Current Awardees
2023

Jorge Almagro
Project Title: Characterizing skin cancer mechanics and the mechanosensory tumor microenvironment
Postdoc Mentor: Elaine Fuchs
Award Sponsor: MacMillan Family Foundation
Affiliation: Rockefeller University/HHMI
Email: jalmagro@rockefeller.edu

Samhita Banavar
Project Title: Mechanical organizing centers in early lung development
Postdoc Mentor: Celeste Nelson
Award Sponsor: Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation
Affiliation: Princeton University
Email: sbanavar@princeton.edu

Karishma Bisht
Project Title: The role of body temperature in aberrant viral replication and immune activation
Postdoc Mentor: A.J. te Velthuis
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Affiliation: Princeton University
Email: karishma.bisht@princeton.edu

Joël Sharon Bloch
Project Title: Toward the ultrastructure of the node of Ranvier
Postdoc Mentor: Roderick MacKinnon
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Rockefeller University/HHMI
Email: jbloch@rockefeller.edu

Andrew Butler
Project Title: Deconvolving the heterogeneous response of single cells to influenza infection
Postdoc Mentor: Jesse Bloom
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Affiliation: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center/HHMI
Email: abutler@fredhutch.org

Danielle Garshott
Project Title: Discovery of Tau aggregate clearance pathways and their roles in neuronal function and survival
Postdoc Mentor: Michael Rapé
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: University of California, Berkeley/HHMI
Email: dgarshot@berkeley.edu

Sharon Kaisari
Project Title: The role of non-canonical phosphorylation of nuclear lamins during interphase in enhanced migration and invasion
Postdoc Mentor: Michele Pagano
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: New York University/HHMI
Email: sharon.kaisari@nyulangone.org

Faith Karanja
Project Title: Exploring the Role of Hopx as a Conserved Regulator of Quiescence in Adult Stem Cells
Postdoc Mentor: Jonathan Epstein
Award Sponsor: The PCLB Foundation (New)
Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania
Email: Faith.Karanja@Pennmedicine.Upenn.edu

Ryan Moreira
Project Title: Targeting cytolysin virulence through complimentary biosynthetic and mechanism of action studies
Postdoc Mentor: Wilfred van der Donk
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign-HHMI
Email: rmoreira@uwaterloo.ca

Diego Pacheco Pinedo
Project Title: Neural circuits underlying feedback control of locomotion speed
Postdoc Mentor: Rachel Wilson
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Harvard Medical School/HHMI
Email: Diego_PachecoPinedo@hms.harvard.edu

Heidi Pak
Project Title: Role of Feeding Entrainment in Mediating Health and Lifespan
Postdoc Mentor: Joseph Takahashi
Award Sponsor: Welch Foundation (New)
Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center/HHMI
Email: heidi.pak@utsouthwestern.edu

Isobel Ronai
Project Title: Developing tick control strategies to prevent Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases
Postdoc Mentor: Cassandra Extavour
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Harvard University/HHMI
Email: ironai@fas.harvard.edu

Jeffrey Rosa
Project Title: Identifying the molecular basis of sleep maturation in Drosophila melanogaster
Postdoc Mentor: Matthew Kayser
Award Sponsor: Simons
Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania
Email: jeffro@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Eric Schuppe
Project Title: Neuro-genomic mechanisms underlying multifaceted vocal phenotypes
Postdoc Mentor: Michael Brainard (alum)
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: University of California, San Francisco/HHMI
Email: eric.schuppe@ucsf.edu

Jacob Steenwyk
Project Title: Investigating the molecular underpinnings of complex traits like multicellularity
Postdoc Mentor: Nicole King
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: University of California, Berkeley/HHMI
Email: jlsteenwyk@berkeley.edu

Reika Tei
Project Title: A programmable synthetic GPCR platform for customized antigen sensing and cell responses
Postdoc Mentor: Alice Ting
Award Sponsor: Astellas Pharma, Inc.
Affiliation: Stanford University
Email: rtei@stanford.edu

Zhongshou Wu
Project Title: Understanding how histone methylation connects DNA replication, repair, and transcription
Postdoc Mentor: Steve Jacobsen
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles/HHMI
Email: zhongshou6@g.ucla.edu

Xuhui Zheng
Project Title: C-di-GMP and cAMP signaling during Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation
Postdoc Mentor: Matthew Parsek
Award Sponsor: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Affiliation: University of Washington
Email: xuhuiz3@uw.edu
2022

Jamie Blum
Project Title: Contribution of Plant Metabolites to Allergy and Oral Tolerance
Postdoc Mentor: Elizabeth Sattely
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Stanford University
Email: jeblum@stanford.edu

Ian Boys
Project Title: Demystifying the viral proteome to identify host genes captured and repurposed by viruses
Postdoc Mentor: Nels Elde
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Affiliation: University of Utah
Email: ian.boys@genetics.utah.edu

Nimrod Elazar
Project Title: Discovering the Astrocytic Compartment of Dopaminergic Synapses in Health and PD.
Postdoc Mentor: Cagla Eroglu
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Duke University
Email: nimrod.elazar@duke.edu

