麻豆传媒映画

Exploring snakes鈥� hidden colors, parasitic infections, solutions for antibiotic resistance and molecular structures for new materials 鈥� these and more projects conducted by 麻豆传媒映画 postdoctoral researchers are getting an extra boost thanks to funds from the .

The Moore Foundation has provided $55 million in one-time awards to support hundreds of early career scientists across 30 universities nationwide. 

麻豆传媒映画 received $1.5 million of these funds to fuel the work of seven postdoctoral researchers addressing important issues in biology and chemistry. These scholars hail from top institutions around the world, and include two alumni of 麻豆传媒映画 and UC San Diego joint doctoral degree programs.

Here is a look at each awardee and, in their own words,  the research this grant supports:

Studying the evolution of animal coloration in Kinsey Brock鈥檚 lab

Hometown: Frederick, Maryland 

Ph.D. earned at: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Research overview: My research focuses on large-scale patterns and the ecological consequences of "hidden colors" (meaning, ultraviolet and near-infrared) in snakes and lizards. In particular, my work at 麻豆传媒映画 will investigate how urbanized landscapes affect the evolution of animal coloration and other sexual signals across space and time. There is still a lot to learn about how anthropogenic change influences animal communication, especially when organisms successfully adapt to the presence of dense human populations.

What this award means to you: I am so grateful for this award in that it will allow me to continue my research on animal coloration and behavior on a much bigger scale than I have done previously. It will also provide me the opportunity to finally work side-by-side with my current research collaborators in San Diego.

What's next: Helping mentor graduate students and starting new collaborations. There are a lot of folks in the Brock Lab who have knowledge bases and skill sets complimentary to mine and I think we will all learn quite a lot from each other!

Guilherme Carrara Moreira Paiva

Researching parasitic infections in Laura-Isobel McCall鈥檚 lab

Hometown: Uberl芒ndia, Brazil

Ph.D. earned at: University of S茫o Paulo, Brazil

Research overview: My research focuses on understanding how parasites interact with their hosts and how infection changes the behavior and metabolism of both infected cells and nearby uninfected cells, which we call 鈥渂ystander cells.鈥� In the McCall lab, I study Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease, using approaches such as metabolomics, isotope tracing, imaging and spatial molecular technologies. By understanding how infection alters tissues beyond the cells directly infected by the parasite, we hope to uncover mechanisms that contribute to disease progression and identify potential biomarkers or new therapeutic targets.

What this award means to you: Receiving this award is both an honor and an important recognition of the research I have been developing as a postdoctoral scientist. It gives me the opportunity to further explore questions at the intersection of parasitology, metabolism and host-pathogen interactions, while also expanding my scientific independence. As an early-career researcher, support from the Moore Foundation is especially meaningful because it provides not only resources, but also encouragement to pursue innovative questions that could open new directions in the study of infectious diseases.

What's next: The opportunity to approach parasitic diseases from perspectives that I had not previously explored. I am particularly excited by the possibility of understanding what happens not only inside infected cells, but also in the surrounding uninfected cells and tissues. Working in this multidisciplinary environment has allowed me to grow as an independent scientist while asking questions that could ultimately improve our understanding of Chagas disease and other infectious diseases.

Dalaena Rivera

Inspecting host-microbe interactions in Robert Luallen鈥檚 lab

Hometown: Surprise, AZ

Ph.D. earned at: 麻豆传媒映画 and UC San Diego鈥檚 joint doctoral program in cell and molecular biology

Research overview: I'm broadly interested in host-microbe interactions, especially those pertaining to the gut microbiome. I use the model organism C. elegans to understand the mechanisms underlying beneficial bacterial adherence. My research is attempting to answer two questions: How do beneficial bacteria adhere to the intestine and how does the host facilitate this interaction? We hope this research informs development of better probiotics as well as novel therapeutics for gut related diseases.

What this award means to you: I am so honored and grateful to be supported by the Moore Foundation. This award has given me the opportunity to continue pursuing my interest in gut microbiome research and will help support sharing my research at an international conference in the hope of collaborating with other labs with similar research goals in mind. With the help of this award, I will be mentored by Dr. Luallen whose mentorship will include teaching experience. As an aspiring professor, this training will help me become a better teacher and science communicator for the next generation of students.

What's next: Outside of doing research, I am excited to dedicate more of my time to outreach. I'll be leading a Host-Bacteria Interactions Workshop where we invite undergraduate students interested in research into our lab for a hands-on research experience for the semester. These students then go to local high schools to share their experience in hope that we make research more accessible to younger audiences. It is incredibly rewarding to see these first-time researchers become more confident throughout their journey in the workshop and to then share their excitement with others.

Nazmul Hasan Muzahid

Examining solutions for antibiotic resistance in Cristal Zuniga鈥檚 lab

Hometown: Cumilla, Bangladesh 

Ph.D. earned at: Monash University鈥檚 Malaysia Campus

Research overview: My research explores how harmful bacteria interact with beneficial microbes within a host and how these interactions can be used to fight antibiotic-resistant infections. By combining laboratory experiments with computer-based metabolic models, I aim to discover new immunometabolism-based strategies to prevent or treat infections without relying solely on antibiotics. Ultimately, I hope this work will contribute to safer, more sustainable strategies for combating antimicrobial resistance, one of the biggest global health challenges of our time.

