FASEB Fellows for the Future

Ansa Cobham, PhD

Ansa Cobham is a postdoctoral researcher in the Rohner laboratory at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. Her research investigates the molecular basis of metabolic adaptation using the cavefish model Astyanax mexicanus. This unique organism exhibits traits similar to diabetes yet maintains a long and healthy life, offering a novel system to uncover compensatory mechanisms that could lead to new treatment targets for metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Additionally, Cobham is developing an innovative research program that leverages this model to study aging. She has published one review and two first-author research articles, with several promising manuscripts nearing completion. Cobham’s research has gained recognition within the field, leading to invitations to present at conferences and seminars, including the recent American Aging Association conference in Madison, Wisconsin, and the Translational Research Seminar Series with Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas City. She has also served as a guest lecturer in various undergraduate and graduate teaching modules.

Beyond her research accomplishments, Cobham is deeply committed to mentorship and community outreach. She has played a pivotal role in nurturing the next generation of researchers, mentoring several students pursuing advanced degrees at prestigious institutions. As a first-generation Black woman from a low-income community, Cobham is deeply aware of the many challenges faced by students from historically underrepresented groups in the life sciences, especially women students. 

She is committed to serving as a role model and mentor for students from diverse backgrounds as they pursue higher education. Cobham actively participates in initiatives that promote science education and career development in Africa through organizations that include the African-based Teaching and Research in Natural Sciences for Development (TReND). Additionally, she is involved in various outreach activities within the United States and her home country, furthering her commitment to supporting historically underrepresented communities in science. Cobham has received significant recognition for her research through several prestigious awards. She was named a 2024 Leading Edge Fellow at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Janelia Research Campus, was awarded the 2022 American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) Research Grant, and received an honorable mention for the American Aging Association AGE 2024 Early Career Scholar Award.

Additionally, she has secured numerous travel grants to present her findings at international conferences, underscoring her work’s global relevance and impact. During her graduate studies, Cobham was elected a member of the postgraduate student committee and a departmental board student representative. She also attended and presented her research at six different local and international conferences. She earned her doctorate in developmental biology from Monash University, Australia, after completing her master’s and undergraduate studies at the University of Ilorin and the University of Calabar, respectively, in her home country of Nigeria.

FASEB Member Society: American Aging Association