Dean Rosenthal, a second-year PhD student in Harvard’s Biological Sciences in Public Health (BPH) program, has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP)—one of the most competitive and prestigious fellowships for graduate students in the United States. The Fellowship provides three years of financial support, which can be used within a five-year period. This support includes an annual stipend of $37,000 and a $16,000 cost-of-education allowance per fellowship year.
Rosenthal is conducting his doctoral research in the lab of MCB faculty member Jeeyun Chung, who investigates how cells manage lipid storage, mobilization, and distribution for cellular metabolism in both health and disease, with a particular focus on how brain cells utilize lipids to support neuronal functions.
“My proposal was focused on understanding the relationship between lipid droplets and mitochondria—two organelles that exchange metabolites and cooperate to drive energy production in oxidative cell types,” Rosenthal said. “So much of what we know about metabolic pathways is rooted in biochemistry and physiology, and I think that lots of exciting questions remain at the level of cells and organelles.”
Rosenthal’s path to the fellowship was motivated by both curiosity and pragmatism. “I initially thought of the application as an opportunity to improve my scientific writing and develop my project,” he said. “I also realized that with my own funding, I’d be more willing to take chances and ask ‘risky’ questions.” The NSF fellowship will provide three years of funding to support his research and allow him the flexibility to pursue new scientific directions as they emerge.
Chung, who mentored Rosenthal through the application process, said his enthusiasm and independence stood out. “Dean has been an absolutely wonderful core member of my lab, bringing fresh ideas, enthusiasm, creative strategies, and a strong commitment to rigorous research ethics,” she said. “His project addresses a fundamentally important question in cell biology and oxidative tissue biology. I’m incredibly proud of him for receiving the highly competitive GRFP fellowship. It was a true joy to support him through the application process, which he led with great independence and thoughtfulness.”
Rosenthal was drawn to Chung’s lab during his first year at Harvard after meeting her at a seminar. “Jeeyun did her postdoc in a BPH lab, and we met after she returned to the department for a talk,” he recalled. “We struck up a conversation, planned a rotation, and before I knew it, I had started a project that I simply couldn’t leave behind.” He was drawn to the lab by the group’s expertise in organelle biology, the interdisciplinary nature of MCB, and the tangible sense of excitement he felt from everyone in the lab.
“I find it wonderful how science can connect people (as we met through the talk I gave), and how those interactions can inspire new research directions and help guide the next generation of scientists—capturing the very spirit of the GRFP fellowship,” Chung adds.
Rosenthal, who plans on a scientific career, is enthused that the fellowship will allow him to keep asking bold questions—and grateful for the opportunity to pursue them. “I am immensely grateful to have such a supportive network of friends, colleagues, and mentors without whom I would not be in this position,” he said. “In particular, I’d like to thank my mentor and advisor, Dr. Jeeyun Chung, as well as my lab mates, for their continued support and feedback on my application.” He also thanks his post-baccalaureate mentor, Elizabeth Henske, in whose lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital he was a research assistant. “She introduced me to biomedical research and provided lots of guidance and an excellent training environment before graduate school.”
