Two Women Scholars Named Moore Foundation Inventor Fellows

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has named five scholars as 2017 Moore Inventor Fellows. The honorees each receive $825,000 over the next three years to further their research in science, medicine, and environmental conservation. Gordon Moore was a co-founder of Intel Corporation. The Moore Foundation named its first cohort of fellows last year and will do so for a total of 10 years.

Among the five Moore Inventor Fellows this year are two women.

Viviana Gradinaru is an assistant professor of biology and biological engineering at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. She also serves as the director of the Center for Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience at the university. Her research focuses on neuronal circuits for sleep and locomotion and methods of gene delivery to neurons. Dr. Gradinaru is a graduate of the California Institute of Technology. She earned a Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Jennifer Dionne is an associate professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford University. She has invented a light-driven process for the separation of different forms of the same molecules. It has applications for the efficacy and safety of pharmaceuticals and in reducing the toxicity and environmental impact of chemicals used in agriculture. Dr. Dionne is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, where she majored in physics and mathematics. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in applied physics from the California Institute of Technology.