PHILADELPHIA, June 18,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pew Charitable Trusts today
announced the 22 researchers who have been selected to join the Pew
Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. These early-career
scientists will receive four years of funding to explore some of
the most pressing questions in human health and medicine.
"Pew believes that supporting promising early-career researchers
is key to scientific innovation, and for nearly 40 years our
scholars have helped change the world—creating lifesaving therapies
and responding to emerging health crises around the globe," said
Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Pew's senior
vice president for Philadelphia
and scientific advancement. "This class of Pew scholars is no
different. We are proud to support these scientists and look
forward to watching where their research takes them."
The 2024 class of scholars, all early-career junior faculty,
join a community of more than 1,000 scientists who have received
awards from Pew since 1985. Current scholars have opportunities to
meet annually with fellow Pew-funded scientists to build
connections and exchange ideas across a wide variety of
disciplines.
"Technological advancements in recent years have transformed
science and opened up new, unexplored avenues for discovery," said
Craig C. Mello, Ph.D., a 1995 Pew
scholar, 2006 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine, and chair
of the national advisory committee for the scholars program. "This
class of scholars represents some of the best and brightest leading
the charge, and I'm thrilled to welcome them into Pew's scientific
community."
Scholars were chosen from 198 applicants nominated by leading
academic institutions and researchers across the United States. This year's class includes
scientists who are examining the neural mechanisms that guide
learning, investigating the ins and outs of the human genome, and
exploring how metabolic changes fuel antibiotic resistance.
Five members of the 2024 class, who were selected for their
commitment to investigating health challenges relating to the brain
as it ages, will receive awards with support from the Kathryn W.
Davis Peace by Pieces Fund.
The 2024 Pew scholars in the biomedical sciences are:
Nicolas Altemose, D.Phil.,
Ph.D.
Stanford University
Dr. Altemose will investigate how specific proteins help to
maintain the function of centromeres, chromosomal structures that
play a key role in the process of cell division.
Jesse R. Dixon, M.D.,
Ph.D.
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Dr. Dixon will study how the breakage of chromosomes can lead to
changes in gene regulation and genome architecture.
Longhua Guo, Ph.D.
University of
Michigan
Dr. Guo will explore the molecular and cellular processes that
reverse tissue aging.
Arbel Harpak,
Ph.D.
University of Texas at
Austin
Dr. Harpak will develop and test new models exploring the drivers
of sex differences within both human and animal models.
Rogelio Hernández-López, Ph.D.
Stanford University
Dr. Hernández-López will pioneer novel approaches for designing
synthetic protein receptors for engineering cellular
communication.
Chi-Min Ho,
Ph.D.
Columbia University Irving
Medical Center
Dr. Ho aims to determine the molecular architecture and function of
the machinery that allows malarial parasites to ingest and break
down host cell hemoglobin—the oxygen-carrying molecules in red
blood cells needed for survival.
Cholsoon Jang,
Ph.D.
University of California,
Irvine
Dr. Jang will explore how organs communicate with each other to
maintain metabolic health as a uniform entity—and what happens when
these regulatory processes go awry.
Xin Jin, Ph.D.
Scripps
Research
Dr. Jin will map how genetic variants associated with
neuropsychiatric disorders alter the development, circuit
organization, and anatomy of neurons across the entire brain.
Ann Kennedy,
Ph.D.
Northwestern
University
Dr. Kennedy will examine the neural mechanisms that shape an
animal's response to different, competing needs.
Ci Ji Lim, Ph.D.
The
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dr. Lim will investigate the structure of human telomeres—the
protective caps made of DNA and protein that safeguard the ends of
chromosomes.
Allison Lopatkin,
Ph.D.
University of
Rochester
Dr. Lopatkin will examine how changes in bacterial metabolism
contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance.
Evanna Mills,
Ph.D.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Mills will explore processes controlling the function of
macrophages, crucial immune cells that can cause harmful
inflammation.
Binyam Mogessie, Ph.D.
Yale
University
Dr. Mogessie will unravel the molecular mechanisms that guide
proper chromosome segregation during the formation of mature
oocytes, cells found in the ovary that eventually become eggs.
Louise Moncla,
Ph.D.
University of
Pennsylvania
Dr. Moncla will reconstruct how avian influenza viruses accumulate
mutations that allow them to jump from birds to humans.
Vijay Mohan K. Namboodiri,
Ph.D.
University of California, San
Francisco
Dr. Namboodiri will explore the neural mechanisms that guide
learning.
James Nuñez, Ph.D.
University of
California, Berkeley
Dr. Nuñez will probe the mechanisms by which
cells prevent transposable genetic elements from jumping around the
genome.
Sara Prescott,
Ph.D.
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
Dr. Prescott will study the role that neurons play in remodeling
lung tissue after environmental distress.
Silvi Rouskin, Ph.D.
Harvard
Medical School
Dr. Rouskin will uncover the intricate structures formed by RNA
inside cells.
Devin Schweppe,
Ph.D.
University of
Washington
Dr. Schweppe will catalog how drugs interact with all of the
proteins within cells.
Clare Smith,
Ph.D.
Duke University
Dr. Smith will examine how microbial and host factors contribute to
the severity of tuberculosis.
Claudia Vásquez, Ph.D.
University
of Washington
Dr. Vásquez will investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms
that shape the construction of a functional organ.
Meg Younger,
Ph.D.
Boston University
Dr. Younger will explore whether mosquitoes are more attracted to
babies than to their parents.
Founded in 1948, The Pew Charitable Trusts uses data to make
a difference. Pew addresses the challenges of a changing world by
illuminating issues, creating common ground, and advancing
ambitious projects that lead to tangible progress.
Erin Davis, 202-540-6677,
edavis@pewtrusts.org
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SOURCE The Pew Charitable Trusts