Mwirigi awarded HHMI fellowship for exceptional early-career scientists
Postdoctoral neuroscientist receives multiyear support for research on chronic pain
Whitney Curtis / AP Images for HHMINeuroscientist Juliet Mwirigi, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Anesthesiology at WashU Medicine, has been named a Hanna H. Gray Fellow by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The prestigious fellowship aims to support promising early-career scientists as they transition to becoming principal investigators. Mwirigi will receive up to $1.5 million for up to eight years for her research on finding effective treatments for chronic pain.
Neuroscientist Juliet Mwirigi, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named a Hanna H. Gray Fellow by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The fellowship supports promising early-career scientists as they transition to becoming principal investigators, by providing up to $1.5 million for up to eight years.
Mwirigi’s research focuses on finding effective treatments for chronic pain, which affects more than 20% of the adult U.S. population, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. But effective treatments for chronic pain are lacking because research, primarily conducted in rodents, has been difficult to translate into humans.
Mwirigi studies the biology of chronic pain in both rodents and human sensory neurons to help identify new therapies. She focuses on membrane receptors, which control multiple cell signaling pathways and are considered key drug targets. Using advanced gene expression, proteomic, and imaging tools, Mwirigi explores the receptors’ location in neurons, how they work, and how they differ across species.
Mwirigi works in the lab of Robert W. Gereau, PhD, the Dr. Seymour & Rose T. Brown Professor of Anesthesiology and director of the Washington University Pain Center. “Dr. Mwirigi is a brilliant and fearless scientist with a clear vision for how her work can advance pain science, driving discoveries that will pave the way for new treatments,” said Gereau, also the department’s vice chair for research.
“Dr. Mwirigi’s passion for discovery is truly inspiring, as is her steadfast belief in the power of collaboration, inclusivity and the pursuit of excellence as drivers of innovation,” Gereau said. “I can think of no one more deserving of this prestigious fellowship.”
The Hanna Gray fellowship is designed to promote academic faculty diversity by supporting promising early-career scientists from underrepresented backgrounds. Along with funding, the program offers fellows the opportunity to connect with each other and with HHMI Investigators during annual science meetings and other events.
“This fellowship presents an exceptional opportunity to pursue bold, high-impact research questions and tackle critical gaps in the field of pain using innovative approaches,” Mwirigi said.