Alexander Gorelick
Project Title: Evaluating the molecular traits of metastasis founder-clones in primary colorectal tumors
Postdoc Mentor: Kamila Naxerova
Award Sponsor: MacMillan Family Foundation
Affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Medical School
Email: agorelick@mgh.harvard.edu

Emily Hager
Project Title: Using natural variation and cellular slime molds to uncover collective cell signaling rules
Postdoc Mentor: Allyson Sgro, Pankai Mehta and Christopher Chen
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation
Affiliation: Boston University
Email: ehager@bu.edu

Luis Hernandez-Nunez
Project Title: The neural circuits underlying cardiac function
Postdoc Mentor: Florian Engert
Award Sponsor: Additional Ventures
Affiliation: Harvard University
Email: luishernandeznunez@fas.harvard.edu

Arthur Kim
Project Title: Discovery of host antiviral targets by integrated phenotypic screening and chemical proteomics
Postdoc Mentor: Benjamin F. Cravatt
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Affiliation: The Scripps Research Institute
Email: akim@scripps.edu

Yuancheng (Ryan) Lu
Project Title: A systematic search for novel rejuvenation factors through single cell profiling
Postdoc Mentor: Jonathan Weissman
Award Sponsor: Lei-Luo Life Science Fund
Affiliation: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research/MIT
Email: ylu@wi.mit.edu

Maria Lukarska
Project Title: Engineering a minimal Cas9 for highly efficient genome editing
Postdoc Mentor: David Savage
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: University of California, Berkeley
Email: mlukarska@berkeley.edu

Michael Mohsen
Project Title: Designer Riboswitches for Gene Therapy
Postdoc Mentor: Ronald R. Breaker
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Yale University
Email: michael.mohsen@yale.edu

Andreas Mueller
Project Title: A complete structural and kinetic characterization of σ54-mediated bacterial transcription initiation
Postdoc Mentor: Seth Darst
Award Sponsor: Agouron Institute
Affiliation: Rockefeller University
Email: amueller@rockefeller.edu

Amal Narayanan
Project Title: Decrypting the Nucleolar Surface Organization in Ribosome Biogenesis
Postdoc Mentor: Clifford P Brangwynne
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Princeton University
Email: an3209@princeton.edu

Abd El Raheem (Abed) Nashef
Project Title: Temporal organization of movement sequences in the cerebellum
Postdoc Mentor: Abigail Person
Award Sponsor: Amgen
Affiliation: University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus
Email: abdelraheem.nashef@cuanschutz.edu

Nora Pyenson
Project Title: Defining Social Interactions and Mechanisms of Coexistence in Experimental Phage Communities
Postdoc Mentor: Paul Turner
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation
Affiliation: Yale University
Email: nora.pyenson@yale.edu

Hannah Ratner
Project Title: Probing the Contributions of Individual Species to Microbiome Ecology
Postdoc Mentor: Joseph Mougous
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: University of Washington
Email: hratner@uw.edu

Tiago Bruno Rezende de Castro
Project Title: Reproducible germinal center reaction by naive B-cell repertoire miniaturization
Postdoc Mentor: Gabriel Victora
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Affiliation: Rockefeller University
Email: trezende@rockefeller.edu

Ellen Rim
Project Title: Investigation of plant receptor signal transduction and directed evolution of receptors that bind novel immunogens
Postdoc Mentor: Pamela Ronald
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation
Affiliation: University of California, Davis
Email: yrim@ucdavis.edu

Lauren Speare
Project Title: Determining Mechanisms of Bacterial Predation for Marine Probiotics
Postdoc Mentor: Rebecca Vega Thurber
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation
Affiliation: Oregon State University
Email: spearel@oregonstate.edu

Sriram Srikant
Project Title: Evolution and population dynamics of viruses
Postdoc Mentor: Michael T. Laub
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Email: ssrikant@mit.edu

Meaghan Van Alstyne
Project Title: Roles and applications of SRRM2 in the assembly and disassembly of tau aggregates
Postdoc Mentor: Roy Parker
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: University of Colorado, Boulder
Email: meva1786@colorado.edu

Zhaoning (Johnny) Wang
Project Title: Interpreting and Functionally Characterizing the Noncoding Risk Variants of High Blood Cholesterol
Postdoc Mentor: Bing Ren
Award Sponsor: DDBrown Awardee
Affiliation: University of California, San Diego
Email: zhw063@health.ucsd.edu

Alexa Weingarden
Project Title: Engineering bacteria to induce antigen-specific regulatory T cells and prevent colitis
Postdoc Mentor: Michael Fischbach
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Affiliation: Stanford University
Email: aweingar@stanford.edu

Hyerim Yi
Project Title: Deciphering the mechanism and significance of RNA-mediated ecDNA gene expression control in cancer
Postdoc Mentor: Howard Y. Chang and Paul S. Mischel
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Stanford University
Email: hyerimyi@stanford.edu
2021

