Brown University has announced the second cohort of students to receive the Blavatnik Family Graduate Fellowship in Biology and Medicine, which is made possible through a generous, multi-year donation from the Blavatnik Family Foundation.

The seven Blavatnik Family Fellows were selected based on outstanding academic achievement and demonstrated potential for producing original research that advances scientific knowledge and understanding in the basic and clinical life sciences. The fellows’ research is representative of a diverse array of scientific disciplines. 

“It is a great pleasure to congratulate our outstanding new Blavatnik Family Fellows. We all look forward to their future research and discoveries in the constant pursuit of science,” said Len Blavatnik, head of the Blavatnik Family Foundation and chairman of Access Industries.

The second cohort builds on the success of the inaugural awards made in 2023. Each fellow receives one academic year of support, as well as a research fund. 

“We are very grateful to the Blavatnik Family Foundation for their continued support of graduate education in the Division of Biology and Medicine,” said Mukesh K. Jain, MD, senior vice president for health affairs and dean of medicine and biological sciences at Brown University. “The Foundation’s mission aligns perfectly with our own mission to improve the health and well-being of people and planet. This recognition and support are very meaningful for our students who represent the next generation of scientists who will have lasting impact on our world.”

The fellowship provides financial support at critical points of the students’ research. “My research investigates how the oncogenic kinase, PIM1, mediates tumor progression and resistance to therapies in kidney cancer, one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers,” said Kimberly Meza. “The Blavatnik fellowship will support my continuing investigations to advance novel therapeutic targets and strategies in cancer.”

Erin Skeens is also working to advance disease therapies. “The Blavatnik Fellowship will provide important resources that expand my ability to characterize protein structures and probe protein-protein, protein-nucleic acid, and protein-small molecule interactions, to better understand the structurally-driven mechanisms that govern function,” said Skeens.  

“We are thrilled to award another cohort of Blavatnik Family Fellows, who are chosen based on their passion and creativity and demonstrated academic success,” said Elizabeth Harrington, PhD, associate dean of graduate biology education in the Division of Biology and Medicine at Brown University. “They represent a diverse array of fields and we look forward to seeing their discoveries and insights continue to progress.”