The inaugural cohort of Chan Zuckerberg Science Initiative (CZI) Diversity Leadership Awards has been announced. The awards are given to outstanding early- and mid-career scientists at U.S. universities, medical schools, and nonprofit research institutes “who through their outreach, mentoring, and teaching—have a record of promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in their scientific fields.”
Developed in partnership earlier this year with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the first cohort of CZI award winners consists of 25 researchers – 13 women and 12 men – working on a broad range of biomedical topics, including renal injury, cancer risk, aphasia, health disparities and neurodegenerative diseases.
“Through this new partnership with the National Academies, we hope to increase visibility and support for faculty of color in biomedicine, including Black, Latina/o/x, and Indigenous faculty, so they can continue to do some of the best science and mentor tomorrow’s leaders,” said CZI Co-Founders & Co-CEOs Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg. “Put simply—supporting Black, Latina/o/x, and Indigenous researchers advances biomedicine and broadens the perspectives of the field, grows the credibility of science within impacted communities, and builds a solid bench of role models for the next generation of researchers.”
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Each grant recipient will receive a total of $1.15 million over five years, which is to be used to support their research programs and outreach, mentoring, and teaching activities. In addition, the grantees will be connected with national and international scientific leaders through various meetings and convenings. Dr. Ivory Dean, CZI’s Science Program Manager for Diversity in Science, will oversee this new program. The National Academies will collaborate with CZI to administer the application process and convene experts to review applications.
The Cohort
The first cohort of CZI award winners consists of 25 researchers at 21 different universities and institutions. Three universities had multiple faculty members win the CZI award this year.
Duke University had three award winners: Lawrence David, associate professor of molecular genetics and microbiology; Chantell Evans, assistant professor of cell biology; and Gustavo Silva, assistant professor of biology.
Lawrence David’s project will distribute open source bioinformatic tools for analyzing biomarkers of food intake. These biomarkers can then be used to study the origins and treatment of autoimmune, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases.
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Chantell Evans’ project will study the breakdown of energy-producing mitochondria in neuron cells, with the potential to gain new knowledge about neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, ALS, and Alzheimer’s.
Gustavo Silva’s project will investigate Nascimento Syndrome, a poorly understood set of symptoms including severe learning disabilities and motor coordination issues.
At Columbia University, Professor Abdus-Saboor, assistant professor of biological sciences, was given an award for his research that aims to increase our understanding of inflammatory pain by “mapping behavior, modifying peripheral genes, and constructing longitudinal brain-wide activity networks.”
Professor Elham Aziz, the Herbert and Florence Irving Assistant Professor of Cancer Data Research and assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia, was chosen for her project that will apply machine learning technologies to investigate the genes driving immune cell dysfunction.
The University of California, San Diego also had two winners: Brian Aguado, assistant professor of bioengineering, for a project that will use advanced biomaterial-based tools to develop sex-specific and ancestral-specific disease models of aortic valve stenosis and define precision drug treatments for diverse patients; and Sonya Neal, assistant professor of cell and developmental biology, who is seeking to develop a chemical biology platform for building small molecule tools aimed at modulating rhomboid protein function, a process involved in numerous diseases.
The full list of 25 award winners can be found here.
Minority researchers continue to be underrepresented in the biomedical sciences and other STEM fields. According to the Pew Research Center, Black professionals make up only 9% of people working in STEM occupations, while Latina/o/x professionals comprise just 8% of all STEM workers. In addition, only 8.9% of individuals in science and engineering academic doctoral positions identify as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latina/o/x, or American Indian or Alaska Native, according to the National Science Foundation.
“To increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the biomedical sciences, we must do everything possible to attract, retain, and nurture top talent at our colleges and universities,” said National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt. “We are pleased to partner with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative on this effort, which will recognize and encourage faculty who make mentorship and stewardship a top priority in their academic programs.”
