MCB Faculty Amanda Whipple has been selected as a recipient of the Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship, which supports promising early-career researchers in neurobiology. Klingenstein-Simons Awardees receive $225,000 in funding over the course of three years.
Whipple says that her being chosen as a Klingenstein-Simons Fellow is notable in part because she isn’t a traditional neuroscientist. “I have been predominantly trained as an RNA biologist but, for the past ten years, have been seeking to answer questions regarding RNA regulation in different neurological contexts,” she says. “To receive the Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Award in Neuroscience is a real honor. I hope my background will give me a unique perspective and allow us to make significant new contributions to the neuroscience field.”
As a Klingenstein-Simons Fellow, Whipple is joining a long-running MCB tradition. Past recipients of the Klingenstein Fellowship from MCB include Nick Bellono in 2019, Sharad Ramanathan in 2010, Rachelle Gaudet in 2007, Venki Murthy and Florian Engert in 2003, and Daniel Jay in 1995.
Whipple adds that she is grateful to the MCB department. “I would like to thank the MCB Department, including Polina, Venki, Nancy, and all of MCB administration, who made my ‘onboarding’ as a new faculty so smooth, freeing up time for me to focus on developing and executing new research ideas,” she says.
Although Whipple and her lab’s team are currently sequestered at home, she is looking forward to eventually returning to her lab bench. “Since our lab has not been able to celebrate in person together, we celebrated individually with GrubHub gift cards,” she says. “Hopefully we’ll have a second chance to celebrate as a team soon!”
by Diana Crow