Kai Chen
Project Title: Engineering a self-deliverable CRISPR-Cas9 system for precise genome editing
Postdoc Mentor: Jennifer A. Doudna
Award Sponsor: Additional Ventures
Affiliation: University of California, Berkeley
Email: kchen90 {at} berkeley.edu

Chloé Greppi
Project Title: Neuropeptide circuits that regulate mosquito attraction to hosts
Postdoc Mentor: Laura B. Duvall
Affiliation: Columbia University
Award Sponsor: Life Sciences Research Foundation
Email: cg3251 {at} columbia.edu

Genaro Hernandez
Project Title: Bringing dead enzymes back to life
Postdoc Mentor: Vincent S. Tagliabracci
Award Sponsor: DDBrown Awardee
Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Email: genaro.hernandez {at} utsouthwestern.edu

Zheng Huang
Project Title: Discovery of cryptic secondary metabolites from the human microbiome
Postdoc Mentor: Mohammad Seyedsayamdost
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Affiliation: Princeton University
Email: zheng.huang {at} mail.mcgill.ca

Juan Manuel Inclan Rico
Project Title: TRPV1+ sensory neurons mediate Schistosoma-induced itch and suppression of dermal DCs.
Postdoc Mentor: De’Broski Herbert
Award Sponsor: Life Sciences Research Foundation
Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania
Email: jinclan {at} vet.upenn.edu

Alexander Johnson
Project Title: Molecular basis for innate immune modulation by the Schlafen proteins
Postdoc Mentor: Philip J. Kranzusch
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Affiliation: DFCI/Harvard University
Email: alexanderG_Johnson {at} dfci.harvard.edu

Joomyung (Vicky) Jun
Project Title: Gene therapy without the genes: delivering PTEN proteins via traceless bioreversible strategy
Postdoc Mentor: Ronald T. Raines
Award Sponsor: Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation
Affiliation: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Email: joomjun {at} mit.edu

Isaac Kauvar
Project Title: Dissecting curious exploration with self-supervised machine learning
Postdoc Mentor: Nick Haber
Award Sponsor: Merck
Affiliation: Stanford University
Email: ikauvar {at} stanford.edu

Amy Lanctot
Project Title: Decoding rules of gene expression and quantitative trait variation in plants using deep conservation of cis-regulatory sequences
Postdoc Mentor: Zachary Lippman
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Email: lanctot {at} cshl.edu

Alberto Marin-Gonzalez
Project Title: DNA double-strand break repair in the 4D genome
Postdoc Mentor: Taekjip Ha
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University
Email: amaring1 {at} jhu.edu

Amelia McKitterick
Project Title: Phage-host interactions to investigate Corynebacterial biology
Postdoc Mentor: Thomas Bernhardt
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation
Affiliation: Harvard University
Email: amelia_mckitterick {at} hms.harvard.edu

Brittany Moser
Project Title: Advancing T-cell immunotherapies by high throughput detection of trogocytosis using scRNAseq
Postdoc Mentor: Zev Gartner
Award Sponsor: MacMillan Family Foundation
Affiliation: University of California, San Francisco
Email: brittany.moser {at} ucsf.edu

Nivin Nasri Nyström
Project Title: Monitoring on- and off-target transduction by engineered viral vectors non-invasively
Postdoc Mentor: Mikhail Shapiro
Award Sponsor: Amgen
Affiliation: California Institute of Technology
Email: nnystrom {at} caltech.edu

Tai Ng
Project Title: Developing cell-based assays and genetic circuits for sensing and responding to persistent viruses
Postdoc Mentor: Pamela A. Silver
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy Project
Affiliation: Harvard University
Email: tai_ng {at} hms.harvard.edu

Jason Schrad
Project Title: Structural characterization of giant viruses and their infection
Postdoc Mentor: Daniela Nicastro
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation
Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Email: jason.schrad {at} utsouthwestern.edu

Mitchell Thompson
Project Title: Defining the genetic basis of adaptive host-specificity in Agrobacterium
Postdoc Mentor: Patrick M. Shih
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation
Affiliation: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Email: mthompson {at} lbl.gov

Jaime Wong Campos
Project Title: Deep brain imaging methods for chronic and multisite neurophysiology
Postdoc Mentor: Adam Cohen
Award Sponsor: Merck
Affiliation: Harvard University
Email: jwongcampos {at} fas.harvard.edu

Joshua York
Project Title: Deciphering the developmental and evolutionary basis of stem cell pluripotency and the emergence of the vertebrate neural crest
Postdoc Mentor: Carole LaBonne
Award Sponsor: Walder Foundation
Affiliation: Northwestern University
Email: joshua.york {at} northwestern.edu

Jamie (Jia Jia) Zhang
Project Title: Identification of endogenous substrates and regulators of Clp proteases in the opportunistic pathogen P. aeruginosa
Postdoc Mentor: Tania A. Baker
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation
Affiliation: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Email: jrzhang {at} mit.edu