Neuroscience Major Named as Goldwater Scholar

Annabelle Laibe ’27 (SUNY Geneseo photo)

Neuroscience major Annabelle Laibe ’27 from Rochester, NY, has been named a 2026 Goldwater Scholar in a highly competitive national competition. The scholarship recognizes promising juniors and sophomores from the US who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering.

The Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation grants awards based on academic merit. Laibe and other Scholars were selected from a field of nearly 1,500 students nominated by representatives from 482 colleges and universities nationwide. The award covers the cost of tuition, fees, books, room, and board to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

Laibe becomes the 22nd Geneseo student recognized since the scholarship’s inception in 1989. The College also has had nine Honorable Mention awards over the years. Geneseo joins University of Buffalo and Stony Brook University as the only dedicated SUNY institutions to have 2026 Goldwater Scholars.

During Summer 2025, Laibe conducted original research with Allison Bechard, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, investigating the role of estrogen in Alzheimer’s disease, a disease that disproportionately affects women, with incidences rising sharply after menopause.

“Annabelle’s intelligence and creativity go together to make her a great researcher,” Bechard says. “As a first-semester freshman, she wanted to join my Addictive Behaviors lab. She is more like a graduate student than an undergraduate.”

Laibe is presently expanding her research with Michael Webb, associate professor of chemistry, observing the synthesis of ruthenium dimers designed to prevent early plaque and tangle formation in the brain. She also plans to learn fluorescence microscopy with Tara Sweet, assistant professor of biology and psychology. After the Spring 2026 semester, Laibe will travel to Ghana through Geneseo’s Biology and Global Health study abroad program.

“Leading my research team in Dr. Bechard’s laboratory was a central experience shaping my commitment to a research career,” Laibe says. “I developed skills in experimental design, regulatory approval, and methodological refinement. Taking ownership of a project showed me how my scientific questions are translated into rigorous experiments.”

On campus, Laibe founded and leads the Ovarian Health Initiative, a student organization focused on educating students on ovarian and hormonal health using peer-reviewed research and scientific literature. She is developing workshops through the GOLD Leadership Program and serves as vice president of the Neuroscience Club. Laibe also volunteers for the Geneseo Fire Department as a certified Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT).

Laibe received this year’s Sorrell Chesin ’58 Research Award for faculty-mentored neuroscience research and, in 2025, earned a Geneseo Foundation Undergraduate Full-Time Summer Research Fellowship to strengthen her skills in experimental design, behavioral analysis, and hormone-focused methodologies. She was recently inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest honor society.

Mark Van Cleve, Geneseo lecturer in chemistry, considers Laibe “the most ferocious learner I have ever taught. Her habits of learning, approach to knowledge, and strong teaching all indicate the kind of mind that thrives in scientific research.”

After graduation, Laibe plans to pursue a PhD in chemical biology to investigate molecular mechanisms of brain disease and develop targeted therapies for neurodegenerative disorders.

—Michael Mills