The NIH Pathway to Independence program is a new way of supporting promising postdoctoral scientists as they complete their supervised research training and move to independent positions. Scientists granted the awards receive 1 to 2 years of postdoctoral support and then greater funding as they establish their laboratories. NIH has created the awards as a way to help investigators launch their own research programs and obtain traditional R01 grants earlier in their careers.
The first award recipients funded by NIGMS are:
- Neil K. Garg of the University of California, Irvine, aims to develop new and efficient methods for preparing complex, biologically active organic molecules.
- Toni L. Jones of the University of California, San Diego, will investigate the molecular signaling mechanisms that can lead to sustained pain after surgery.
- Tae-Hee Lee of Stanford University will study the translation of RNA into protein in real time, gaining insights about the dynamics of this process.
- Maya B. Schuldiner of the University of California, San Francisco, will investigate the regulatory pathways that allow cells to maintain homeostasis in the endoplasmic reticulum.
- Yun S. Song of the University of California, Davis, will develop ways to study the evolutionary history of organisms based on how their chromosomes have recombined.
Writer: Karin Jegalian