Scripps Research scientist Evert Njomen awarded prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute fellowship

The Hanna H. Gray Fellowship supports early career life scientists and promotes diversity within the biomedical research community.

March 04, 2021

LA JOLLA, CA—Scripps Research postdoctoral fellow, Evert Njomen, PhD, has been awarded a highly competitive Hanna H. Gray Fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).

The award, which provides $1.4 million in funding over eight years, will support Njomen’s research on the body’s system for recycling cellular waste, known as autophagy, and the central role it plays in the immune system’s control of pathogens.

“It is an honor and a wonderful opportunity to be an HHMI Hanna H. Gray Fellow,” said Njomen. “Becoming part of this diverse and talented network of scholars who are willing to challenge you to become your best self is a groundbreaking shift in my career development.”

Njomen is a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Ben Cravatt, PhD, holder of the Gilula Chair of Chemical Biology and a professor in the Department of Chemistry. She is using chemical probes to identify potential drug molecules that could modify the autophagy process and target broad-spectrum pathogens, including drug-resistant strains of bacteria.

“We are all very proud of Evert for receiving this prestigious award,” said Cravatt. “She is most deserving of this special recognition.”

In receiving the award, Njomen acknowledged Cravatt and other mentors for their key roles in helping her advance in science.

“In life, you need that one person to open the first door for you,” said Njomen. “I had never dreamt of anything beyond high school until a philanthropist, and now father figure, Dr. Stanley-Pierre Ngeyi saw in me what my mentors Dr. Jetze Tepe and Dr. Ben Cravatt have since nurtured into an HHMI Hanna H. Gray awardee.”

Njomen will join 20 other Hanna Gray Fellows from this year’s cohort, representing 18 institutions across the nation. Funding for each fellow will be divided into a postdoctoral training phase and a faculty phase, both spanning up to four years. The program will also provide additional opportunities for career development, including mentoring and networking with other members of the HHMI community.

The fellowship program is designed to recruit and retain individuals from gender, racial, ethnic and other groups represented in the life sciences, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The program is centered around supporting talented scientists early in their academic careers, providing the necessary funding for postdoctoral training and the transition to independent faculty.

The “people, not projects” philosophy of the HHMI means that the award is dedicated to basic researchers across a range of biomedical and life science disciplines, including plant biology, evolutionary biology, biophysics, chemical biology, biomedical engineering and computational biology. Equally, fellows are free to change their research aims and follow their own curiosity for the duration of the eight-year award.

The program is named for Hanna Holborn Gray, former chair of the HHMI trustees and former president of the University of Chicago. Under Gray’s leadership, HHMI developed initiatives that foster diversity in science education.

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