Three postdoctoral researchers at the Institute were recently awarded project funding, a recognition of the quality of their research and the impact it may provide.

Soma Dash, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher from the lab of Investigator Paul Trainor, Ph.D., received the coveted K99 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institutes of Health to investigate recently identified genes important for proper craniofacial development. These genes belong to a global transcription coregulator, Mediator, which plays a significant role in mRNA synthesis.

“This grant is a valuable opportunity to showcase not only my ability to obtain federal funding but also my potential to succeed as a principal investigator,” said Dash.

“With this funding I will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with multi-omics techniques and bioinformatic approaches to elucidate how the Mediator protein complex functions in different tissues during craniofacial development,” said Dash. “My goal is to investigate tissue interactions essential for proper head and face formation during development through the lens of this global transcription machinery.”

In addition to joining the newest class of HHMI Hanna H. Gray Fellows and the STAT Wunderkinds, Jasmin Camacho, Ph.D., in the lab of Associate Investigator Nicolas Rohner, Ph.D., earned an additional fellowship, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. This highly prestigious award grants funding for three years, through the last stages of the postdoctoral fellowship and through the first stages of independent faculty research.

Also from the Rohner Lab, Postdoctoral Researcher Ansa Cohbam, Ph.D., received the American Society of Cell Biology’s International Federation of Cell Biology Scholarship to investigate mechanisms on how cavefish have adapted their metabolism to survive in extreme environments. This grant recognizes and supports outstanding early career scientists from African, Latin, and South American countries.

Read more about grant award news from the Graduate School of the Stowers Institute for Medical research.