Mycologist Katie Vyhnal ’25 earned a Fulbright-National Geographic Award to conduct research in Malaysia, where she will study parasitic fungi species and their “zombie ant” hosts. Vyhnal is one of five awardees for 2025.
The supports projects that communicate powerful narratives that foster global understanding and peace, amplified through the networks of both the Fulbright Program and the National Geographic Society.
Vyhnal, who also received a 2025 Fulbright Research Award, will work with faculty from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, to conduct field expeditions to Malaysia’s Mulu National Park, where she’ll collect specimens, identify both ant and fungal species, and determine if a dominant host species exists. Vyhnal’s research holds potential for discovering new antimicrobial agents from these fungi, contributing to future medical advancements.
At ɫƵ, Vyhnal majored in biology and minored in comparative studies in literature and culture. She says her experiences in Professor of Biology Shana Goffredi’s microbial symbiosis lab taught her how to examine the relationship between host and parasite using DNA extractions and genetic sequencing methods. Through her undergraduate fieldwork with the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) in Costa Rica and her semester abroad in Ecuador, she also gained experience living, working, and researching in tropical conditions—excellent preparation for her forthcoming work in Malaysian rainforests.
“I am most looking forward to the relationships that I'm going to develop while abroad,” Vyhnal says of her project, which will take place during the 2025-26 academic year. “The professional relationships that I will build with my research mentor and other researchers at Monash as well as the personal relationships I'll build with peers and students will definitely be at the forefront of my heart going into this fellowship.”
