Gerry Carter becomes an HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholar

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), the largest private biomedical research institution in the nation, named me and 30 other biologists as Freeman Hrabowski Scholars, selected as “outstanding early career faculty in science who have potential to become leaders in their research fields and to create diverse and inclusive lab environments in which everyone can thrive”. The award is named after Freeman Hrabowski III, President Emeritus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and a major force for increasing the number of scientists, engineers, and physicians from backgrounds underrepresented in science in the US. The long selection process included a review of our selected papers, written summaries of our past, present, and future research; letters from past students and postdocs (who we mentored but who no longer working for us); a brief research presentation; and Q&A and interview on zoom with a large panel of distinguished scientists. Each scholarship is a five-year term, renewable for a second five-year term after a successful progress evaluation. We can be supported with up to $8.6 million over 10 years, including our full salary and benefits, a huge research budget for people and scientific equipment, and training in professional development and mentorship.

With this immense gift, comes an immense responsibility: to live up to this investment, to do better science, to become a better scientist and mentor, and to create and maintain a diverse and inclusive lab where young scientists can thrive.

Thank you to all the people who made this possible!