Today, the Allen Institute announced eight promising scientists who will make up the 2024 Next Generation Leaders (NGL) cohort. The NGL program began ten years ago to recognize and support emerging and diverse early-career researchers in neuroscience.

“The NGL program has been a significant and beloved part of the Allen Institute’s neuroscience community for years, and we are excited to broaden the program’s impact across all of the Institute’s research areas,” said Hongkui Zeng, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Director of the Allen Institute for Brain Science.

We believe the expanded NGL community will strengthen networks across their respective fields and encourage the same collaborative research we embody here at the Allen Institute.

Hongkui Zeng, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Director of the Allen Institute for Brain Science

This year, the program has expanded beyond neuroscience to welcome researchers from the fields of bioengineering, chemistry, and medicine. Their research expertise ranges from social cognition, music mindfulness, and psychedelics, to using machine learning methods for single-cell omics to study inflammatory disease.

“We are thrilled to welcome the newest class of Next Generation Leaders, who have been selected for their excellent research accomplishments to date as well as the promise of their future research directions. Each NGL also demonstrated an eagerness to foster cross-disciplinary collaborations and build up the scientific community more generally,” said Annique Bublitz, Director of the Learning and Development program at the Allen Institute.

The 2024 Next Generation Leaders

• Ismail Ahmed, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, University of Utah
• AZA Stephen Allsop, M.D., Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Yale University
• Jessica Butts, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Rice University
• Rongxin Fang, Ph.D. – Incoming Assistant Professor, Stanford University
• Kevin Kelley, M.D., Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Stanford University
• Mariajose Metcalfe, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, University of Louisville
• Wendy Xin, Ph.D. – Postdoc, University of California San Francisco
• Fan Zhang, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, University of Colorado School of Medicine

The NGL program is designed to foster professional development, ideation, creativity, and collaboration to make a broad, transformational impact on the future of science at the Allen Institute. Each year, NGLs will present their research and engage with Allen Institute peers where they can learn from each other and facilitate lasting bonds between their labs. The Allen Institute is also planning career development trainings and opportunities for the NGLs, with the aim of supporting their transitions to principal investigators.

“The NGL program enabled me to meet other early career investigators, which proved to be especially useful when I went on the faculty job market. Being part of a cohort gave me practical tips when setting up my laboratory,” said Jessica Tsai, M.D., Ph.D., a 2021 Next Generation Leader and pediatric oncologist. “I have also had the opportunity to participate in scientific advisory meetings and learned how to provide meaningful input and feedback to the Allen Institute in terms of scientific vision and research strategy. These are not skills that you would typically learn in scientific or postdoctoral training.”

NGLs will complete a three-year term and have the opportunity to contribute to ongoing research across the Allen Institute; engage with team, big, and open science practices; and ultimately act as ambassadors for the Allen Institute and its open science resources.