The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation announced on Monday the winners of its Discovery Challenge.

According to a release, Robert J. Stankey won for a smarter biofuel production, Mahmoud A. Sharara for an algorithm to make life easier for novice programmers and Michael Vaughn for creating a technique for imaging aging brains.

“The Discovery Challenge showcases the next generation of researchers keeping UW–Madison on the leading edge of innovation,” WARF Managing Director Carl Gulbrandsen said in a statement.

As previously reported, the fifth annual Challenge is a research competition open to UW-Madison graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from all departments. It is a two-part research competition.

Part II of the research award competition will combine teams of scientists to submit original research ideas and will take place this fall.