PHILADELPHIA — Greg Sonnenberg, PhD, research associate in the Division of Gastroenterology and the Institute for Immunology, was chosen for Forbes magazine’s second year of publishing a list of the top-30 rising stars in science and health under the age of 30.
His work was described as studying “why the immune system sometimes overreacts to "good" bacteria in the intestinal tract, potentially leading to cancer or inflammatory bowel disease.”
“I was extremely surprised and excited to be nominated to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Science and Healthcare,” says Sonnenberg. “It is an enormous honor to be named on this list with so many talented scientists and innovators from around the world.”
Earlier this year, Sonnenberg, 27, also received an National Institutes of Health Director's Early Independence Award (EIA) for exceptional early-career scientists to move directly into independent research positions by essentially skipping the traditional post-doctoral training period.
The awardees each receive $250,000 per year for up to five years at a host institution. Sonnenberg is one of 14 early-career scientists supported this year with an EIA, part of the second annual cohort of awardees. Earlier this month, recipients of the 2011 and 2012 EIA gathered at an annual symposium hosted by the NIH Director, Dr Francis Collins, in Bethesda, MD. Each award recipient had the opportunity to present his or her own research and establish valuable relationships with fellow awardees and senior members of the NIH.
The new blog by NIH Director Francis Collins also highlighted the fact that four of the 14 EIA recipients were on the recent Forbes list.
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