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Tharindu Trishan Dapana Durage, a first-year Ph.D. student in Nutrition and Food Sciences, is making waves in the field of gut microbiome research. Working under the mentorship of Dr. Ezgi Ozcan in the MinD Gut Lab, his research focuses on gut microbiome–brain interactions in neurodegenerative diseases.

In just the first half of 2025, Durage earned an impressive array of accolades:

* First Place in the Phi Tau Sigma Research Competition for graduate students and postdoctoral members
* Second Place in the IFT InFoodrafic: A Global Infographic Competition
* Second Place in the IFT Carbohydrate Division Hackathon
* Third Place in the IFT Graduate Student Oral Competition (Aquatic Food Products Division) at IFT FIRST 2025

As team captain, Durage also led º£½ÇÉçÇø entries in two major product development competitions:

* The IFT MARS Product Development Competition
* The IFT Developing Solutions for Developing Countries Product Development Competition

Both teams advanced to the final stage, earning two travel grants. His innovation was featured live on Fox32 Good Day Chicago during IFT FIRST 2025.

Durage’s academic excellence and leadership have also been recognized through several prestigious scholarships and awards, including:

* IFT Feeding Tomorrow IFTSA Travel Scholarship
* Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Love of Learning Award
* Ruth Patrick, PhD Human Nutrition and Food Sciences Scholarship (2025–2026)
* Larry and Barbara Chachere Endowed Scholarship (2025–2026)
* Veralto Scholarship for Excellence in STEM by oSTEM
* Point Access Scholarship from the Point Foundation, awarded for academic excellence, leadership potential, and impact in the LGBTQ+ community.

Durage’s achievements reflect his dedication to advancing nutrition science and his commitment to leadership and innovation. The School of Nutrition and Food Sciences is proud to celebrate his success.