Seven Harvard Faculty awarded Sloan Research Fellowships

Seven Harvard faculty members are among the 126 scholars being awarded Sloan Research Fellowships by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The fellowships go to early career scientists and scholars whose achievements and potential identify them as the next generation of scientific leaders.

This year’s Harvard recipients are Emily Balskus, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology; Stephen Chong, associate professor of computer science; John Friedman, assistant professor in public policy; Richard Hornbeck, Dunwalke Associate Professor of American History; Benjamin de Bivort, assistant professor of organismic and evolutionary biology; Daniel Jafferis, assistant professor of physics; and Karin Oberg, assistant professor of astronomy.

“The fellowship will support my research on the historical development of the American economy, looking at economic adaptation to particular challenges or opportunities for economic growth,” said Hornbeck. “History helps us understand what is both universal and unusual about the modern economy, so history continues to provide new economic lessons even as we build on the work of those who have come before.”

The fellowships are awarded in eight scientific fields: chemistry, computer science, economics, mathematics, evolutionary and computational molecular biology, neuroscience, ocean sciences, and physics. Candidates must be nominated by their fellow scientists and subsequently selected by an independent panel of senior scholars. Each fellow receives $50,000 to be used for research.

“This award not only means financial support for my research program at a critical stage, but also a strong vote of confidence from the scientific community that we’re heading in a promising direction,” said Balskus.