The Pew Charitable Trusts today named Raquel Lieberman, Ph.D. as a 2010 Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences. The program enables scientists to take calculated risks, expand their research and explore unanticipated leads. Scholars receive $240,000 over four years and gain inclusion into a select community of scientists that includes three Nobel Prize winners, three MacArthur Fellows and two recipients of the Albert Lasker Medical Research Award.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the program has invested more than $125 million to fund close to 500 scholars. Many of the nation’s best early-career scientists—working in all areas of physical and life sciences related to biomedical research—apply to the rigorously competitive program. Applicants are nominated by one of 155 invited institutions and demonstrate excellence and innovation in their research.

“Twenty-five years ago, The Pew Charitable Trusts identified a tremendous opportunity to impact the world of science by supporting the most promising young investigators and encouraging them to pursue their best ideas without restrictions,” said Rebecca W. Rimel, president and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trusts. “Motivating scientists at this point in their careers is essential to advancing discovery and innovation, and Pew is honored to continue its commitment to this cadre of high-quality researchers.”

Raquel Lieberman, Ph.D. completed her doctoral work in biochemistry and biophysics with Dr. Amy Rosenzweig in the Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology at Northwestern University. She then proceeded to do postdoctoral work with Dr. Gregory Petsko at Brandeis University, in collaboration with Dr. Michael Wolfe at Harvard Medical School’s Center for Neurologic Disease. In 2008, she joined the faculty of the Georgia Institute of Technology as an assistant professor. She seeks to understand the details of how proteins, biological macromolecules which are essential components of a cell, are involved in cell-cell communication, and are required for cell survival and recognition. Her focus is on intramembrane proteins, proteins lodged within the membrane of a cell that separates the interior of the cell from the outside environment. Intramembrane proteins undergo reactions in which they are split into more than one piece, in order for cells to properly communicate with each other and report to the immune system. Her understanding of these processes will lend insight into diseases known to be related to protein function in cell-cell communication such as Alzheimer’s and glaucoma.

For full biographies and information regarding the scholars’ research, please visit www.pewscholars.org.

The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life (www.pewtrusts.org).

Written by Nicolle Grayson, ngrayson@pewtrusts.org