The Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland, has announced the inaugural cohort of Freeman Hrabowski Scholars, which will support researchers committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in science.

Named for University of Maryland Baltimore County president emeritus Freeman Hrabowski III, the program aims to create diverse and inclusive lab environments in which everyone can thrive and recognize individuals with the potential to become leaders in their research fields. As part of the program, 31 early-career science faculty will each receive up to $8.6 million over as many as 10 years, including full salary, benefits, a research budget, and scientific equipment, as well as professional development opportunities. HHMI has committed up to $1.5 billion for the program over the next decade.

The initial recipients include Mariana X. Byndloss (Vanderbilt University Medical Center), who is working to understand how disruption of beneficial host-microbiota metabolic interactions contributes to human disease; Josefina del Mármol (Harvard Medical School), whose research aims to elucidate the structural and molecular mechanisms underlying the sense of smell; and Sarah Kocher (Princeton University), who seeks to understand what shapes variation in social behavior.

“Each of our Freeman Hrabowski Scholars has demonstrated their unique potential to advance cutting-edge science and carve out pathways for the inclusive development of postdocs, students, and other researchers,” said HHMI vice president and chief scientific officer Leslie Vosshall. “We are thrilled to welcome this inaugural cohort to HHMI, and we are proud to support each scholar’s contributions to the broader scientific community in the years to come.”

For a complete list of scholars, see the Howard Hughes Medical Institute website.

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