Alumni Awards 2026

Jared Rutter

Dr. Jared Rutter is a Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and holds the Dee Glen and Ida Smith Endowed Chair for Cancer Research at the University of Utah, where he has been on the faculty in the Department of Biochemistry since 2003. In 2015, Dr. Rutter was appointed as an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The Rutter laboratory has identified the functions of several previously uncharacterized mitochondrial proteins, including the discovery of the long-sought mitochondrial pyruvate carrier. This knowledge has now enabled, for the first time, the demonstration that this critical metabolic step is impaired in a variety of human diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. In addition, the Rutter lab is taking multiple approaches to understand the mechanisms whereby cells sense metabolic state and modulate their fate decisions. Dr. Rutter is actively involved in translating academic discoveries into therapies for patients via engagement in the private sector. Dr. Rutter also serves as co-Director of the Center for Metabolic Health at the University of Utah and co-Leader of the Nuclear Control of Cell Growth and Differentiation at Huntsman Cancer Institute.

John Fjeldsted

John received his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from BYU. In 1984, he joined Hewlett-Packard as the principal research and development scientist in the GC/MS product development group. In the 1990’s, John led HP’s initial investigation in electrospray ionization - mass spectrometry. He also oversaw the development of HP’s first MS/MS mass spectrometer. After HP had split out Agilent Technologies, John led the project team in the development of Agilent’s first electrospray, triple quad, and quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometers. In 2011, as Vice President for the LC/MS business, John’s attention focused on expanding the use of Agilent’s LC/MS spectrometry products in pharmaceutical, chemical, environmental, food safety, doping control, forensics markets, as well as metabolomics and proteomics research.

During the last decade of John’s professional work he led Agilent’s ion-mobility mass spectrometry program which resulted in global deployment of the most accurate and sensitive instrument of its kind. In acknowledgement of his scientific leadership, John was named as Agilent’s first “Distinguished Scientist” in 2018. He attributes his success to developing a deep multidiscipline understanding of scientific fundamentals and instrumental technologies and having a passion for making great measurements.

Dan Delorey

Dan Delorey is a distinguished alumnus of our program. He currently is a Partner at Dryden Technology Group, where he provides expert consulting and expert witness services in software-related legal matters. He helps legal teams make sense of complex codebases and technology stacks and deliver clear, defensible findings in high-stakes cases. Over the years since graduating in 2006, he has generously dedicated his time and expertise to support our students, offering invaluable guidance and mentorship throughout their academic and professional journeys. His tireless efforts in recruitment, combined with his deep industry insight, have opened countless doors for our graduates. Dan's selfless commitment to helping others reflects the highest ideals of our community, namely lifelong learning and service. His impact is both lasting and far-reaching, touching the lives of many who have benefited from his counsel. He is a true exemplar of leadership, service, and excellence.

Neha Rungta

Neha Rungta is the Applied Science Director at AWS (Amazon Web Services), and a distinguished alumna of our program. A trailblazer in computer science, Neha began her career as a researcher at NASA and has since led groundbreaking innovations in cloud security at AWS. Her leadership in developing formally verified technologies—such as the authorization engine powering trillions of secure decisions daily—demonstrates the real-world impact of scientific excellence. Beyond her technical achievements, Neha is a dedicated mentor who actively supports and inspires students, especially women in computing. She exemplifies the transformative potential of combining scientific rigor with visionary product leadership. Neha’s career is a shining example of excellence, service, and inspiration for the next generation of technologists.

Tyson Perkes

Tyson Perkes received his Bachelor's degree in Geology from BYU-Idaho in 2007 and his Master's degree in Geology from BYU in 2010. At BYU, he studied under Dr. Tom Morris, specializing in sedimentology and stratigraphy. His thesis work involved interpreting the sequence stratigraphy and paleogeography of the Middle Jurassic of Central Utah. Upon graduation from BYU, Tyson accepted a job with Chevron and has worked there ever since. Tyson and Kendyl Ramsey Perkes were married while students at BYU-Idaho and have been equal partners throughout Tyson’s career. After graduation, they moved their young family to Covington, LA and then later to Houston, TX. They are the parents of 5 children, ranging in age from 17 to 6. Their family enjoys traveling, fishing, supporting one another in their athletics, and fanatically cheering on the BYU Cougars.