What this award means to you: This is an incredible honor and a significant milestone in my career. It provides the opportunity to pursue innovative interdisciplinary research while working with outstanding mentors at 麻豆传媒映画. This support will help me develop as an independent scientist and advance research that could improve our understanding of antimicrobial resistance and contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies.

What's next: Working in an interdisciplinary environment that brings together microbiology, biochemistry, systems biology and artificial intelligence to address complex biological questions. The Zuniga Lab provides a unique opportunity to combine experimental research with advanced genome-scale metabolic modeling, allowing me to investigate microbe-pathogen and host-pathogen interactions from both experimental and computational perspectives. I am especially excited to learn from my mentor, Dr. Zuniga, whose pioneering work in the reconstruction, validation and application of metabolic models, including community metabolic models of bacteria, fungi and algae, is transforming our understanding of microbial communities.

Morgan Farrell 

Exploring microbes and animal development in Nicholas Shikuma鈥檚 lab

Hometown: Ponce Inlet, Florida

Ph.D. earned at: 麻豆传媒映画 and UC San Diego鈥檚 joint doctoral program in cell and molecular biology.

Research overview: My research explores how microbes influence animal development, particularly how bacterial cues trigger important development stages of coral larvae. I apply this knowledge to develop ReefTiles, bio-inspired materials designed to encourage coral settlement and growth. The goal is to translate our understanding of microbe-animal interactions into practical, scalable technologies for coral reef restoration.

What this award means to you: This award, supporting my project Postdoctoral Innovation in Molecular Biotechnology for Commercialization, is an exciting opportunity to move my research beyond the laboratory and closer to real-world application. It allows me to explore how scientific discoveries can be developed into practical biotechnology solutions while gaining experience in commercialization. To me, it is both a recognition of the potential impact of this work and an important step toward making innovative coral restoration technologies accessible to the people working to protect reefs.

What's next: Working at the intersection of fundamental science, biotechnology and real-world application. The Shikuma lab鈥檚 expertise in understanding how bacteria interact and communicate with marine organisms provides an ideal environment for investigating the biological mechanisms that influence coral settlement. I鈥檓 especially excited to use those discoveries to develop practical restoration tools and to work with collaborators who can help move the technology from the laboratory into the field.

Tim Chiang

Analyzing molecular structures for new materials in Rees Garmann鈥檚 lab

Hometown: Massachusetts

Ph.D. earned at: Harvard University

Research overview: My research focuses on understanding how biological molecules spontaneously self-organize into complex functional structures, and how we can use those principles to engineer new biologically inspired nanomaterials. In particular, I study protein-based structures such as bacterial microcompartments and virus-like assemblies, combining experiments with physical and computational models to understand their emergent behavior and properties. Ultimately, this work might enable novel advanced materials for a range of applications including drug delivery, catalysis, environmental remediation and biomining.

What this award means to you: The support from the Moore Foundation gives me the opportunity to continue developing as an independent scientist and to pursue ambitious research questions. As I work toward eventually establishing my own research group, the opportunity to deepen my expertise, hone my scientific identity and lay the groundwork for my future research program is especially meaningful to me. I am very grateful for the Foundation鈥檚 support of early-career scientists and fundamental research.

What's next: Revisiting questions in biomolecular self-assembly that first drew my interest during my PhD. Rees was one of my most important mentors during graduate school and we have worked together extensively over the years, so this role is also an opportunity to continue building on a research relationship that has continued to play a significant part in my development as a scientist. I have spent a few years at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab studying a different self-assembling biological system, and now I look forward to bringing the conceptual approaches I鈥檝e developed since then, along with a fresh perspective, back to these questions and exploring them in new ways.

Hrishikesh Paul  

Developing catalytic methods in Rodolphe Jazzar鈥檚 lab

Hometown: Baharagora, India

Ph.D. earned at: I am currently completing my Ph.D. at the Indian Institute of Technology Ropar in Punjab, India.

Research overview: My research interests focus on the development of chiral cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene (CAAC) ligands and their applications in asymmetric catalysis. I aim to design stereochemically defined CAAC ligands and explore their applications in enantioselective borylation and olefin metathesis reactions. Through catalyst design and mechanistic studies, I hope to develop efficient, selective and practical catalytic methods that can contribute to both academic research and industrial applications.

What this award means to you: This award means a great deal to me as it recognizes my research efforts and provides valuable support at an important stage of my scientific career. Beyond the financial support, I see it as an opportunity to grow as an independent researcher, develop innovative ideas and contribute meaningful research to the scientific community. The recognition from such a respected foundation also motivates me to pursue ambitious research with greater confidence and impact.

What's next: The opportunity to grow as an independent researcher while working in a highly collaborative and intellectually stimulating environment. I was particularly impressed by Professor Jazzar鈥檚 encouragement for researchers to develop their own ideas and establish themselves as independent scientists, while always being open to discussing and providing valuable input throughout the thought process. I am also excited by the lab鈥檚 focus on developing methodologies that are not only scientifically innovative but also environmentally responsible and practically relevant. This combination of scientific freedom, mentorship and real-world impact is what I am most excited about in my postdoctoral role.