Summary
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute awards nearly $5 million in research fellowships to 46 predoctoral students from 24 countries.
Highlights
- HHMI established the International Student Research Fellowships Program in 2011 to support international students during their third to fifth years of graduate school in the United States. Students receive $43,000 during each year of the fellowship.
- HHMI has invested $15.8 million in the program during the last four years, and is currently supporting a total of 186 students from 43 countries.
- Three hundred twenty-two students submitted applications, which were reviewed by a panel of top scientists and graduate educators.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is awarding nearly $5 million in research fellowships to 46 predoctoral students from 24 countries. The awards will allow the students, who have demonstrated exceptional talent and innovation in research, to complete their graduate studies.
“I know that the best science requires a certain amount of risk-taking, and thanks to this award, I finally feel confident enough to push my research to the next level without the fear of failure,” said Nabiha Saklayen, the first student from Bangladesh to receive the award.
Saklayen, who is studying at Harvard University, will be developing a new cell transfection method that combines ultrafast lasers and nanostructured surfaces to create transient pores in cell membranes. “This award inspires me to reinforce my efforts to improve science education in Bangladesh in the long run, and especially enhance the role of women in science,” she said.
HHMI established the International Student Research Fellowships Program in 2011 to support international students during their third to fifth years of graduate school in the United States. Students receive $43,000 during each year of the fellowship.
This year’s awardees hail from 24 different countries, eight of which—Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Kenya, Netherlands, Pakistan, and Vietnam—were not represented in previous years of the program.
“The best science often arises at intersections—between traditional disciplines, among cultures, and across national borders. As these students engage in leading edge science, they are also living the international collaboration of discovery,” said David J. Asai, Senior Director in Science Education at HHMI.
The best science often arises at intersections—between traditional disciplines, among cultures, and across national borders. As these students engage in leading edge science, they are also living the international collaboration of discovery.
David J. Asai
The Institute chose to fund the third to fifth years of graduate school because, by this time, most students have chosen a graduate advisor, identified a research project, and demonstrated their potential for success in the lab. International students in U.S. graduate schools often have difficulty getting funding to support their studies. They are not eligible for federal fellowships or training grant support, or other governmental opportunities that are generally reserved for U.S. citizens.
Jennifer Nwankwo, a fellow from Nigeria, was one of the 42 students who received the award in last year’s competition. She is studying sickle cell disease (SCD) at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University. “During my first year as an HHMI fellow, I grew considerably, both as a scientist, and as an individual. My fellowship has been a huge confidence booster,” she said.
“The achievement that I’m most proud of is developing a new knockout model of SCD. We’re in the process of characterizing phenotypic differences in these mice, with the goal of illuminating underlying mechanisms of SCD pathogenesis,” said Nwanko.
HHMI has invested $15.8 million in the program during the last four years, and is currently supporting a total of 186 students from 43 countries.
Fifty-six PhD-granting institutions were eligible to nominate graduate students for the fellowships this year. Three hundred twenty-two students submitted applications, which were reviewed by a panel of top scientists and graduate educators. Only institutions currently hosting one or more HHMI Investigators could nominate candidates.
Liem Nguyen, a new fellow from Vietnam, is conducting cancer research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “I hope that this prestigious award will encourage future Vietnamese international students to pursue biological research. If this happens, we would hopefully have a group of talented young scientists to pioneer the biological sciences field in our home country,” said Nguyen.
The International Student Research Fellowships build on HHMI’s commitment to funding international scientists. In 2012, HHMI selected 28 International Early Career Scientists to help talented individuals who have trained in the U.S. establish independent research programs in 12 countries where funding for scientific support is scarce. In collaboration with the University of KwaZulu-Natal, HHMI has also established the KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV, which is dedicated to using basic science to find better treatments and diagnostics for TB and HIV.
Meet the 2014 International Student Research Fellows:
| Student | Institution |
Advisor |
| Sarah Azoubel Lima Brazil |
University of California-San Diego | Amy Pasquinelli |
| Gregor Bieri Switzerland |
Stanford University | Aaron Gitler |
| Ambrose Carr Canada |
Columbia University | Dana Pe'er |
| Jaepyeong Cha South Korea |
Johns Hopkins University | Jin Kang |
| Xiao Chen China |
Brandeis University | Michael Rosbash* |
| Smaranda Craciun Romania |
Harvard University | Emily Balskus |
| Blake Farrow Canada |
California Institute of Technology | James Heath |
| Yvonne Fonken Netherlands |
University of California-Berkeley | Robert Knight |
| Feng Gao China |
Cornell University | Alon Keinan |
| Souparno Ghosh India |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Alan Jasanoff |
| Tianxia Guan China |
Yale University | Susan Kaech+ |
| Christian Harman United Kingdom |
Yale University | Richard Flavell* |
| Stella Hartono Indonesia |
University of California-Davis | Frederic Chedin, Ian Korf |
| Robert Heler Romania |
Rockefeller University | Luciano Marraffini |
| Aaron Hosios Canada |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Matthew Vander Heiden |
| Tsung-Han Hsieh Taiwan |
University of Massachusetts at Worcester | Oliver Rando |
| Saman Hussain Pakistan |
Harvard University | Ethan Garner |
| Naoko Ichiishi Japan |
University of Michigan | Melanie Sanford |
| Sirawaj Itthipuripat Thailand |
University of California-San Diego | Gregory Light, John Serences |
| Dong-Wook Kim South Korea |
California Institute of Technology | David Anderson* |
| George Korir Kenya |
Stanford University | Manu Prakash |
| Kamena Kostova Bulgaria |
University of California-San Francisco | Jonathan Weissman* |
| Sofia Landi Argentina |
Rockefeller University | Winrich Freiwald |
| Sungwon Lim South Korea |
Stanford University | Jennifer Cochran |
| Di Liu China |
University of Chicago | Yossi Weizmann |
| Kieran Mace South Africa |
University of California-San Francisco | Hana El-Samad |
| Da Meng China |
University of California-San Diego | Nicholas Spitzer |
| Arda Mizrak Turkey |
University of California-San Francisco | David Morgan |
| Narendra Mukherjee India |
Brandeis University | Donald Katz |
| Liem Nguyen Vietnam |
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | Hao Zhu |
| Novalia Pishesha Indonesia |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvey Lodish, Hidde Ploegh |
| Krithika Rajagopalan India |
Columbia University | Jean Gautier |
| Rajeev Rikhye Singapore |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Mriganka Sur |
| Nae Gyune Rim South Korea |
Boston University | Joyce Wong |
| Carlos Rodríguez Ecuador |
Emory University | Donna Maney |
| Nabiha Saklayen Bangladesh |
Harvard University | Eric Mazur |
| Xiaolei Shi China |
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | Ralph Deberardinis |
| Monika Scholz Germany |
University of Chicago | David Biron, Aaron Dinner |
| Sukrit Silas India |
Stanford University | Andrew Fire |
| Angela Steinauer Switzerland |
Yale University | Alanna Schepartzº |
| Chensu Wang China |
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | Jinming Gao, Michael White |
| Kirsten Wiens Canada |
New York University | Joel Ernst |
| Dan Wu China |
Johns Hopkins University | Jiangyang Zhang |
| Deniz Yorukoglu Turkey |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Bonnie Berger |
| Boxuan Zhao China |
University of Chicago | Chuan He* |
| Jie Zhou China |
Brandeis University | Bing Xu |
* HHMI Investigator
+ Early Career Scientist
º HHMI Professor
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The Howard Hughes Medical Institute plays a powerful 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. For more information, visit www.hhmi.org.