On September 19, the HHMI Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program awarded fellowships to 25 early-career scientists. Each fellow receives up to $1.5 million in support for up to eight years. According to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), this cohort is comprised of outstanding researchers "who represent a promising future for biomedical science." The fellows will continue their postdoctoral training at 18 institutions across the U.S.
Two postdoc students in UC Berkeley's Department of Molecular & Cell Biology were named 2023 Hanna Gray Fellows:
Raul Arturo Ramos-Garcia, Ph.D.
Mentor: Ellen Lumpkin, Ph.D.
Raul Ramos is investigating the neural mechanisms that underlie distortions of touch perception, including persistent alterations seen in sensory processing disorder (SPD) and reversible distortions induced by psychedelics. His research will use a combination of genetics, electrophysiology, imaging, and behavioral tests to define the effects of psychedelics on touch neuron signaling and tactile behaviors. The work will provide new insights into the cause of SPD and the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelics.
Tulika Singh, Ph.D. MPH
Mentor: Eva Harris, Ph.D.
Over our lifetimes we experience multiple viral infections. Some infections are similar to ones we have fought earlier. In the best-case scenario of secondary infection, our pre-existing immunity will jumpstart and neutralize the new, but related, virus. Tulika Singh wants to uncover the immune pathways that remember and reactivate such broadly neutralizing antibodies. She is pioneering tools to measure the parts of our immune response that encompass diversity towards multiple viruses. Singh hopes this work will improve vaccine design to protect the world from emerging viruses.
According to its website, HHMI has committed more than $180 million to the Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program, which currently includes 109 fellows (87 postdocs and 22 early career faculty). That investment continues expanding, with appointments of up to 25 fellows each year as part of HHMI’s broader commitment to advancing inclusion across key career stages in academic science.
The new cohort will join a close-knit community of Hanna Gray Fellows who participate in professional development, mentorship, and networking with their peers and the broader HHMI community of scientists. More details about the program are available online.