Current Awardees

Karen Agaronyan
2019
Project Title: The molecular mechanisms of the initiation of type 2 immunity – how allergens are sensed
Postdoc Mentor: Ruslan Medzhitov
Affiliation: Yale University
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: karen.agaronyan {at} yale.edu

Lior Artzi
2019
Project Title: Nutrient Sensing and Spore Germination
Postdoc Mentor: David Rudner
Affiliation: Harvard Medical School
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: lior_artzi {at} hms.harvard.edu

Daniel Bear
2019
Project Title: Learning to See the Physical World with Biologically-Inspired Recurrent Neural Networks
Postdoc Mentor: Daniel Yamins
Affiliation: Stanford University
Award Sponsor: Biogen Idec
Email: dbear {at} stanford.edu

Scott Biering
2020
Project Title: Identifying host factors required for flavivirus NS1 endocytosis and endothelial dysfunction
Postdoc Mentor: Eva Harris
Affiliation: University of California – Berkeley
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Email: sbiering {at} berkeley.edu

Daniel Blanco Melo
2018
Project Title: The role of alternative splicing in the innate immune response against viral infections
Postdoc Mentor: Benjamin tenOever
Affiliation: Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Email: daniel.blancomelo {at} mssm.edu

Cara Brand
2020
Project Title: Maternally deposited proteins recurrently innovate to process paternal repetitive DNA in the embryo
Postdoc Mentor: Mia Levine
Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania
Award Sponsor: Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation (The)
Email: clbrand {at} sas.upenn.edu

Joseph Bruckner
2019
Project Title: Microbial modulation of forebrain development and social behavior
Postdoc Mentor: Judith Eisen and Philip Washbourne
Affiliation: University of Oregon
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Email: jjbruck {at} uoregon.edu

Adrian Brueckner
2018
Project Title: Single cell assembly of a metazoan chemical defense system
Postdoc Mentor: Joseph Parker
Affiliation: California Institute of Technology
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: adrian.brueckner {at} gmail.com

Arthur Charles-Orszag
2020
Project Title: Unraveling the mechanisms of cell division in the thermophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
Postdoc Mentor: R. Dyche Mullins
Affiliation: University of California – San Francisco
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: arthur.charles-orszag {at} ucsf.edu

Guangbo Chen
2018
Project Title: Neutrophil count as a drug response predictor and novel drug target for autoinflammatory diseases in human
Postdoc Mentor: Purvesh Khatri
Affiliation: Stanford University
Award Sponsor: Lilly Research Laboratories
Email: guangbo {at} stanford.edu

Ching-Chieh Chou
2019
Project Title: Direct Neuronal Reprogramming for Determining Molecular and Genetic Mechanisms of Protein Homeostasis in Alzheimer’s Disease
Postdoc Mentor: Judith Frydman
Affiliation: Stanford University
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Email: cchou6 {at} stanford.edu

Michael-John Dolan
2020
Project Title: Synapse-seq: Simultaneous acquisition of single-neuron transcriptome and neuroanatomy
Postdoc Mentor: Evan Macosko and Beth Stevens
Affiliation: Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Medical School
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Email: mdolan {at} broadinstitute.org

Hany Dweck
2018
Project Title: Oviposition preference in the invasive agricultural pest Drosophila suzukii
Postdoc Mentor: John R. Carlson
Affiliation: Yale University
Award Sponsor: Merck Research Laboratories
Email: hany.dweck {at} yale.edu

Hanieh Falahati
2018
Project Title: Molecular and Functional Characterization of the Enigmatic Spine Apparatus of Synapses
Postdoc Mentor: Pietro De Camilli
Affiliation: Yale University
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: hanieh.falahati {at} yale.edu

Dominic Frank
2020
Project Title: The neuronal foundation of social behavior in the ant
Postdoc Mentor: Daniel Kronauer
Affiliation: Rockefeller University
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Email: dominic.frank {at} rockefeller.edu

Dipon Ghosh
2018
Project Title: Determining mechanisms of neuronal regulation of stress responses in non-neuronal tissues
Postdoc Mentor: H. Robert Horvitz
Affiliation: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: dipon {at} mit.edu

Jonathan Green
2019
Project Title: Scalable methods for investigating the roles of cortical cell types in decision-making
Postdoc Mentor: Christopher Harvey
Affiliation: Harvard Medical School
Award Sponsor: Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Email: jonathan_green {at} hms.harvard.edu

Alex Guseman
2019
Project Title: Avoiding Fatal Attraction – Crystallin proteins in crowded lens-like environments
Postdoc Mentor: Angela Gronenborg
Affiliation: University of Pittsburgh
Award Sponsor: Merck Research Laboratories
Email: ajg150 {at} pitt.edu

