Four postdoctoral scholars named 2025 Chicago Fellows

Since its launch in 2009, the Chicago Fellows Program has emerged as a premier postdoctoral fellowship for exceptional scholars in the biological and biomedical sciences — offering them distinct benefits in funding, autonomy and networking.

The goal? To nurture the next generation of scientific leaders, said Connie Lee, PhD, Associate Dean for Basic Science for the Biological Sciences Division at the University of Chicago.

Each year, the highly competitive program awards a two-year fellowship to a handful of applicants, chosen from a pool of dozens. This year, four new fellowships were awarded:

• Emily Lau joined the Department of Ecology and Evolution in September after completing her PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology from UC Santa Barbara in 2024. Her graduate research was an investigation into the evolution of bioluminescence, which led to several important discoveries, including that bioluminescence has evolved independently at least 94 times across the tree of life. Under the mentorship of Joseph Thornton, PhD, Professor of Ecology and Evolution and Human Genetics, Lau will use the system she developed during her PhD to understand the molecular mechanisms driving functional transitions, in particular, the evolution of monooxygenase activity that underlies the origin of bioluminescence.
• Seongsoo Kim joined the James Franck Institute in November after completing his PhD in Applied Physics at Harvard in September 2024. During his PhD, he conducted the first systematic study of plastic deformation of colloidal crystals and discovered that they exhibit work hardening – a process only ever observed in atomic crystals. Kim will be mentored by Margaret Gardel, PhD, Horace B. Horton Professor of Physics and Molecular Engineering and Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology. His postdoctoral research will apply his expertise in multiscale imaging of colloidal particles to unravel the feedback mechanisms between mechanical forces and cell cycle progression in epithelial tissues.
• Pranav Vyas will join the Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology this spring after completing his PhD in Bioengineering from Stanford in August 2024. His graduate work focused on investigating the mechanisms of morphogenesis in extreme geometries in multicellular marine systems. Vyas will be mentored by Noah Mitchell, PhD, Assistant Professor of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, for his postdoctoral project, which will focus on understanding how multicellular organization within organs respond to environmental variability due to climate change, using zebrafish hearts as a model system. Vyas will be co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation-funded Center for Living Systems.
• Mariya Savinov will join the Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy in Fall 2025 after completing their PhD in Mathematics at New York University in August 2025. Savinov’s PhD work focuses on the development of biophysical models to explore the role of motor stress and friction in actomyosin network dynamics. Savinov will be mentored by Jasmine Nirody, PhD, Assistant Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy and Edwin Munro, PhD, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, for their postdoctoral project, which will be an investigation of the adaptive collective dynamics of two model systems: C. elegans embryos and E. coli biofilms. This work will address the question of how cells communicate with each other and their environment via mechanical cues. Savinov will also be supported by the National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology (NITMB).

“The program has gained a national reputation, and the quality of the applicant pool has gotten stronger and stronger,” said Marcus Kronforst, PhD, a Professor of Ecology and Evolution who has been on the selection committee for about a decade.

The criteria encompass more than academic merit. Ideal candidates embrace a culture of collaboration, as well as the ability to lead and think independently.

“We’re not looking for hired postdocs in a lab,” Kronforst said. “We’re looking for a special connection between the fellow and the UChicago host lab — someone who can use tools, techniques or ideas from the host lab to advance their research in a new and interesting way.”

Distinct opportunity

The Chicago Fellows Program offers unique advantages for participants. Many other programs award their funds to faculty members, not the postdocs, which typically means junior scientists must work within the faculty’s research areas. But Chicago Fellows recipients get direct funding, allowing them to pursue their own research interests.

Unlike most postdoctoral programs, Chicago Fellows comes not just with a salary but also research funding, Kronforst said. Each year, participants receive a stipend that covers their salary plus a research budget of $10,000.

That funding model was a draw for Jenny Tung, PhD, who studied nonhuman primate genomics and behavior as a Chicago Fellow from 2010-12.

“Most postdoc positions get funding from elsewhere, often the principal investigator’s grants, which is still a wonderful opportunity but somewhat circumscribes the type of research a postdoc can do,” said Tung, now director of the Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.

“With Chicago Fellows, I had independent funding that allowed me to take advantage of the knowledge and resources at UChicago.”

Huiping Liu, MD, PhD’06, who studied the role of microRNAs in breast cancer stem cell-mediated therapy resistance and metastasis as a 2009-11 Chicago Fellow, was able to secure additional funds and lead her own research team.

“Under my mentors’ guidance, I had the privilege to lead and supervise my own team, including a technician, which helped move the research faster,” said Liu, now an Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Chicago Fellows helped me learn not only scientific skills but also leadership and mentoring skills.”

Positioned for success

The program has evolved in recent years. Applicants were previously required to submit a published academic paper. Publishing a peer-reviewed paper can take a long time, however, so some applicants might not yet have their best work in print.

“But they do have great work that hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed and published,” Lee said. As a result, the selection committee broadened its submission requirement to include unpublished work.

Organizers of the Chicago Fellows Program also strive to support camaraderie and career building. “Postdocs can be pretty isolated on campuses, so we try to create a sense of community for them,” said Allison Gicking, PhD, Director of Research Initiatives for the Biological Sciences Division.

For example, the program helps fellows build relationships in their fields and present their work at talks and conferences. A recent panel featured newly hired UChicago faculty speaking about their experiences applying for positions — with tips on interviewing and salary negotiations.

“We want the postdocs to get up-to-date information, positioning them for success in the job market,” Gicking said.

UChicago faculty also reap the benefits of a rotating crop of bright minds coming for their postdocs. “We get the chance to interact with some of the best young investigators in the world,” Kronforst said.