Penn Postdocs in the News: Chantell Evans, Ph.D., named inaugural HHMI Hanna Gray Fellow
Penn Postdoctoral Fellow Chantell Evans receives $1.4 million Hanna Gray Fellowship to advance research on neuronal health
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Dr. Chantell Evans, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, has been selected as one of 15 inaugural Hanna Gray Fellows by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The fellowship provides up to $1.4 million over eight years to support promising biomedical scientists through their postdoctoral training and transition to independent research careers.
Dr. Evans earned her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Southern Illinois University and her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology from the University of Wisconsin. She joined Penn in 2016 to continue her postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Erika Holzbaur, Ph.D., William Maul Measey Professor of Physiology.
At Penn, Dr. Evans studies how neurons identify and remove damaged mitochondria, the structures responsible for generating energy within cells. Her research examines how disruptions in this quality-control process may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
As a Hanna Gray Fellow, Dr. Evans will investigate the proteins involved in clearing damaged mitochondria from neurons and how their behavior changes in disease-associated conditions. The long-term support provided by the fellowship will allow her to pursue this research through her postdoctoral training and into the early stages of an independent faculty career.
The HHMI Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program supports early-career biomedical researchers with sustained research funding, mentorship, and professional development. Fellows receive support during four years of postdoctoral training, followed by additional funding as they establish independent research programs.
Dr. Evans’s selection reflects both the promise of her research and Penn’s continued leadership in neuroscience, cell biology, and biomedical discovery.
We are proud to celebrate Dr. Evans’s accomplishments and her contributions to advancing understanding of neuronal health and neurodegenerative disease.