FASEB Announces First Cohort of Fellows for the Future Program

Tuesday, March 11, 2025
FASEB is proud to announce its inaugural cohort for the Fellows for the Future program. This group of fellows consists of early-career researchers from historically excluded groups committed to becoming change agents and driving greater inclusion within scientific societies.

This 12-month, cohort-based program provides fellows with mentorship, leadership training, and sponsored engagement in scientific societies’ professional development opportunities. The program is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Leading Culture Change through Professional Societies of Biology (BIO-LEAPS) initiative, highlighting the importance of fostering cultural shifts within the biological sciences community.

The selected fellows will be matched with mentors who will champion their involvement in society leadership and volunteer activities. They will receive leadership training to advocate for governance changes, including meeting facilitation, conflict resolution, and strategic leadership skills. Fellows will also engage in an exclusive virtual community with their peers and mentors and receive a stipend to attend member society events such as meetings, conferences, and workshops. Additionally, they will participate in a FASEB-hosted social gathering at annual meetings, fostering connections in an inclusive and accessible environment.

The inaugural fellows are:

• Francis Ayombil, PhD, Research Associate Scientist II, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Society: American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
• Ansa Cobham, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Stowers Institute for Medical Research. Society: American Aging Association
• Maria Fernanda Forni, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Yale University. Society: American Aging Association
• Erome Daniel Hankore, PhD, Pathway to Faculty Fellow, Wayne State University. Society: Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities
• Piotr Jung, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Society: Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine
• Vik Meadows, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar, Organ Pathobiology and Therapeutics Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Society: American Society for Investigative Pathology
• Samar Sayedyahossein, MD, PhD, Research Scientist, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. Society: American Association of Immunologists
• A. Nicole White, PhD, MBA, Assistant Professor, Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Society: Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities
• MyeongJin Yi, PhD, Research Fellow, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Society: Society for the Study of Reproduction

Yvette Seger, PhD, FASEB Director of Strategic Scientific Program Advancement, and Louis Justement, PhD, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will lead the program. 

For additional details about the program, visit the Fellows for the Future webpage.