CVM graduate student receives K-State’s prestigious Sarachek Fellowship

By Joe Montgomery
June 11, 2026

Photo collage showing Prabhu Joshi in the lab conducting research
Graduate student Prabhu Joshi conducts research under Dr. Pankaj Baral in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology.

Prabhu Joshi, a Ph.D. candidate in pathobiology, has been selected as a recipient of the 2026 Alvin and RosaLee Sarachek Predoctoral Honors Fellowship at Kansas State University. Considered one of the university's most prestigious graduate student honors, the Sarachek Fellowship recognizes exceptional achievement in doctoral research and scholarship. It was created by the late Alvin Saracheck from Wichita to recognize Kansas resident graduate students.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Pankaj Baral, Prabhu's research focuses on neuroimmunology, the study of interactions between the nervous and immune systems. His work has contributed to a growing understanding of how sensory nerve cells can influence the body's response to infection.

“I am truly honored to receive this award,” Prabhu said. “I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Baral for his guidance, mentorship and support throughout my Ph.D. journey. His advice and encouragement have played an important role in my research progress and professional development.”

“I’m very excited that Prabhu was selected as the recipient of the 2026 Alvin and RosaLee Sarachek Predoctoral Fellowship,” Dr. Baral said. “Prabhu has been extremely productive as a graduate student and researcher. His research of understanding the neuroimmune crosstalk in bacterial pneumonia is highly innovative and impactful in immunology and molecular biology disciplines, and the fellowship is a well-deserved honor for him.”

The Sarachek Predoctoral Honors Fellowship provides an award of $19,000 to a graduate student enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Kansas State University. Students must show evidence of effective communication of research results through publications in leading journals and presentations at national and international meetings.

The Sarachek fellowship and travel awards were established by RosaLee Sarachek and the late Alvin Sarachek, Wichita, to recognize resident graduate students enrolled in a doctoral program at K-State who have demonstrated exceptional research and academic accomplishments. An interdisciplinary faculty selection committee determines the fellowship and travel award recipients. The awards program is offered through the university's Graduate School.

Alvin Sarachek received his doctorate in genetics from Kansas State University in 1957. He and his wife, RosaLee Sarachek, a career biologist, created the fellowship and travel awards because they valued the university's tradition of offering a broad array of quality programs in the life sciences, many with outstanding national reputations. The Saracheks wanted to contribute to the tradition of excellence by recognizing students who have demonstrated exceptional research accomplishments involving molecular approaches to biological problems.

More information on the Sarachek awards is available on the Graduate School website.

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