The Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award, funded by the Gruber Foundation and administered by the Genetics Society of America, supports women in the first one to three years of an independent faculty position doing genetics research in human and non-human mammals and in non-mammalian organisms. This award is only granted every three years; three women receive $75,000 each, over a three-year period ($25,000 per year).
In 2022, three recipients were recognized for their scientific creativity, originality, and leadership in making new scientific discoveries: Aude Bernheim, PhD, of Pasteur Institute; Kara McKinley, PhD, of Harvard University; and Viviane Slon, PhD, of Tel Aviv University. We chatted with them to see how the award impacted their research journeys and careers and to hear about their experiences as women in science and why these types of awards are essential.
Aude Bernheim
Aude is a geneticist interested in how bacteria fight off their viruses and how these immune mechanisms are conserved across domains of life. She leads a lab at the Pasteur Institute where she employs a wide range of disciplines mixing bioinformatics and experimental approaches including genomics, phylogenetics, bacterial genetics, phase biology, and more to research these topics.
Having taken an unconventional path to becoming a biologist, studying not only the life sciences but economics and public policy, as described in the blog post published in 2022, Aude is no stranger to trying new things and taking chances. Her curiosity ultimately led her to heading a lab focused on exploring the diversity of anti-phage systems at different scales, from molecular mechanisms to large-scale evolutionary trends. Receiving the Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award gave her the resources, recognition, and confidence to continue this work. She found the award a great boost for her career—the international recognition underscored the quality of her work, which allowed her to obtain additional funding to support her lab’s research and to establish herself as an expert on a national and international scale. True to her curious nature and passion for learning, Aude explained, “The funding allowed me to start risky projects that turned into major lines of research in the lab.” The lab used the funds to support activities like lab retreats and conferences that brought them closer together, which was key for improving communication and building trust, essential to conducting interdisciplinary research.
On being a woman in the field, Aude shared, “Women were in the past, and still are, less credited for their science than men.” She explained that this and other obstacles systematically exclude women from scientific areas of research like genetics, but made a case for increasing diversity in the field saying, “Diversity of scientists is a major driver of scientific progress, as it is an incredible source of creativity and innovation. As such, we urgently need to support women to promote diversity.”
Kara McKinley
Kara is an Assistant Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University and a Freeman Hrabowski Scholar of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her lab studies the biology of menstruation. She is also the founder of Leading Edge, which looks to improve gender diversity in biomedical research faculty.
During her time studying cell division processes using live-cell microscopy and genetics and biochemistry techniques at the Whitehead Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kara fell in love with microscopy. When she was able to start her own lab, she wanted to focus on that drive and was very excited, but also felt great uncertainty–Kara recalled, “During the first few years, I was constantly swinging between: ‘I get to pursue the science of my dreams!’ and ‘What if I can’t deliver?’” Like Aude, Kara wanted to take risks to do great research, and she feels this award allowed her to do so, “It gave me a boost to take risks and push forward bravely. Now we really are pursuing science beyond my wildest dreams!”
Throughout her career, but especially since founding Leading Edge, Kara has spent time with many extraordinary scientists who are women and other marginalized genders. She said, “Scientific innovation and the scientific ecosystem are better with them in it.” while stressing the need to do all we can to build a scientific infrastructure and community that is worthy of these talented individuals who are currently rising through PhD and postdoc ranks.
Viviane Slon
Viviane is the head of the Historical and Prehistorical Genetics Laboratory at the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, at Tel Aviv University.
In the 2022 profile, Viviane shared that her interest in prehistoric humans actually started in early childhood. Having a similar and essential quality to Aude—deep curiosity—and being born in a family of readers, Viviane felt the need to go “beyond books” and learn through hands-on experience, opting to conduct physical anthropology research and actively participating in excavations. Being awarded the Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award allowed her to become an independent researcher and do the type of research that she is truly passionate about. “The recognition and financial support provided gave me the confidence to pursue a research path that has been a longstanding passion of mine–retracing the genetic history of the southern Levant through ancient DNA,” she explained. Viviane added that this type of research is challenging due to the difficulty of preserving ancient DNA in warm climates, which requires methodological advancements and extensive fieldwork. For this, you need teamwork, and this award allowed her to assemble a dedicated research group and establish fruitful collaborations nationally and internationally. “This support has been instrumental in advancing our research efforts and laying the groundwork for future discoveries,” she said as she expressed her gratitude.
Further expounding on the importance of collaboration and championing women in science, like Kara, Viviane added that “supporting the development of women scientists in genetics is crucial because in addition to challenges inherent to an academic career, women often face additional societal pressures and obstacles.” Programs and awards like this one are key to building the confidence young women need to navigate the field and advance their careers. Over the past years, Viviane has felt incredibly fortunate to work with impressive and driven women scientists at all levels of their careers, as mentors, colleagues, and students. “The strength of women supporting, encouraging, and driving each other forward through challenges is a powerful force and, in my opinion, essential to nurture this network to ensure that future generations of women scientists can thrive,” she concluded.
These three inspirational women in science used the Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award to take risks in their careers, knowing that trying new things and innovating is what often produces groundbreaking discoveries. They also used the award to build a culture of inclusivity, to stress the importance of supporting brilliant and creative women in science, and to build each other up to continue paving the way for other women scientists to do the same.
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