The Wistar Institute Announces Two New Internal Career Development Awards to Support Early Career Scientists

Inaugural winners include Ebony Gary, Phillip Wulfridge and Michela Perego

The Wistar Institute has established two new internal funding awards to advance the careers of promising Wistar scientists making an impact in biomedical research.

Wistar Pathway to Independence supports the transition of outstanding Wistar postdoctoral researchers to independent faculty positions. The two-year Program supports postdoctoral scholars by providing mentorship, professional development opportunities, guidance, and the necessary resources to enable them to pursue faculty positions. In addition to providing financial support, it also helps cultivate critical skills needed to succeed as a new principal investigator.

“This is our vision to train the next generation of Wistar scientists, preparing them to become accomplished leaders in biomedical research” said Jessie Villanueva, Ph.D., associate professor, Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program, Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center. “We have many outstanding trainees throughout Wistar, and this Program is an opportunity to nurture, prepare and provide them with a pathway to independent and successful research careers.”

Drs. Ebony Gary and Phillip Wulfridge are the first recipients of the award.

Dr. Gary said, “This award will fund pilot studies focused on what I hope will be the overarching research goal of my independent research program – understanding changes in the immune systems of vulnerable patient populations, such as the elderly, neonatal, and obese. These studies will help us design ways to make vaccine more effective in these special populations.”

“I feel that the funding and training this innovative new award provides will be invaluable for preparing me for the path to faculty,” said Dr. Wulfridge. “I plan to use the generous funds to register for courses in machine learning and artificial intelligence, which will give me a competitive skillset for future work, as well as to attend conferences that will expand my network of colleagues. I am also very excited for the upcoming mentorship and training activities within the Program which will help me craft the perfect application package for the next job cycle.”

To be eligible, a trainee must have two to three years of postdoctoral training and plan to apply for independent funding and independent principal investigator positions within two years. Upon completion of the Program, participants will be invited to serve as peer-mentors for future scholars by sharing their experiences. Wistar Pathway to Independence is funded, in part, by Wistar donors who made charitable gifts to our Women & Science Program.

The Independent Research Catalyst Award also supports the transition of scientists to independence but is for staff scientists and independent research assistant professors further along in their careers. The Award provides up to $10,000 for scientists to fund research that would support a larger grant proposal. Seed funding such as this is favored by grant agencies because it demonstrates institutional support as well as a pathway to independence.

“With $10K in funding, scientists can generate data that are a ‘bridge’ to a larger grant,” said Maureen Murphy, Ph.D., deputy director of the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center, Ira Brind Professor and leader, Molecular Cellular Oncogenesis Program. “Funding our scientists’ smaller, experimental research is an invaluable way to help kickstart larger research programs and successfully earn grants that can fund the programs long-term.”

Dr. Michela Perego is the first recipient of the Independent Research Catalyst Award. “This important Award brings me one step closer to establishing myself as an independent investigator in cancer research, with a focus on the interaction between cancer cells, neural system and immune system,” said Dr. Perego. “Specifically, I’ll focus on a prostate cancer model to determine the impact of certain proteins in the tumor microenvironment on cancer progression.”

To be eligible, scientists must have a staff scientist position and have submitted a grant proposal that is currently under review or was reviewed but not funded.

Both Programs are open to all Wistar postdoctoral researchers and staff scientists that meet eligibility criteria specified in the request for applications, and funding is competitive. The inaugural awardees were selected in December 2024.