerd, and many of my obsessions growing up often related to genetics, leading to me wanting to study the field more in-depth.

For me, the most exciting part of research is being able to apply concepts and techniques I've learned about for years in a real laboratory setting to add to the world's body of scientific knowledge, while also strengthening my own knowledge of genetics.

Outside of research, other memorable highlights during my time at OSU include being involved in a filmmaking club, an acapella group, and our school's Athletic Band, not to mention all the amazing and interesting people I've met along the way."

This award was funded by the The Jim Hopper Memorial Undergraduate Research Fund.

Dr. Jim Hopper was a valued faculty member in the Department of Molecular Genetics from 2006 until his untimely death in 2017 at the age of 74. Jim's research sought to understand how cells respond to environmental cues by regulating transcriptional switches, with a focus on galactose-responsive transcription in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. His lab was the first to clone the yeast Gal4 gene, and his work contributed greatly to our understanding of post-transcriptional regulation of genetic switches. His work resulted in more than 50 publications and was funded by the NIH for over 30 years.

Jim was a generous and thoughtful scientist with widespread interests and talents. He was a world-class gymnast (All American on still rings in 1963) and other hobbies included glass blowing, woodworking, stone work, gardening, snorkeling, photography, cooking, and reading. Most importantly, Jim was an amazing husband and father and a dedicated mentor and teacher to his students.

The Jim Hopper Memorial Fund was made possible by contributions from colleagues, friends, and family of Jim Hopper and by a gift of the estate of Dr. Charles H. Baer to the Department of Molecular Genetics. Consider supporting the fund here