NEW YORK, NY– The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is pleased to announce a $450,000 grant from The Hearst Foundations in support of the Grants for Junior Faculty program.
The Grants for Junior Faculty provide early career investigators with up to $150,000 for one to two years to support research focused on aging processes and age-related diseases. The $450,000 grant from Hearst Foundations will fully underwrite three Grants for Junior Faculty over the next three years.
Selected through a rigorous review process, the 2024 recipient of the first Hearst Foundations Grant for Junior Faculty is Jonathan Nelson, PhD, Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University. His research project, titled “Understanding how ribosomal DNA maintenance sustains cellular longevity” seeks to identify the molecular mechanisms that achieve germline rDNA maintenance and understand how their activity and rDNA instability impacts organismal aging.
The impact of receiving a Grant for Junior Faculty from AFAR is far-reaching, providing flexible support at a criticaljuncture in an early investigator’s career when research funding is most difficult to obtain. Many AFAR grantees have leveraged this early support to obtain larger grants and awards.
"From the heads of labs at prominent research institutions, to biotech innovators developing therapeutics, so many leaders in aging research today first received a grant from AFAR early in their career," notes Stephanie Lederman, EdM, AFAR Executive Director. "The Hearst Foundations' support of the Grant for Junior Faculty program assures that even more talented investigators will be dedicated to the science that will help us all live healthier, longer."
The Hearst Foundations' support of the Grants for Junior Faculty program builds on a decades-long collaboration between the organizations. For over twenty-two years, the Hearst Foundations have bolstered AFAR's research grants program with $1,350,000 in support.
“The Hearst Foundations are proud to continue to partner with the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) to support and help recruit early career investigators in this growing field. A robust pipeline of researchers dedicated to aging is vital to support a growing older population. We look forward to aiding AFAR as they expand their impact nationwide and advance healthy aging through biomedical research,” says Donna Kalajian Lagani, Eastern Director, the Hearst Foundations.
The Grant for Junior Faculty is considered the anchor of AFAR's grants portfolio, which assist in the development of the careers of junior investigators committed to pursuing careers in the field of aging research. For more than four decades, AFAR has served as the field’s talent incubator, providing close to $200 million to some 4,400 investigators at premier research institutions to date—and growing.
Learn more about the Grants for Junior Faculty program here.
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About The Hearst Foundations
The Hearst Foundations are a national philanthropic resource for nonprofit organizations and institutions working in the fields of education, health, culture and social service. Their work helps to ensure that people of all backgrounds have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Since their creation in the 1940s, the Hearst Foundations have awarded more than $1.5 billion in funding across over 22,730 grants, reflecting the philanthropic interests of William Randolph Hearst. In 2023, the Hearst Foundations made 283 grants totaling $68.075 million. For more information about the Hearst Foundations, please visit www.HearstFDN.org.
About AFAR
The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is a national non-profit organization that supports and advances pioneering biomedical research that is revolutionizing how we live healthier and longer. For more than four decades, AFAR has served as the field’s talent incubator, providing close to $200 million to some 4,400 investigators at premier research institutions to date—and growing. In 2023, AFAR provided approximately $12,500,000 to more than 60 investigators. A trusted leader and strategist, AFAR also works with public and private funders to steer high quality grant programs and interdisciplinary research networks. AFAR-funded researchers are finding that modifying basic cellular processes can delay—or even prevent—many chronic diseases, often at the same time. They are discovering that it is never too late—or too early—to improve health. This groundbreaking science is paving the way for innovative new therapies that promise to improve and extend our quality of life—at any age. Learn more at www.afar.org.