Penn Postdocs in the News: Nick Sapp, Penn Provost Postdoctoral Fellow, awarded Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) 2025 Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Program Award
Penn Provost Postdoctoral Fellow Nick Sapp receives the 2025 Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Program award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF)
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Dr. Nicklas Sapp, a Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, has been named a 2025 recipient of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund’s Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Program (PDEP) award—one of just 14 postdoctoral researchers selected nationwide.
Dr. Sapp joined Penn in 2023 through the Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, a three-year initiative designed to support early-career scholars through mentored research, professional development, and community-building. He conducts his research in the Black Lab, under the mentorship of Dr. Ben Black, Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Director of the Penn Center for Epigenetics.
His current project, “Structural Basis for Chromosome Passenger Complex Enrichment at Centromeric Chromatin,” explores the molecular mechanisms that ensure accurate chromosome segregation during cell division—an essential process for maintaining genomic stability and preventing disease. Dr. Sapp is also a co-author of a recent peer-reviewed study in Chromosome Research titled “Solution conformational differences between conventional and CENP-A nucleosomes are accentuated by reversible deformation under high pressure,” which highlights his contributions to structural biology and chromatin architecture.
Beyond the lab, Dr. Sapp plays an active role as a mentor in Penn’s FERBS (Fellowships, Equity, and Research for the Biomedical Sciences) program, which supports undergraduate students pursuing biomedical research. In 2024, he attended the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS), where he provided hands-on mentorship to FERBS students presenting their work on a national stage.
As a 2025 PDEP awardee, Dr. Sapp will receive $60,000 over three years to support his career development and research goals. The PDEP program provides critical support to postdoctoral researchers whose training and professional growth are guided by mentors committed to advancing excellence and representation in biomedical research..