Dr. Yogesh Goyal, a 2018 Schmidt Science Fellow, has been named one of just eight recipients of the 2020 Burroughs Wellcome Fund’s (BWF) Career Awards at the Scientific Interface (CASI).

The award supports early career interdisciplinary researchers who have transitioned or aim to transition their expertise in the fields of physical, mathematical, computational sciences or engineering into postdoctoral work in the biological sciences, and who intend to pursue a career in academic research. Burroughs Wellcome believes that interdisciplinary approaches to biomedical research is critical and therefore recipients of the award are provided with $500,000 over five years to bridge them from advanced postdoctoral training into the first three years of a faculty position.

Yogesh is one of the inaugural Schmidt Science Fellows and was nominated for the 2018 cohort by Princeton University. He pursued his postdoctoral Fellowship placement during 2018-19 with Arjun Raj at the University of Pennsylvania. His work is focussed on understanding drug resistance in cancer cells with the potential to improve cancer therapies.

Schmidt Science Fellows has been an integral part in my interdisciplinary journey and has provided me with various opportunities to develop both academically and professionally…

Yogesh credits his Schmidt Science Fellows experience in forging an interdisciplinary career path, commenting: “Schmidt Science Fellows has been an integral part in my interdisciplinary journey and has provided me with various opportunities to develop both academically and professionally— ranging from helping me learn ways to effectively work with researchers from different fields to providing me with several platforms to present and communicate my work to the scientific audience and general public alike.”

Yogesh will now continue his science research at the University of Pennsylvania with Arjun Raj as a postdoc and plans to apply for faculty positions soon.

Yogesh said: “Over the years, the BWF has funded many interdisciplinary scientists who have gone on to run successful labs, including my own postdoc adviser, Arjun Raj, who received this award in 2008. This prestigious award will provide me with additional flexibility to work on high risk interdisciplinary problems as I transition to faculty in the coming years.”