A female student with short, blonde hair and glasses in a white lab coat looks up at a test tube Dr. Cheng in a blue, collared shirt, glasses and white lab coat is holding up in the air. He is also looking at the tube and is wearing blue lab gloves. They are standing over a counter in a lab. — Under Assistant Professor Yong Cheng’s mentorship, students have received several prestigious undergraduate research fellowships. (Photo by Kristin Knight, OSU Agriculture)

Cheng receives 2025 OSU Excellence in Research Mentoring Award

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Media Contact: Kristin Knight | Communications and Marketing, OSU Agriculture | 405-744-1130 | kristin.knight@okstate.edu

For the second year in a row, Dr. Yong Cheng, assistant professor in the Oklahoma State University Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has received the OSU Excellence in Research Mentoring Award.

Cheng was recognized at the OSU Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 22 in the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center.

The annual honor celebrates a faculty mentor’s success and impact in supervising undergraduate research students. Cheng first received the award in 2024, and this consecutive recognition highlights his continued commitment to developing individualized mentoring strategies for students and helping them achieve academic, career and personal growth.

During the past four years, Cheng’s mentees have received 18 research fellowships, including Goldwater, Niblack, Wentz, Purdie, McNair and Ferguson College of Agriculture Undergraduate Scholars.

“When I begin working with students, I want to understand their educational goals and career aspirations and provide resources for them to succeed,” Cheng said. “They motivate me to create a positive environment for undergraduate research in my lab.”

Carlyn Guthrie, a doctoral student in biochemistry and molecular biology, has been mentored by Cheng since she was an undergraduate student. Throughout her time in college, Carlyn said Cheng has provided experiences that developed her skills in research, scientific communication and leadership.

“Dr. Cheng does everything he can to help me and other students be successful in the lab and in our futures,” Carlyn said. “He also makes lab life fun and engaging by sharing stories about his own research experiences that help us connect what we’re learning to real-world scenarios.”

Cheng continues to distinguish himself as an exceptional mentor for undergraduate students pursuing research opportunities, said Dr. Karen Hickman, director of undergraduate research in the Ferguson College and the environmental science undergraduate program director.

"He has cultivated a dynamic, collaborative culture in his lab — one where undergraduates are mentored not only by him but also by his graduate students and post-doctoral fellows,” Hickman said. “This layered mentorship model provides students with a rich and supportive framework that inspires confidence and fosters their growth as future researchers in biochemistry and molecular biology."