"It is the biggest moment in my life as a scientist," said Siobhan Brady, UC Davis professor of plant biology, upon hearing the news she was selected as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Brady joins 25 leading scientists across the country, an achievement only had by two other UCD professors. More than 30 current or former Investigators have received Nobel Prizes, according to HHMI, which will invest more than $300 million in this newest cohort over the next seven years.
"HHMI Investigators are not just at the top of their fields of research — they are fearless, creative and innovative," Brady says. From "neuroscience to immunology to structural biology, these scientists come from 19 U.S.
institutions and join HHMI's current Investigator community, comprising more than 250 scientists," per HHMI. Brady is also UCD's first woman selected as an HHMI Investigator. Two male UC Davis faculty members, Jorge Dubcovsky and Neil Hunter, previously received this honor.
Brady is one of a small number of women who became professors from her academic cohort, and depending on the situation, she's often the only woman or one of a minimal number of women in the room, she says. "I myself have been so inspired by and am grateful to the incredible women who have mentored me, and to think that in turn, I may be an inspiration to women who I mentor is very humbling. I hope there will be many more women to come from UC Davis who will also receive this honor!" Brady's lab studies pla.