DURHAM, N.C. — The Burroughs Wellcome Fund and The Charles H. Revson Foundation are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Postdoctoral Enrichment Program (PDEP) awards, providing career-development support to postdoctoral researchers from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the biomedical sciences.
The Postdoctoral Enrichment Program is designed to help promising postdoctoral fellows maximize their professional potential by supporting activities that enhance their research careers beyond the scope of traditional training grants. The program provides funding for career-development opportunities such as advanced coursework, scientific workshops, travel to specialized training programs, and the acquisition of new research skills.
This year, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and The Charles H. Revson Foundation awarded 31 grants of up to $60,000 to postdoctoral researchers at institutions across the United States and Canada. Of these, 26 awards were supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and five by The Charles H. Revson Foundation. The recipients represent a broad range of scientific disciplines and research interests, reflecting both organizations’ commitment to fostering excellence and expanding participation in biomedical research.
“Scientific innovation depends on the talents and perspectives of researchers from many backgrounds and experiences,” said Alfred Mays, Senior Program Officer and Chief Diversity Officer at the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. “The Postdoctoral Enrichment Program provides resources that allow outstanding scientists to pursue opportunities that strengthen their research, expand their professional networks, and position them for long-term success in biomedical science.”
Since its creation, the Postdoctoral Enrichment Program has supported more than 230 early-career scientists as they navigate the critical transition from postdoctoral training to independent academic and research careers. By investing in professional development opportunities tailored to individual needs, the program helps recipients build the skills, experiences, and connections necessary to thrive in a rapidly evolving scientific landscape.
In 2024, The Charles H. Revson Foundation partnered with the Burroughs Wellcome Fund in expanding the total annual number of PDEP from 25 to 30 awards.
“The future of biomedical research will be shaped not only by scientific breakthroughs, but by whether we invest in the people capable of achieving them,” said Maria Torres-Springer, President of The Charles H. Revson Foundation. “Our partnership with the Burroughs Wellcome Fund reflects a shared commitment to supporting outstanding early-career scientists and expanding access to the opportunities that help research careers flourish. We are delighted to celebrate this year’s cohort and the extraordinary promise they represent for the future of biomedical science.”
The 2026 Postdoctoral Enrichment Program recipients are:
Mahliyah Adkins-Threats, PhD
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Investigating molecular mechanisms that regulate development of the enteric nervous system in the proximal GI tract
Mentor: James Wells, PhD
Jonathan Anzules, PhD
City of Hope
Targeting GLP-1R+ SPP1+ Macrophages to Overcome Metabolic Immunosuppressive Niches in CAR-T and Radiotherapy-Treated Prostate Cancer
Mentor: Yun Rose Li, MD
Mariah Arral, PhD
Tufts University
Dynamic 3D Silk-Based Model to Study Immune–Fibroblast Regulation of Pulmonary Fibrosis
Mentor: David Kaplan, PhD
Jillybeth Burgado, PhD
University of California – San Francisco
The X chromosome’s role in Alzheimer’s Disease
Mentor: Dena Dubal, MD, PhD
Alisha Crump, PhD
New York University
Cumulative Psychosocial Stress and Gene Expression among a Multi-Ethnic Population of Middle-Aged and Older Adults
Mentor: Adolfo Cuevas, PhD, MSc
Revson Scholar
Andrea Mae Darby, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
A host glycosylation mechanism of symbiotic bacteria recruitment
Mentor: William Ludington, PhD
Alonso Delgado, PhD
Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology
Mapping How Evolution Repurposes Genes to Build New Organs
Mentor: Mandë Holford, PhD
Christian Gabriel Figueroa-Espada, PhD
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Targeted mRNA delivery of cytokines to overcome immune suppression in solid tumors
Mentor: Brian Brown, PhD
Revson Scholar
Brianna Elyse George, PhD
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chronic Alcohol Reshapes Raphe–Hippocampal Serotonin Dynamics and Memory Processing
Mentor: Thomas Kash, PhD
Danielle Germundson-Hermanson, PhD
University of Utah
Influence of social isolation on the neural mechanisms of sickness
Mentor: Jessica Osterhout, PhD
Kevin Jaime Gonzalez, PhD
Stanford University
