Diego Baptista, a doctoral candidate in Harvard University’s Molecules, Cells, and Organisms Program (MCO), was recently accepted into the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s (HHMI) Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study Program. Established in 2004, the fellowship’s goal is to “support the development of extraordinary students who will become scientific leaders and are committed to diversity in the life sciences,” said HHMI President Robert Tijan in a press release. Only 30 students were chosen of the 119 that applied, including Baptista.
“I was so thrilled when I saw the email I literally jumped out of my chair!” said Baptista. “After years of self-doubt it was absolutely amazing to get an email from a well-known funding organization that basically said, ‘hey, we think you’re cool, capable, and can do good things for the world.’”
The Gilliam Fellowship not only includes professional development mentoring from HHMI scientists, but also an annual award totaling $43,000 for up to three years that will provide personal, professional, and research support as the fellows launch their academic careers. Other Harvard MCO students that received the fellowship in recent years include Martha Zepeda-Rivera of Karine Gibbs lab, Kayla Lee of Michael Springer’s lab, and Brenda Marin-Rodriguez of Catherine Dulac’s lab.
Baptista, a member of Gerhard Wagner’s lab, is currently developing nanodiscs—synthetic model membrane systems used to study membrane proteins—that will improve data collection for biophysical techniques such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, and Electron Microscopy. He is using the discs to study the interactions of lipids and proteins, especially the formation dynamics of an integral membrane protein called VDAC1. This protein functions as a major ion transport channel, helping regulate cellular metabolism and death. Malfunctions in VDAC1 and its interaction with other proteins have been linked to cancer and Parkinson’s Disease.
“I’m looking forward to continuing my research with more freedom and being able to take more risks with my project,” he said. “I’m very excited about connecting with trainees outside of the Harvard community that are interested in increasing scientific diversity.”