award for beginning researchers
Three Yale faculty members — Yale School of Medicine researchers Susan
Kaech and Sven-Eric Jordt, and economist Dean Karlan — received Presidential
Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor
for beginning researchers in the United States.
They were among 20 individuals who were honored with a PECASE at a White House
ceremony on Nov. 1. The White House Office of Science and Technology selected
the award winners from among those taking part in the National Science Foundation’s
Faculty Early Career Development Program.
The award includes five years of support and is based on two criteria: innovative
research at the frontiers of science and technology, and community service demonstrated
through scientific leadership, education or community outreach. The honored scientists
are nominated by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation,
the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture,
the Department of Education, the Department of Commerce, the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, and the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Kaech, assistant professor of immunobiology, was ,selected for mentoring undergraduate
and graduate students as well as postdoctoral fellows, and for characterizing
the development of memory T cells in long-term immune protection. Memory T and
B cells constitute the body’s primary system of defense against recurring
infectious disease. The ability to form these cells is the ultimate goal of vaccination.
Jordt, assistant professor of pharmacology, was honored for conducting ethics
seminars for incoming students, and for his research on the effects of environmental
irritants in airway diseases and inflammation. His research focuses on how these
irritants contribute to hypersensitivity and chronic inflammation in asthma,
allergy, chronic cough and dermatitis.
Karlan was chosen for his contributions in the fields of behavioral, experimental,
developmental and financial economics, and for providing students with hands-on
experience in field experiments and international collaborations. His research
is focused on social policy, particularly the effectiveness of different approaches
to combating poverty with microfinance in developing countries. He is the founder
and president of Innovations for Poverty Action, an organization that uses research
techniques to evaluate policy solutions, and is a research fellow at the Abdul
Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In 2006, Karlan became the co-director of the Financial Access Initiative, a
consortium of Yale, New York University, Harvard University and Innovations for
Poverty Action, launched with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Its purpose is to generate knowledge on the nature of demand and markets for
financial services for the poor in developing countries, and on the impact from
efforts to expand access to finance, as well as to disseminate knowledge to policymakers,
practitioners, regulators, donors and investors around the world.
The PECASE was established in 1996 by the National Science and Technology Council
to support the continued development of the awardees’ research; foster
innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology; increase
awareness of careers in science and engineering; give recognition to the scientific
missions of the participating agencies; enhance connections between fundamental
research and national goals; and highlight the importance of science and technology
for the nation’s future.
T H I S
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE NEWS
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Reminder: Open enrollment period ends Nov. 18
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