PhD student Alex Xiao earns American Heart Association fellowship
01-22-2026
For Purdue University doctoral student Jiaqi (Alex) Xiao, recognition from one of the nation’s leading health organizations affirms both the promise of her research and the years of careful preparation behind it.
Xiao, a PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences, has received a prestigious predoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association (AHA). The highly competitive award supports graduate students whose research shows strong potential to advance understanding of human health and disease.
The AHA Predoctoral Fellowship is awarded through a rigorous, peer-reviewed application process rather than by nomination. Applicants submit independent proposals that are evaluated by three external reviewers, who assess the scientific quality of the research plan, the applicant’s research experience and qualifications, letters of recommendation and the overall training environment. Only a small fraction of applicants are selected.
“Receiving the American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship is a great honor and a meaningful recognition of my research,” Xiao said. “This fellowship supports my work on GPCR signaling mechanisms and enables me to pursue independent, high-impact research questions with potential relevance to human health. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue advancing this work with the support of the AHA.”
Xiao’s research focuses on G protein-coupled receptors, or GPCRs, a large family of proteins that help cells sense and respond to their environment. GPCR signaling plays a role in many biological processes and is a major target for therapeutic drugs. By studying how these signaling pathways function at a fundamental level, Xiao aims to contribute insights that could inform future approaches to treating disease.
The fellowship provides financial support that allows Xiao to devote more time and focus to her research while also gaining valuable training as an independent scientist. In addition to advancing her project, the award recognizes her ability to design and communicate a compelling research plan — a critical skill for future careers in academia, industry or research-focused roles.
For the Department of Biological Sciences, the fellowship highlights the strength of Purdue’s graduate training environment and the mentorship provided to early-career researchers. Faculty advisors and collaborators play an important role in helping students develop competitive proposals and navigate the peer-review process, preparing them for the expectations of the broader scientific community.
The American Heart Association is one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. Through its research programs, the AHA supports scientists at all career stages, with a focus on projects that can deepen understanding of human biology and improve health outcomes.
As Xiao continues her doctoral work at Purdue, the fellowship will help her build a strong foundation for future research endeavors while contributing to the university’s mission of discovery and impact.
“This award reinforces my commitment to pursuing research that is both rigorous and meaningful,” Xiao said. “It motivates me to keep asking thoughtful questions and to push this work forward.”
About the Department of Biological Sciences at Purdue University
The Department of Biological Sciences is the largest life sciences department at Purdue University. As part of Purdue One Health, we are dedicated to pioneering scientific discoveries and transformative education at the cutting edge of innovation. From molecules to cells, from tissues to organisms, from populations to ecosystems- we bring together multiple perspectives, integrating across biological scales to advance our understanding of life and tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. Learn more at bio.purdue.edu.
Written by: Alisha Willett, Communications Specialist, amwillet@purdue.edu
Contributors: Alex Xiao, Ph.D. candidate