Yale’s Goodman selected as Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholar

September 23, 2016

Andrew Goodman, an associate professor of microbial pathogenesis at Yale’s Microbial Sciences Institute, was named September 22 among five Yale faculty designated as Faculty Scholars of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
The HHMI, the Simons Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded $83 million over five years to scientists from 43 institutions across the United States. The philanthropies announced the selection of 84 Faculty Scholars, early-career scientists who have great potential to make unique contributions to their field.
Goodman’s research is focused on dissecting the mechanisms that human commensal microbes use to cooperate, compete, and antagonize each other in the gut. His team works to understand how the communities that develop from these interactions influence our responses to pathogens and medical drugs.
“We are very excited to welcome these accomplished scientists into the HHMI community,” said HHMI President Erin O’Shea. “We’re equally gratified to work alongside our philanthropic partners to help these early-career scientists move science forward by pursuing their bold ideas.”
Faculty at more than 220 institutions were eligible. Distinguished scientists reviewed and evaluated more than 1,400 applicants on their potential for significant research productivity and originality, as judged by results from their independent research programs, and their future research plans.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute plays an influential role in advancing scientific research and education in the United States. Its scientists, located across the country and around the world, have made important discoveries that advance both human health and our fundamental understanding of biology. The Faculty Scholar Program is the first collaboration between HHMI, the Simons Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The philanthropies joined forces to create this program in response to growing concern about the significant challenges that early-career scientists are facing.