FASEB Announces First Cohort of MOSAIC Scholars

Monday, December 2, 2024

FASEB welcomes its first cohort of MOSAIC (Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers) scholars. This groundbreaking initiative, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), aims to support K99/R00 research grantees as they transition into independent faculty careers at research-intensive institutions. 

The MOSAIC program helps to advance the diversity of the biomedical research community, fostering inclusive academic environments and enhancing health research outcomes by incorporating diverse perspectives. Through this program, FASEB will provide promising postdoctoral researchers from underrepresented backgrounds with essential resources, including specialized training, mentorship, and networking opportunities.

FASEB is one of five scientific organizations with a cooperative agreement with NIH’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences to develop and execute the MOSAIC program to support postdoctoral and new investigators from diverse backgrounds. (Read about FASEB’s $2.3 million award to execute FASEB MOSAIC here.)

The 2024 FASEB MOSAIC scholars are:

• Jennifer Alexander, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania. Project title: Balancing Cellular Repair and Regeneration in Aging and Disease
• Naima Dahir, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Michigan. Project title: The Role of the PBN Melanocortin System in the Regulation of Ingestive Behaviors
• Rafael Perez, PhD, Associate Research Scientist, Yale School of Medicine. Project title: Role of Anterior Cingulate Cortex Ensemble Regulation of Spinal Cord Excitability in Associative Opioid Analgesic Tolerance
• Camila Bonin Pinto, PhD, Associate Professor of Research, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Project title: Non-invasive Brain Stimulation and Neurovascular Mechanisms of Post-stroke Cognitive Impairment
• Danielle Porter, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute. Project title: Role of the Melanocortin-3 Receptor in Regulation of the HPG Axis
• Megan Radyk, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Michigan. Project title: Metabolic Regulation of Pancreatic Metaplasia and Neoplasia
• Luis Rodriguez, PhD, Research Associate, University of Pennsylvania. Project title: Aging and Metabolic Dysfunction Drive Disrupted Alveolar Epithelial Progenitor Function in Pulmonary Fibrosis
• Juan Manuel Vazguez, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Berkeley. Project title: Patterns and Mechanisms Underlying Somatic Mutations Across Long-Lived Bats

Yvette Seger, PhD, FASEB Director of Strategic Scientific Program Advancement, and Michael Schaller, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at West Virginia University School of Medicine, will direct the program. 

For additional details about the program, visit the FASEB MOSAIC webpage.