Christopher Cotter, a graduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has been selected as a recipient of the 2026–2027 Yates Dissertation Fellowship.
By receiving this fellowship for returning students, Cotter is being recognized as one of the most promising graduate and professional students at the University of Tennessee. The fellowship provides a total of $10,000 for the 2026–27 academic year.
“Receiving the Yates Dissertation Fellowship is an incredible honor, and I’m truly grateful to those who nominated and selected me,” Cotter said. “This recognition is both humbling and a validating acknowledgment of the time, persistence, and problem-solving that have gone into my work so far. More than anything, it reinforces that the challenges along the way have been worth it and motivates me to keep pushing forward.”
The Yates Dissertation Fellowships were established in June 2000 with a generous bequest from the estate of Arthur E. Yates, president of Yates Bleachery Company and a dedicated friend to the University of Tennessee. The fellowship encourages, recognizes, and supports outstanding graduate students.
Cotter’s research focuses on developing tools to better understand and manipulate fungal pathogens in order to design more effective antifungal treatments and combat antimicrobial resistance. Cotter works on making these organisms easier to study, and on developing approaches that allow for the identification of promising therapeutic targets in a rapid, scalable way.
Cotter, a Reidsville, North Carolina native, is advised by Professor Cong Trinh, a Ferguson Faculty Fellow in Chemical Engineering. It marks the second straight year a student in Trinh’s group has received the fellowship.
“Chris is highly deserving of this dissertation fellowship. Chris works on developing CRISPR-Cas technology for precise genome editing of fungal pathogens such as Candida species, which are notoriously difficult to genetically manipulate. The research has the potential to significantly advance fungal biology and biotechnology,” Trinh said. “Chris is steadfast, motivated, and passionate about research, which has made the project quite fun and rewarding.”
After completing his PhD, Cotter plans to pursue a career in academia as a professor and continue to tackle important biological questions to find solutions that make life-changing impacts.
“I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Trinh for his mentorship and constant support,” Cotter said. “He has consistently challenged me and pushed me to become a better scientist, enabling me to grow beyond what I thought possible.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey (rpotkey@utk.edu)