Current Fellows
2024
Han Altae-Tran
Postdoc Mentor: David Baker
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: University of Washington
Email: altaeth@uw.edu
John Bowler
Project Title: Neural Correlates of Timing in the Entorhinal Cortex
Postdoc Mentor: James Heys
Award Sponsor: Simons Sfari
Affiliation: University of Utah
Email: jack.bowler@utah.edu
Sydney Cason
Project Title: Investigating lipid transport proteins involved in plasma membrane physiology and disease
Postdoc Mentor: Pietro De Camilli
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Yale University
Email: sydney.cason@yale.edu
Karen Cunningham
Project Title: Neural control of swimming and behavioral state switching in a genetically tractable model jellyfish
Postdoc Mentor: Brandon Weissbourd
Award Sponsor: Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation
Affiliation: Massachusetts Institution of Technology
Email: karen521@mit.edu
Thomas Day
Project Title: How feedback between cell interactions and emergent multicellular states shape the ecology of a patchy marine environment
Postdoc Mentor: Julia Schwartzman
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation, (The)
Affiliation: University of Southern California
Email: daythoma@usc.edu
Bradley Ganoe
Postdoc Mentor: James Shee
Award Sponsor: Welch Foundation (The)
Affiliation: Rice University
Email: bg60@rice.edu
Kayla Goforth
Project Title: Shedding Light on the Mechanisms Underlying Animal Magnetoreception
Postdoc Mentor: Christine Merlin
Award Sponsor: Welch Foundation (The)
Affiliation: Texas A&M University
Email: kmgoforth@tamu.edu
Changhao He
Postdoc Mentor: Kevan Shokat
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: University California San Francisco
Email: changhao.he@ucsf.edu
James Held
Project Title: The mitochondrial role in carbon concentrating mechanisms for photosynthetic optimization
Postdoc Mentor: Arthur Grossman
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation, (The)
Affiliation: Carnegie Institution for Science / Stanford University
Email: jheld@carnegiescience.edu
Johannes Hevler
Postdoc Mentor: Carolyn Bertozzi
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Stanford University
Email: jfhevler@stanford.edu
Xupeng Hong
Postdoc Mentor: Charles Rice
Award Sponsor: Open Philanthropy
Affiliation: Rockefeller University
Email: xhong@rockefeller.edu
Albana Lavinia Kodra
Project Title: The role of the enteric neuro-epithelium sensory hubs in food allergy
Postdoc Mentor: Daniel Mucida
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Rockefeller University
Email: akodra@rockefeller.edu
Unghwi Lee
Postdoc Mentor: Graeme Davis
Award Sponsor: Simons Sfari
Affiliation: University of California, San Francisco
Email: unghwi.lee@ucsf.edu
Briana Nixon
Postdoc Mentor: Ishmail Abdus-Saboor
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Columbia University
Email: bn2369@columbia.edu
Sang Woo Park
Project Title: Developing data-driven models for predicting the impact of climate change on spatiotemporal population and disease dynamics
Postdoc Mentor: Sarah Cobey
Award Sponsor: The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation
Affiliation: University Chicago
Email: swp2@uchicago.edu
Judy Shon
Postdoc Mentor: Michael Elowitz
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: California Institute of Technology
Email: dshon@caltech.edu
Yekaterina (Kate) Shulgina
Postdoc Mentor: Jamie Cate
Award Sponsor: Don Brown
Affiliation: University of California, Berkeley
Email: shulgina@berkeley.edu
Erik Toraason
Postdoc Mentor: Coleen Murphy
Award Sponsor: Simons Sfari
Affiliation: Princeton University
Email: etoraason@princeton.edu
Stephanie Yiu
Postdoc Mentor: Sizun Jiang
Award Sponsor: MacMillan Family Foundation
Affiliation: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Email: peitungstephanieyiu@g.harvard.edu
Ziyi Zhang
Postdoc Mentor: Delia Milliron
Award Sponsor: Welch Foundation (The)
Affiliation: University of Texas, Austin
Email: zzhang@utexas.edu
Franz Zingl
Project Title: How genomic adaptations shape Vibrio cholerae virulence during and across pandemics
Postdoc Mentor: Matthew Waldor
Award Sponsor: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliation: Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Email: Franz_Zingl@hms.harvard.edu
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: Jonas Schulter
Award Sponsor: Simons Foundation
Affiliation: NYU Langone Health
Email: nora.prenson@nyulangone.org
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
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