The Rita Allen Foundation has announced the names of its 2015 class of Rita Allen Foundation Scholars. The seven young scholars have conducted research that has demonstrated “exceptional promise for advancing the frontiers of knowledge about how biologicl systems function in health and disease.” Each scholar will receive up to $110,000 annually for a maximum of five years to support their research. Four of the seven new Rita Allen Foundation Scholars are women.
Minoree Kohwi is an assistant professor of neuroscience at Columbia University in New York City. Her research project is entitled “How Does Genomic Shuffling Shape Brain Development?” Dr. Kohwi is a graduate of the California Institute of Technology, where she majored in biology. She holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of California, San Francisco.
Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy is an assistant professor of neurobiology at Northwestern University in Illinois. Her research will focus on the molecular mechanisms of rapidly acting antidepressant drugs. Dr. Kozorovitskiy hold a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in neuroscience and psychology from Princeton University in New Jersey.
Julie Law is an assistant professor of plant molecular and cellular biology at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. Dr. Law’s research project is entitled: “How Do the Genome’s Packaging Materials Help Maintain Its Stability?” Dr. Law is a graduate of Oregon State University, where she majored in biochemistry and biophysics. She holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the School of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Yi Ye is an assistant professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the College of Dentistry of New York University. She is also the associate director of clinical research operations for the Bluestone Center for Clinical Research at the university. Dr. Ye will investigate pain relating to oral cancer. Dr. Ye holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from New York University. She is currently in the MBA program at the university’s Stern School of Business.