Endowed Fellowships

Since its founding in 1888, the Marine Biological Laboratory has served as a platform for distinguished scientists from around the world who come to the Laboratory to collaborate and conduct research. The Whitman Center is home for this vibrant research community of Whitman Center Scientists and Fellows that comprise more than 100 principal investigators from academic institutions around the world. This extraordinary group of leading scientists, some with long-established programs at MBL and some new to the MBL each year, come to work together and explore fundamental questions in biology and biomedical science.

Whitman Center Early Career Fellowships are typically designated for individuals who are less than 10 years from their doctoral degree.

To discuss naming a fellowship, please email Development@mbl.edu.

Robert Day Allen Fellowship
This fellowship fund honors the memory of Professor R. D. Allen of Dartmouth College and the MBL. Dr. Allen was a distinguished investigator of cell motility processes, a leading microscopist, and one of the developers of video-enhanced optical microscopy with differential interference contrast. The award supports a young investigator committed to research on cell motility and cytoarchitecture.

John M. Arnold Fellowship
Honoring John M. Arnold, a professor of cell biology, alumnus and faculty member of the Embryology course, and former MBL Trustee, this award supports an unfunded retired or senior researcher in any field of study.

Frederik B. and Betsy G. Bang Fellowship
Summer fellowships honoring the late Frederik B. Bang, MD are offered for the study of the immune capability of marine invertebrates and more generally for the use of marine models for research in molecular biology or biomedicine.

The Baxter Postdoctoral Fellowship
Established by Baxter International, Inc., this award supports postdoctoral investigators undertaking independent research in the biological and biomedical sciences at the MBL in the summer.

The Eugene and Millicent Bell Research Awards in Tissue Engineering at the MBL
Established by Eugene and Millicent Bell, lifetime advocates for humanitarian and environmental causes and part of the fabric of the MBL and Woods Hole for decades, this award provides a research award to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows or faculty pursuing research in a variety of biomedical questions that advance our knowledge of biological composition and function at levels ranging from molecules to cells, to tissue, to organs and whole organisms. This work is grounded in a solid base of chemistry, physics, math, and biology and aims to expand the possibilities for tissue and organ reconstitution and replacement.

The Laura and Arthur Colwin Endowed Summer Research Fellowship
Established by Laura and Arthur Colwin, scientists who first met at the MBL and returned to conduct research for nearly 70 years, this award supports independent investigators conducting research in the fields of cell and developmental biology during the summer at the MBL.

The Plum Foundation John E. Dowling Fellowship
Established in honor of Dr. John E. Dowling, this award supports outstanding applicants pursuing research on the neurobiology of vision and retinal research at the MBL.

The Fischbach Fellowship
This award supports the research of an MBL summer investigator who embodies the values and intellectual curiosities of the fellowship’s namesake.

Erik B. Fries Endowed Fund
Established by the estate of Erik B. Fries, a biology professor at City College of New York, course director of MBL’s Botany Course in the early 1900s, and a long-time Woods Hole resident, this award supports independent investigators at the MBL. Preference is given to members of the Department of Biology of the City College of New York.

M.G.F. Fuortes Memorial Fellowship Trust
Established in memory of M. G. F. Fuortes, a renowned neurophysiologist, this summer award is available to young investigators working in the neurobiological sciences.

Great Generation Fund for Research and Education at the MBL
Founded by Robert S. Shifman and Sheldon J. Segal, former chairman of the MBL Board of Trustees, this award was created to support scientists at all levels for summer research. The name of the fund was selected to serve as a reminder for generations to come of the service to the nation and world of those Americans born before the Great Depression, served in World War II, and helped reconstruct the global economy in the post-war era.

H. Keffer Hartline and Edward F. MacNichol, Jr. Fellowship
This Fellowship Fund was established in memory of H. Keffer Hartline and his impact on sensory science. Dr. Hartline came to the MBL as a young scientist and “discovered” the eye of the horseshoe crab. He initiated his pioneering studies of the eye in 1929 and continued this research at the MBL for many summers. This award provides support for scientists to carry out research in sensory neurobiology.

E. E. Just Endowed Research Fellowship
This award honors Dr. Ernest Everett Just’s contributions to developmental biology and experimental embryology. Dr. Just was the first African American professionally recognized for his scientific work, and much of it was accomplished at the MBL during the early 1900s. This award supports outstanding minority scientists from groups traditionally under-represented in science or who train under-represented students at minority-serving institutions.

The Ann E. Kammer Memorial Fellowship
In memory of Ann E. Kammer, a renowned zoologist, this summer fellowship is available to women investigators, with a preference given to those working in the neurosciences.

Stephen W. Kuffler Fellowship
Established in memory of Stephen Kuffler, who initiated the MBL Neurobiology Course, this award is intended to encourage the career development of promising young investigators by helping to support them in the intense intellectual atmosphere of the MBL for the summer.

Lucy B. Lemann Institutional
Established in memory of Lucy B. Lemann, a Woods Hole neighbor who worked to educate the public on environmental issues and nuclear disarmament, this award supports the costs of research at the MBL.

Frank R. Lillie Institutional
This award was established in memory of Frank R. Lillie, a distinguished developmental biologist and the Laboratory’s director for many years.

James A. and Faith S. Miller
Honoring James and Faith Miller, this award supports summer research at the MBL in any relevant discipline, with preference given to developmental biology.

The Jack and Rosalyn Rosenbluth Fellowship
Established by Jack and Roz Rosenbluth to support investigators in the Whitman Center, inspired by Jack’s long relationship with the MBL serving as a course director and faculty in the Neurobiology and Pathogenesis of Neuroimmunologic Disease courses and as a member of the MBL Society.

Elisabet Samuelsson Director’s Discretionary
Honoring Elisabet Samuelsson, who as a young student discovered that she was as gifted in science as she was in art, this award fosters careers in science for young investigators in the Life Sciences at the MBL.

The Evelyn and Melvin Spiegel Summer Research Fellowship
Established with funds provided by the Sprague Foundation and various individuals in honor of Evelyn and Melvin Spiegel, this award supports summer research at the MBL in any relevant discipline, with preference given to developmental biology.