Sur Herrera Paredes
2018
Project Title: Population genetics of the human microbiota
Postdoc Mentor: Hunter Fraser
Affiliation: Stanford University
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: surh {at} stanford.edu

Gary Heussler
2018
Project Title: Mechanisms and Impact of Horizontal Gene Transfer in a Model Microbial Community
Postdoc Mentor: Rachel Dutton
Affiliation: University of California San Diego
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: gheussler {at} ucsd.edu

Yue Huang
2020
Project Title: Deciphering the impact of phages on bacterial functions in the human gut microbiome
Postdoc Mentor: Adam P. Arkin
Affiliation: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Award Sponsor: Astellas Pharmaceuticals
Email: yolandahuang {at} lbl.gov

Hui Jing
2019
Project Title: Mechanistic studies of neuroimmunological lipid pathways in Alzheimer’s disease
Postdoc Mentor: Benjamin Cravatt
Affiliation: The Scripps Research Institute
Award Sponsor: Biogen
Email: huijing {at} scripps.edu

Stephanie Jones
2019
Postdoc Mentor: Michael Laub
Affiliation: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: sejones {at} mit.edu

Abhilasha Joshi
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Loren Frank
Affiliation: University of California – San Francisco
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: abhilasha.joshi {at} ucsf.edu

Tosha Kelly
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Christine Lattin
Affiliation: Louisiana State University
Award Sponsor: Merck Research Laboratories
Email: trkelly {at} lsu.edu

Cason King
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Andrew Mehle
Affiliation: University of Wisconsin – Madison
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Email: cking29 {at} wisc.edu

Ayano Kohlgruber
2019
Postdoc Mentor: Stephen Elledge
Affiliation: Brigham & Women’s Hospital – Harvard Medical School
Award Sponsor: Mark Foundation for Cancer Research (The)
Email: akohlgruber {at} bwh.harvard.edu

Jessica Kotov
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Jason Cyster
Affiliation: University of California – San Francisco
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: jessica.kotov {at} ucsf.edu

Kiran Kurmi
2019
Project Title: Nitrogen Recycling in Pancreatic Cancer Cells and its Role in Anti-Tumor Immunity
Postdoc Mentor: Marcia C. Haigis
Affiliation: Harvard Medical School
Award Sponsor: Gilead Sciences
Email: kiran_kurmi {at} hms.harvard.edu

Erkin Kuru
2017
Project Title: New non-standard amino acid based protein labeling technologies to illuminate bacterial cell division in high resolution
Postdoc Mentor: George Church
Affiliation: Harvard Medical School
Award Sponsor: Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation (The)
Email: erkin_kuru {at} hms.harvard.edu

Minsuk Kwak
2018
Project Title: Deconstructing and decoding the working mechanisms of T cell receptors with single cell nanotechnology tools
Postdoc Mentor: Young-wook Jun
Affiliation: University of California – San Francisco
Award Sponsor: Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation (The)
Email: minsuk.kwak {at} ucsf.edu

Alexander Leydon
2018
Postdoc Mentor: Jennifer L. Nemhauser
Affiliation: University of Washington
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: aleydon {at} uw.edu

Yiding Li
2019
Project Title: Cellular mechanisms of context dependent feature selectivity: inputs and plasticity
Postdoc Mentor: Jeffrey Magee
Affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: yidingl {at} bcm.edu

Susan Liao
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Jef Boeke and Oded Regev
Affiliation: New York University
Award Sponsor: Additional Ventures
Email: susan.liao {at} nyulangone.org

Chenshu Liu
2018
Postdoc Mentor: Abby Dernburg
Affiliation: University of California – Berkeley
Award Sponsor: Walter Group (The)
Email: chenshu.liu {at} berkeley.edu

Di Liu
2018
Postdoc Mentor: Peng Yin
Affiliation: Harvard University
Award Sponsor: Merck Research Laboratories
Email: di.liu {at} wyss.harvard.edu

Christopher Madl
2019
Postdoc Mentor: Helen Blau
Affiliation: Stanford University
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Email: cmadl {at} stanford.edu

Anastasia Manesis
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Amy Rosenzweig
Affiliation: Northwestern University
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: anastasia.manesis {at} northwestern.edu

Ameya Mashruwala
2019
Postdoc Mentor: Bonnie Bassler
Affiliation: Princeton University
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: ameyam {at} princeton.edu

