Ayush Midha has been named a 2026 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award winner by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in recognition of his exceptional achievement in graduate studies in the biological sciences.
Midha is a student in UCSF's Tetrad PhD program, where he conducts research in the lab of his graduate adviser, Dr. Isha Jain. He is also enrolled in UCSF's Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), which leads to both the MD and PhD degrees. He is the recipient of an F30 fellowship from the NIDDK/NIH, and recently received the Dorman Outstanding Graduate Student Prize from the Gladstone Institutes.
As a 2026 Weintraub Awardee, Midha is one of just 12 students selected from a nationwide pool of nominees. Since its founding in 2000, the Weintraub Award has been given to 360 awardees, of which 26 have been from UCSF. The award is named for Dr. Harold “Hal” Weintraub, a molecular biologist who helped found the Basic Sciences Division at Fred Hutch and died of brain cancer in 1995 at age 49. The award honors Weintraub’s scientific leadership and his legacy as an extraordinary mentor, colleague, collaborator and friend.
Midha and his fellow recipients this year will be honored at a symposium May 1 at Fred Hutch where they will each give a presentation about their work.
In his own graduate research, Ayush explains that "I am interested in better understanding the metabolic adaptations to low-oxygen conditions. This is relevant for life at high-altitude, but it's also important for conditions where our cells experience fluctuations in oxygen levels, including heart disease, respiratory disease, and cancer. With the invaluable guidance and mentorship of my adviser, Dr. Isha Jain, I have had the opportunity to investigate how low-oxygen conditions reprogram the metabolism of normal cells and cancer cells. Furthermore, we have learned that in low-oxygen conditions, our cells can do some kinds of fermentation that were previously thought to be restricted to micro-organisms, like the bacteria in kombucha and sourdough starter."
Upon receiving the Weintraub award, Ayush reflected on his UCSF experience. "I'm so grateful for the community of exceptional academic workers in the Jain Lab and UCSF, especially the other grad student researchers, postdocs, and staff researchers who have taught me how to do western blots, critically evaluate the literature, and think about metabolism. When I started here, I knew UCSF would be full of brilliant scientists, but I've been consistently impressed by the solidarity exhibited by my colleagues, in and out of the lab. I'm honored to bring this spirit to the Weintraub symposium."
Fred Hutch solicits nominations for the Weintraub Award each fall from PhD programs in the biological sciences.
Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is an independent, nonprofit organization and the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington. The Center has a global reputation for discoveries in cancer, infectious disease and basic research, including important advances in bone marrow transplantation, immunotherapy, HIV/AIDS prevention and COVID-19 vaccines. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services and has network affiliations with hospitals in four states. Fred Hutch also serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program.