Peiwei Chen, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, has been named a Hanna Gray Fellow by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). He is part of a cohort of 25 “outstanding early career scientists who have demonstrated a commitment to making foundational discoveries while building an inclusive culture in academic science,” said HHMI in a statement.
The Institute will invest up to $1.5 million in support for each fellow over the course of up to eight years, spanning postdoctoral training through transition to starting their independent lab as a faculty member. This support allows each fellow the freedom to pursue challenging scientific questions at the forefront of their fields.
“HHMI is committed to investing in scientists who dare to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our lifetime,” said HHMI Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer Leslie Vosshall. “Our Hanna Gray Fellows are not only exceptional scientists, but they are also leaders who have proven their dedication to creating a more inclusive future for science.”
Chen received a B.Sc. in biochemistry and cell biology from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2017 and his Ph.D. in biology from the California Institute of Technology in 2024. During his doctoral research, he worked on sexual dimorphism and evolutionary innovation of the piRNA/PIWI pathway, which controls the expression of transposons and other selfish genetic elements in animals. “Selfish genes” manipulate the development of eggs and sperm to bias inheritance in their favor.
“This ‘cheating’ causes conflicts within the genome,” said Chen. “When unresolved, these conflicts can lead to fertility defects across a range of organisms, including humans.” Chen’s research focuses on the evolution and mechanisms of genetic conflicts to provide generalizable insights into genome biology and reproduction.
He works in the labs of Andrew Clark, the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor and Nancy and Peter Family Investigator, Molecular Biology and Genetics in the College of Arts and Sciences and chair of computational biology, and of Cedric Feschotte, the Barbara McClintock Professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Both are in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics.
Linda B. Glaser is news and media relations manager for the College of Arts & Sciences
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