Robert Turley

Bob Turley is a global investor, a leader in church and community organizations, and a proud father. Professionally, he serves as Head of Portfolio Strategy at Dodge & Cox, a San Francisco–based investment manager with approximately $400 billion in assets under management. His responsibilities include co-managing the firm’s Balanced Fund and Emerging Markets Stock Fund. Prior to joining Dodge & Cox, he began his career on the Quantitative Investment Strategies team at Goldman Sachs and later worked as a consultant, developing investment strategies for hedge funds including Eaglewood Capital and Kepos Capital. Bob earned a PhD in Business Economics from Harvard University, where his dissertation examined the interaction between investment risk and time horizon. While at Harvard, he taught an undergraduate course in Household and Consumer Finance, and one of his research publications received the 2018 Fama–DFA Prize for the best paper in Capital Markets and Asset Pricing. He also holds an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business. A proud BYU Cougar, Bob received his BA in Mathematics and Economics from Brigham Young University in 2003. Since then, he has remained actively involved in supporting BYU, including mentoring students and serving on advisory councils and the board of the Marriott School’s Silver Fund. Bob met his wife, Brittany, while at BYU. They currently live in San Francisco, where their household includes the youngest four of their six children and, frequently, a child from San Francisco’s foster care program. They are also involved in community organizations that support the less fortunate, including the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. Church service plays a central role in their family life, and Bob currently serves as Stake President of the San Francisco Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Andy Glaze

Andrew R. Glaze Bio Andrew Ray Glaze joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in his mid-twenties. After serving a two-year mission to Spain, he transferred to Brigham Young University, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Math Education in 2004 and a Master of Arts in Math Education in 2006. He completed a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Math Education at Utah State University in 2019. He has 20 years of experience as a public education teacher, both in high school and in middle grades, and currently works as a math coach for the Salt Lake City School District. Andrew is a Past-President of the Utah Council of Teachers of Mathematics, a reviewer for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics practitioner journals, a former member of the Educational Testing Services National Advisory Committee, a presenter at state and national teaching conferences, and frequently involved in district and state-level math education activities and professional developments. Andrew met the love of his life, Tiffini Christensen, while she was a graduate student of math education at BYU in 2003. They have six children. The age of their youngest is the sum of the first three prime numbers, and the age of their oldest is the eighth number in the Fibonacci sequence. His personal interests include riding two-wheeled contraptions, playing acoustic guitar, pickleball, book binding, almost anything outdoors, and learning new things. He really enjoys working with the youth in his ward and occasionally volunteers with Scouting America. He is currently serving as a counselor in his ward's Bishopric.

Pete Roming

Dr. Pete Roming is Director of the Civil and Commercial Space Division at Space Dynamics Laboratory. Formerly, he was a Director and the Chief Scientist in the Space Systems Division at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). Prior to working at SwRI, Dr. Roming was on the research faculty at Penn State University for 12 years. Over his career, Dr. Roming has had a range of roles in a number of space related programs. Activities include: PI for the NASA Swift UVOT, Project Manager/Co-PI for the SCORPIO instrument being built for the Gemini South Observatory, Program Manager for Life Extension (LEXI) Spacecraft, the NASA Lucy MVIC lead, and the PM for the ISS EMIT PITB. He has a doctorate in physics and astronomy, with a second emphasis in mechanical engineering, from Brigham Young University (BYU). He also holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in physics from BYU.

Andrew Stacey

Andrew Stacey, MD, MS, is an ocular oncologist and associate professor at UW Medicine whose clinical work on eye cancers pairs rigor with compassion. He brings a data-informed perspective from his BYU statistics training to patient care and academic leadership, and he now serves on the planning board helping to establish BYU’s new School of Medicine—contributing expertise on accreditation, curriculum, and clinical partnerships. His path from BYU student-athlete to physician-scientist and national advisor reflects the university’s ideals of excellence, service, and faith, and his ongoing engagement with BYU positions him to be an influential ambassador for the college and BYU's future medical school.