May 23, 2018   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

HHMI Bets Big On 19 New Investigators

HHMI Bets Big On 19 New Investigators

CHEVY CHASE, Md., May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Beth Shapiro has dug for prehistoric bones in Siberia. Ralph DeBerardinis has improved the lives of kids with metabolic diseases. Jesse Bloom has uncovered genetic secrets that could help fight the flu.

Shapiro, DeBerardinis, and Bloom are among 19 scientists whose work is dramatically advancing our understanding of cells, the brain, metabolism, and more. Today, these scientists all share a new title: Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator.

On May 23, 2018, HHMI announced that it will invest $200 million in this new cadre of investigators, a group of individuals known for pushing the boundaries of biomedical research. "We selected these scientists because they know how to ask hard and interesting questions with skill and intellectual courage," says David Clapham, HHMI's vice president and chief scientific officer. "We believe they have the potential to make breakthroughs over time."

Each of the 19 new investigators will receive roughly $8 million over a seven-year term, which is renewable pending a scientific review. In addition, investigator support includes a guaranteed two-year transition period. This new group of investigators is the first to be appointed to a seven-year term (previous terms lasted five years). HHMI selected the new investigators from a pool of 675 eligible applicants. The scientists represent 15 U.S. institutions and will join an investigator community that now numbers over 300.

"Every scientist is unique, but they all need one thing: time," says HHMI President Erin O'Shea. "HHMI is dedicated to providing outstanding biomedical scientists with the time and resources to do their best work. We think of this as investing in people, not just projects."

To date, 28 current or former HHMI scientists have won the Nobel Prize. Investigators have made big leaps forward in HIV vaccine development, microbiome and circadian rhythm research, immunotherapy, and the genome editing tool known as CRISPR/Cas9, among other fields.

2018 HHMI Investigators

    Name                        Institute

    Thomas Bernhardt, PhD       Harvard Medical School

    Jesse Bloom, PhD             Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
                                 Center

    Edward Boyden, PhD          Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    Clifford Brangwynne, PhD    Princeton University

    Howard Chang, MD, PhD       Stanford University

    Ralph DeBerardinis, MD, PhD  University of Texas Southwestern
                                 Medical Center

    Benjamin Ebert, MD, PhD     Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

    Zachary Knight, PhD          University of California, San
                                 Francisco

    Stephen Liberles, PhD       Harvard Medical School

    Zachary Lippman, PhD        Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

    Gaby Maimon, PhD            The Rockefeller University

    Luciano Marraffini, PhD     The Rockefeller University

    Samara Reck-Peterson, PhD   University of California, San Diego

    Elizabeth Sattely, PhD      Stanford University

    Beth Shapiro, DPhil         University of California, Santa Cruz

    Beth Stevens, PhD           Boston Children's Hospital

    Gia Voeltz, PhD             University of Colorado Boulder

    Meng Wang, PhD              Baylor College of Medicine

    Feng Zhang, PhD             Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute plays an important role in advancing scientific research and education in the United States. Its scientists, located across the country and around the world, have made important discoveries that advance both human health and our fundamental understanding of biology. The Institute also aims to transform science education into a creative, interdisciplinary endeavor that reflects the excitement of real research. HHMI's headquarters are located in Chevy Chase, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.


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SOURCE Howard Hughes Medical Institute