Current Awardees
Rong Grace Zhai, Professor, University of Chicago
#neurological disease, biomedical research, senior faculty
“What if female biology makes your brain more vulnerable to neurodegeneration, and we could reduce the risk?”
— Investigating the X-linked expression of spermine synthase in Alzheimer’s disease. (2025)
Lisa Stabryla, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois-Chicago
#infectious disease, biomedical research, junior faculty
“What if we could fight drug-resistant bacteria with AI-designed nanomaterials?”
— Engineering nanoparticle “evolutionary traps” to prevent bacterial resistance. (2025)
Juan Rojas, Assistant Professor, Rush University
#cancer, health science, junior faculty
“What if we rigorously tested whether AI scribes actually help oncologists and patients while saving costs?”
— Assessing ambient AI listening tools in oncology clinics. (2025)
Neil Kelleher, Professor, Northwestern University
#brain cancer, biomedical research, senior faculty
“What if proteoforms are the key to better understanding and treating meningioma brain tumors?”
— Leveraging advanced proteomics to pioneer brain cancer diagnostics. (2025)
France Córdova, President, The Science Philanthropy Alliance