Graduate Student Sara Makanani awarded the 2024 Gilliam Fellowship

Congratulations to Sara Makanani from Dr. Mehdi Bouhaddou’s lab for being awarded the 2024 Gilliam Fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This fellowship recognizes Sara’s outstanding research achievements, as well as her commitment to advancing equity and inclusion in science, in our Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG) program. 

The Gilliam Fellowship offers fellows leadership training, professional development, and chances to learn from peers, program alumni, and HHMI scientists. Their advisers also take part in HHMI’s intensive, one-year mentorship skills development course and are supported to promote healthy and inclusive graduate training environments at their home institution.

Sara expressed her gratitude for the Gilliam Fellowship, saying, “Receiving the HHMI Gilliam Award is an incredible honor and a significant milestone in my scientific journey. This fellowship will not only provide me with the resources and support to advance my research at the intersection of virology and cellular signaling but will also help me grow as a leader committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in science. I am deeply grateful to my PI, Mehdi Bouhhadou, for his continuous support and for the opportunity to be part of a community that shares my passion for scientific discovery.”