Malavika Murugan, assistant professor of biology, is Emory University’s newest recipient of a Sloan Research Fellowship.
“The Sloan Research Fellows represent the very best of early-career science, embodying the creativity, ambition and rigor that drive discovery forward,” says Adam F. Falk, president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “These extraordinary scholars are already making significant contributions and we are confident that they will shape the future of their fields in remarkable ways.”
Murugan uses in vivo cellular-resolution calcium imaging, optogenetics and viral-targeting strategies in rodents, combined with advanced computational methods, to understand how the brain supports complex social behaviors. Specifically, she’s exploring how the brain processes external sensory information from social stimuli and integrates it with internally generated states, such as hunger or fear, to drive appropriate social interactions.
“Malavika Murugan is a rising star, working to understand how the brain makes decisions in social situations,” says Steven L’Hernault, professor and chair of the Department of Biology. “She is among the faculty that make Emory an international leader in computational neuroscience.”
Many past Sloan Fellows have gone on to become distinguished figures in science. To date, 58 Sloan Fellows have received a Nobel Prize, including John Hopfield, last year’s Nobel laureate in physics. In addition, 72 have won the National Medal of Science, 17 have won the Fields Medal in mathematics, and 24 have won the John Bates Clark Medal in economics, including every winner since 2009.
A total of 18 Emory faculty have received Sloan Research Fellowships.
The 126 Sloan Fellows in this year’s cohort are drawn from 51 different institutions across the United States and Canada. More than 1,000 researchers are nominated by their fellow scientists each year across seven fields: chemistry, computer science, Earth-system science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience and physics.
Winners receive a two-year, $75,000 award which can be used flexibly to advance their research.
“The selection of Sloan Research Fellows is a rigorous and community-driven process,” says Danile Goroff, director of the Sloan Research Fellowship program. “From the institutions that nominate outstanding candidates, to the senior scholars who carefully evaluate each nomination, this award is the result of a collaborative commitment to recognizing and supporting today’s most promising researchers.”
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a not-for-profit, mission-driven grantmaking institution dedicated to improving the welfare of all through the advancement of scientific knowledge. Founded in 1934 by industrialist Alfred P. Sloan Jr., the foundation disburses approximately $80 million in grants each year.