Development of Self-Assembling Pyrrole-Imidazole Polyamides Using Proximity-Induced Bioorthogonal Chemistry
Mentor: Carolyn R. Bertozzi, PhD
Alberto Enrique Lopez, PhD
University of California – Los Angeles
Modulating local innate immune responses to mitigate pneumonia in the setting of environmental exposures
Mentor: Hrishikesh Kulkarni,MD, MSCI
Armando Magallanes Marrufo, PhD
Baylor College of Medicine
Impact of Airborne Particulate Matter Exposure on Systemic Immunity
Mentor: Farrah Kheradmand, MD
Ronald McMillan, PhD
Vanderbilt University
Chemerin Signaling Links Salt-Sensitive Hypertension and Insulin Resistance
Mentors: Antentor O Hinton Jr., PhD; Celestine Wanjalla, MD, PhD
Sebastian Andres Pace, PhD
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Claustral NPSR Circuits as Neural Substrates for Anxiolysis Without Sedation
Mentor: Sung Han, PhD
Sharon Patray, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Investigating the Structural Biology of the Rhoptry Secretion System During Plasmodium falciparum Sporozoite Development
Mentor: Yi-Wei Chang, PhD
Sarea Y. Recalde Phillips, PhD
University of Oregon
Leveraging Immunometabolism in Targeted Nanoparticle Delivery Strategies to Promote Aged Fracture Healing
Mentor: Danielle S.W. Benoit PhD
Cristina Marie Rivera Quiles, PhD
University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
Interrogation of striatal low-threshold spiking interneuron control of dopaminergic signaling and fentanyl reward
Mentors: Arif Hamid, PhD; Patrick Eldredge Rothwell, PhD
Kristy Rochon, PhD
Purdue University
Ultrastructural Mechanisms of Mitochondrial Regulation During Tunneling Nanotube-Mediated Transfer
Mentor: Lauren Ann Metskas, PhD
Zachary Sanchez, PhD
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Immune-Metabolic Signaling Networks Governing Chronic Infection by Toxoplasma Gondii
Mentor: Sebastian Lourido, PhD
Isabel Serrano, PhD
University of Utah
Exploring the impacts of mitochondrial DNA copy number on sperm fitness and nuclear genomic stability
Mentor: Aaron Quinlan, PhD
Nicolas Gray Shealy, PhD
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Gut Microbiota influence on asymptomatic carriage of C. difficile and TCS signaling
Mentor: Joseph P. Zackular, PhD
Christina Alexandra Stephens, PhD
Columbia University
Investigating tethered agonist-dependent activation of aGPCRs using computational and single-molecule biophysical methods
Mentors: Naomi Latorraca, PhD; Ruben L. Gonzalez Jr., PhD
Revson Scholar
Whitney Alexandra Stevens-Sostre, PhD
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Defining the Voltage-Gated Ion Channels Shaping Neuronal and Network Excitability in the Mammalian Retina
Mentor: Mrinalini Hoon, PhD
Madison Strine, PhD
Yale University
Defining how early-life T cells program the developing human intestine
Mentor: Liza Konnikova, MD, PhD, FAAP
Annie Trinh, PhD
Stanford University
Mechanisms underlying constitutive heterochromatin formation at human centromeres
Mentor: Aaron F. Straight, PhD
Amanda Truong, MD, PhD
University of California – Los Angeles
Inducing Paradoxical MAPK Signaling to Promote Chronic Wound Healing
Mentor: Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD
Carmen Vallin, PhD
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Studies for the role and mechanism of transcription-coupled alkylation damage repair (TCADR)
Mentor: Evgeny Nudler, PhD
Lucinda Williamson, PhD
University of Illinois Chicago
Developing Context-Aware Methods for Accurate Detection and Classification of Head Acceleration Events in Women’s Rugby to Inform Concussion Risk
Mentors: James Patton, PhD; R. James Cotton, MD, PhD
Kristel Joy Yee Mon, PhD
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
A novel T cell vaccine candidate: Leveraging antigen cross-presentation pathways to generate cross-reactive pan-Coronavirus specific CD8 T cells
Mentor: Julie Magarian Blander, PhD
Revson Scholar
Jessica Zung, PhD
Columbia University
Visual feature processing of naturalistic stimuli
Mentor: Gwyneth Card, PhD
Revson Scholar
Additional information about the Postdoctoral Enrichment Program is available through the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
About the Burroughs Wellcome Fund:
www.bwfund.org
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is an independent private foundation dedicated to advancing biomedical research by supporting exceptional scientists early in their careers, promoting the next generation of scientific leaders, and driving innovation in scientific discovery.
About The Charles H. Revson Foundation:
www.revsonfoundation.org
The Revson Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation committed to promoting the advancement of knowledge, and societal health and well-being through grants in urban affairs, education, Jewish life and biomedical research.
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