DURHAM, N.C. – The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease (PATH) awards, recognizing assistant professor-level scientists whose research is advancing understanding of infectious disease mechanisms and informing new approaches to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
Through the PATH program, the Fund supports innovative investigators at a pivotal stage in their careers, empowering them to pursue high-risk, high-reward research with the potential to transform human health.
The Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease program supports accomplished early-career researchers studying the complex biological mechanisms underlying infectious diseases. The $505,000 awards are intended to provide investigators the freedom to pursue novel ideas and establish independent research programs at the frontiers of biomedical science.
Since its inception, the PATH program has supported generations of researchers whose discoveries have shaped the fields of virology, immunology, microbiology, and global health. The 2026 recipients join a distinguished network of scientists working to address some of the most pressing health challenges facing the world today.
Additional information about the Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease program is available at bwfund.org/path. The next application cycle is live with a Letter of Intent deadline of July 16, 2026.
Sabrina Absalon, PhD
Indiana University School of Medicine
Mapping Organelle Dynamics Critical for Intracellular Parasite Survival and Pathogenesis
Emily Bruce, PhD
University of Vermont
From Birds to People: Understanding the Role of Rab11 in Influenza Assembly and Reassortment
Chi-Min Ho, PhD
Columbia University
Deciphering the molecular mechanism by which the malarial moving junction orchestrates host-cell invasion
Melissa Kane, PhD
University of Pittsburgh
Genetic and immunological mechanisms underlying protective antiretroviral responses
Robert Orchard, PhD
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
A Family of Viral Lipid Metabolism Genes Essential for Diverse Viral Pathogens
Lauren Palmer, PhD
University of Illinois-Chicago
Understanding infection by emerging bacterial pathogens to reveal host defenses
Cornelius Taabazuing, PhD
University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine
DIPTAR: A novel platform for uncovering mechanisms of pathogen inactivation of host innate immunity
Ajitha Thanabalasuriar, PhD
McGill University
Macrophage Extracellular Traps: An Explosive Defense Strategy Against Streptococcus pneumoniae.
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