Lisa Je inducted into the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society

Lisa Je, a graduate student in chemical and biological engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is one of five outstanding scholars inducted by the Graduate School into the university’s chapter of the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society this academic year.

The Bouchet Society celebrates the legacy of Dr. Edward Alexander Bouchet, who in 1876 was the first African American to earn a PhD in the United States. The society aims to build a community of scholars who demonstrate academic excellence, foster supportive environments and serve as leaders and advocates for students traditionally underrepresented in academia.

Je is the proud daughter of two immigrants living their American dream through Lisa’s education. Despite lacking computational experience, Je first joined Ernest Micek Distinguished Chair, James A. Dumesic Professor, and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor Manos Mavrikakis’s group to study catalysis using computational calculations. However, it was only after they completed a master’s degree and left graduate school that Je truly realized their passion for research.

This drove Je to co-author a Science paper based on their master’s work. With renewed determination, Je successfully reapplied to the PhD program, was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, and now works with Hunt-Hougen Associate Professor Reid Van Lehn and Baldovin-DaPra Professor Victor Zavala.

Empowered by their unique PhD experience, Je now strives to cultivate a research environment inclusive and welcoming for students of all identities. They do this by serving on the Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association (ChEGS) and Graduate Engineering Research Scholars (GERS) in several roles over the past few years for outreach, mental health education, and recruiting to bring underrepresented undergraduate scholars across the nation to visit UW-Madison’s College of Engineering.

This marks UW-Madison’s 15^th year participating in the Bouchet Society. Since its inception, 75 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars have been inducted into the university’s chapter. The Graduate School celebrated the new Bouchet Society inductees on December 2 at the Pyle Center. Each scholar was introduced by a mentor or member of their academic community and received a medallion and sponsorship certificate as they became part of a national community spanning 20 chapters across the United States. The inductees are invited to present their work at the Bouchet Annual Conference at Yale University in the spring.

Read more about UW-Madison’s other Bouchet Society inductees here.

Featured Image: The 2025 Bouchet Graduate Honor Society inductees posed for a photo during the induction ceremony. Honorees include (left to right, starting second from left) Dorothy Lsoto, Tracy C. Guan, Orion Risk, Virginia Downing, and Lisa Je. They were joined by Dr. William J. Karpus, Dean of the Graduate School and Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine  (left) and Dr. Catherine Chan, Assistant Vice Provost for High Impact Practices (right).