image: Van Andel Institute's Dr. Nick Burton was named as a 2025 Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences.
Credit: Courtesy of Van Andel Institute
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Aug. 12, 2025) — The Pew Charitable Trusts has named Van Andel Institute’s Nick Burton, Ph.D., as a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences.
This four-year award supports exceptional early-career scientists who seek answers to pressing questions about health and disease. Burton is one of only 22 researchers included in the 2025 class.
“For 40 years, Pew has supported young, talented researchers as they take creative approaches to solving big scientific questions,” Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Pew’s senior vice president for Philadelphia and scientific advancement, said in a statement. “This new class continues that legacy, and we look forward to seeing where their discoveries lead.”
Burton studies how our environment, especially exposure to stress and microbes, can influence our health and the health of our children — even before birth. He also is searching for new Type 2 diabetes treatments by analyzing byproducts produced by soil bacteria. This approach has extensive precedent: Many medications, from antibiotics to those that prevent organ transplant rejection, have been identified and derived from microbes.
“I’m grateful to The Pew Charitable Trusts for the opportunity to be part of such an excellent community of scientists,” Burton said. “Pew Scholars pursue bold, innovative ideas to improve health, and I’m thrilled to join them.”
This year’s class of Pew Scholars joins a community of more than 1,000 scientists who have received Pew awards since 1985. Awardees were selected from a competitive pool of 209 nominations.
Burton is an assistant professor in VAI’s Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming. He joined the Institute in 2021 after completing a Next Generation Fellowship at the Centre for Trophoblast Research at University of Cambridge. He earned his undergraduate degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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ABOUT VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE
Van Andel Institute (VAI) is committed to improving the health and enhancing the lives of current and future generations through cutting-edge biomedical research and innovative educational offerings. Established in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1996 by the Van Andel family, VAI is now home to more than 500 scientists, educators and support staff, who work with a growing number of national and international collaborators to foster discovery. The Institute’s scientists study the origins of cancer, Parkinson’s and other diseases and translate their findings into breakthrough prevention and treatment strategies. Our educators develop inquiry-based approaches for K–12 education to help students and teachers prepare the next generation of problem-solvers, while our Graduate School offers a rigorous, research-intensive Ph.D. program in molecular and cellular biology. Learn more at vai.org.