Pew Awards 22 Researchers Biomedical Science Grants

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pew Charitable Trusts today announced the 22 researchers joining the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. These early-career scientists will receive four years of funding to uncover fundamental insights about human health and disease.

"For 40 years, Pew has supported young, talented researchers as they take creative approaches to solving big scientific questions," said Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Pew's senior vice president for Philadelphia and scientific advancement. "This new class continues that legacy, and we look forward to seeing where their discoveries lead."

The 2025 class—all early-career, junior faculty—marks the 40th group of Pew scholars to be awarded funding since the program's founding in 1985. They join a rich network of more than 1,000 Pew-funded scientists and will have opportunities to meet annually to exchange ideas and form collaborations across disciplines.   

"Pew-funded scientists have long contributed to biomedical research discoveries that have improved human health," said Lee Niswander, Ph.D., a 1995 Pew scholar and chair of the program's national advisory committee. "I'm confident this new class of scholars, with their innovative and creative approaches to scientific research, will continue this tradition."

Scholars were chosen from 209 applicants nominated by leading academic institutions and researchers throughout the United States. This year's class includes scientists who are assessing how gut bacteria fights metabolic disease, examining the way the human brain develops and evolves over time, and leveraging cutting-edge technologies to prevent and treat disease.

Five members of the 2025 class, who were selected for their commitment to investigating health challenges relating to the brain as it ages, will receive awards with support from the Kathryn W. Davis Peace by Pieces Fund.

The 2025 Pew scholars in the biomedical sciences are:

Ana Paula Arruda, Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Arruda will explore how cells reprogram their metabolism by reorganizing subcellular architecture.

Sarah Bowling, Ph.D.
Stanford University School of Medicine
Dr. Bowling will investigate how mammalian embryos maintain resilience in the face of injury or cell loss.

Matthew Bramble, Ph.D.
Children's Research Institute of Children's National Hospital
Dr. Bramble will unravel the molecular biology of konzo, a neurological condition that causes paralysis in susceptible children in sub-Saharan Africa.

Cara Brook, Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Brook will design vaccines to immunize wild bats against viruses that can be transmitted to the human population.

Nicholas Burton, Ph.D.
Van Andel Institute
Dr. Burton will dissect the molecular mechanisms that allow bacteria in the microbiome to cure metabolic diseases.

Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire, Ph.D.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Dr. Corbett-Helaire will uncover how coronaviruses and other emerging viruses, such as simian hemorrhagic fever viruses, interact with human cells.

Fleur M. Ferguson, Ph.D.
University of California San Diego
Dr. Ferguson will design strategies for engineering nondegrader "molecular glues" that can hold together or functionally redirect the activity of specific protein complexes.

Antonio Fernandez-Ruiz, Ph.D.
Cornell University
Dr. Fernandez-Ruiz will assess how rodents learn the spatial layout and dynamics of a changing environment and how they exploit this knowledge to guide flexible foraging behavior.

Vignesh Kasinath, Ph.D.
University of Colorado Boulder
Dr. Kasinath will study how cells "silence" transposons, genetic elements whose movement within the genome can disrupt the function of genes.

Fenna Krienen, Ph.D.
Princeton University
Dr. Krienen will explore whether sex differences shape how the brain's resident immune cells influence neural development and behavior.

Yerbol Kurmangaliyev, Ph.D.
Brandeis University
Dr. Kurmangaliyev will uncover the genetic principles that guide the formation of complex neural circuits.

Bianca Jones Marlin, Ph.D.
Columbia University
Dr. Marlin will examine the molecular mechanisms by which the effects of trauma can be passed from one generation to the next. 

Ewan K.S. McRae, Ph.D.
Houston Methodist Research Institute
Dr. McRae will determine approaches for designing stable, controllable therapeutic RNAs.

Ryan Nett, Ph.D.
Harvard University
Dr. Nett will explore the chemistry that plants use to synthesize novel amino acids with interesting biological activities.

Maria A. Nieves-Colón, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Dr. Nieves-Colón will investigate the genetic and health impacts of the influx of millions of Africans to Latin America in the colonial period.

Jessica Osterhout, Ph.D.
University of Utah
Dr. Osterhout will decode how the brain senses infection to generate the symptoms associated with illness.

Hijai Regina Shin, Ph.D.
Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern
Dr. Shin will investigate a novel family of intracellular signaling proteins that senses nutrients and coordinates metabolic responses.

Nasa Sinnott-Armstrong, Ph.D.
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Dr. Sinnott-Armstrong will develop an automated, AI-powered robotic system to identify novel therapeutics for Lyme disease.

Steven Reilly, Ph.D.
Yale School of Medicine
Dr. Reilly will design programmable, synthetic cis-regulatory elements—DNA sequences that control gene expression—to facilitate the delivery and activation of therapeutic cargos to specific target tissues.

Berna Sozen, Ph.D.
Yale School of Medicine
Dr. Sozen will examine how the maternal environment shapes an embryo's developmental trajectory.

Zak Swartz, Ph.D.
Marine Biological Laboratory
Dr. Swartz will study how female sea stars continue to produce eggs throughout their decades-long lifespan.

En Yang, Ph.D.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Dr. Yang will use a custom-made virtual reality rig to explore how the brain conjures remembered images and performs spatial navigation.

Founded in 1948, The Pew Charitable Trusts uses data to make a difference. Pew addresses the challenges of a changing world by illuminating issues, creating common ground, and advancing ambitious projects that lead to tangible progress.

Erin Davis, 202-540-6677, [email protected]

SOURCE The Pew Charitable Trusts