Heather Meyer
2018
Postdoc Mentor: David Ehrhardt
Affiliation: Carnegie Institute for Science
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: hmeyer {at} carnegiescience.edu

David Morgens
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Britt Glaunsinger
Affiliation: University of California – Berkeley
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: dmorgens {at} berkeley.edu

Ryan Nett
2019
Postdoc Mentor: Elizabeth S. Sattely
Affiliation: Stanford University
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: rnett {at} stanford.edu

Gonzalo Perez Mitta
2019
Postdoc Mentor: Roderick MacKinnon
Affiliation: Rockefeller University
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: gperez {at} rockefeller.edu

Maros Pleska
2019
Postdoc Mentor: Stanislas Leibler
Affiliation: Rockefeller University
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: maros.pleska {at} rockefeller.edu

Sara Prescott
2018
Postdoc Mentor: Stephen Liberles
Affiliation: Harvard Medical School
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Email: Sara_Prescott {at} hms.harvard.edu

Asher Preska-Steinberg
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Edo Kussell
Affiliation: New York University
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: apsteinberg {at} nyu.edu

Xiaofeng Qi
2019
Postdoc Mentor: Xiaochun Li
Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Award Sponsor: DDBrown Fellowship
Email: xiaofeng.qi {at} utsouthwestern.edu

Kavita Rangan
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Samara Reck-Peterson
Affiliation: University of California – San Diego
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: krangan {at} ucsd.edu

Allison Roberts
2018
Postdoc Mentor: Jeffery Cox
Affiliation: University of California – Berkeley
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Email: aroberts {at} berkeley.edu

Yue Rui
2020
Postdoc Mentor: José R. Dinneny
Affiliation: Stanford University
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: yuerui {at} stanford.edu

Andrew Santiago-Frangos
2019
Postdoc Mentor: Blake Wiedenheft
Affiliation: Montana State University
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: a.santiagofrangos {at} montana.edu

Anne Sapiro
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Seemay Chou and Carol Gross
Affiliation: University of California – San Francisco
Award Sponsor: SVCF-Wave Fund
Email: anne.sapiro {at} ucsf.edu

Saima Shahid
2019
Postdoc Mentor: R. Keith Slotkin
Affiliation: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: sshahid {at} danforthcenter.org

Jaimie Stewart
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Paul W.K. Rothemund
Affiliation: California Institute of Technology
Award Sponsor: Merck Research Laboratories
Email: jms {at} caltech.edu

Tara Stewart Merrill
2019
Project Title: How among- and within-species variation in parasite competence affects the dynamics of infectious disease
Postdoc Mentor: Pieter Johnson
Affiliation: University of Colorado – Boulder
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: tara.stewartmerrill {at} colorado.edu

Amy Strom
2019
Postdoc Mentor: Clifford Brangwynne
Affiliation: Princeton University
Award Sponsor: Mark Foundation for Cancer Research (The)
Email: astrom {at} princeton.edu

Joseph Swift
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Joseph Ecker
Affiliation: Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Email: jswift {at} salk.edu

Sirimuvva Tadepalli
2019
Postdoc Mentor: Juliana Idoyaga
Affiliation: Stanford University
Award Sponsor: Merck Research Laboratories
Email: stade {at} stanford.edu

Alexandra Tayar
2018
Project Title: Flagella beating, from the single organelle to collective self-organization.
Postdoc Mentor: Zvonimir Dogic
Affiliation: University of California – Santa Barbara
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation (The)
Email: alexandt {at} ucsb.edu

Laura Thomas
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Geraldine Seydoux
Affiliation: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: tlaura2 {at} jhmi.edu

Kelsey Tyssowski
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Hopi Hoekstra
Affiliation: Harvard University
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: tyssowski {at} g.harvard.edu

Daniel Woods
2018
Postdoc Mentor: Dr. Jorge Dubcovsky
Affiliation: University of California – Davis
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: dpwoods {at} ucdavis.edu

Courtney Yaeger
2020
Postdoc Mentor: Mark Harnett
Affiliation: Massachusetts Institute for Technology
Award Sponsor: Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (The)
Email: yaeger {at} mit.edu

Jacob Yates
2018
Postdoc Mentor: Daniel Butts
Affiliation: University of Maryland
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Email: yates {at} umd.edu

Boxuan Zhao
2019
Postdoc Mentor: Alice Ting and Liqun Luo
Affiliation: Stanford University
Award Sponsor: Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation (The)
Email: bszhao {at} stanford.edu

Abdelrahim Zoued
2018
Postdoc Mentor: Matthew Waldor
Affiliation: Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Email: azoued {at} bwh.harvard.edu