Zhao Zhang (ZZ), PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology and cancer biology in the School of Medicine, has been named a 2021 Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences. The award provides four years of exploratory research funding to young investigators of outstanding promise as they investigate timely questions surrounding health and disease. Zhang is one of 22 scholars to receive the award this year.
Zhang came to Duke in 2019 and was one of the first faculty members to be recruited with funds from the Duke Science and Technology initiative. He studies the long, repetitive sequences of DNA in the human genome called transposons, or ‘jumping genes’ which, true to their name, ‘jump’ around in the genome making changes and enabling innovation and evolution but also illnesses, like cancer.
Zhang and his team aim to uncover how transposons are controlled and their influence on reproduction, development, and disease. The ultimate goal of his team is to harness transposons to improve human health and to treat diseases, such as cancer.
“Being selected as a Pew Scholar is a recognition of the research performed by my team in the past few years. Being able to regularly meet and interact with the other scientists from the Pew family is exciting. I am very much looking forward to learning from all of them,” Zhang said.
Each Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences receives $75,000 per year for four years, a total of $300,000. The 2021 class of scholars—all early-career junior faculty—were chosen from 198 applicants and nominated by leading academic institutions and researchers across the United States. They join more than 1,000 other scientists who have received awards from Pew since 1985. Current scholars have opportunities to meet annually, share ongoing research, and exchange perspectives across the health sciences field.
“Pew has a history of supporting talented researchers who are committed to understanding intricate scientific processes,” said Susan K. Urahn, Pew’s president and CEO. “Our newest cohort of scholars is joining a large community of accomplished scientists who are dedicated to uncovering new solutions to significant biomedical challenges.”