Scientific progress isn’t always a straight line. Discovery demands flexibility—a willingness to go off the beaten path. Oftentimes, that means leaving one’s comfort zone. And that’s exactly what Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Associate Professor Saket Navlakha has in mind.
Navlakha has received a 2024 Simons Foundation Pivot Fellowship. Launched in 2022, the fellowship supports scientists working to expand their research into new disciplines. Through the year-long program, Navlakha will team up with mentor and CSHL Assistant Professor Hannah Meyer to explore how the adaptive immune system, like the brain, solves the kinds of complex problems that are also common in machine learning.
“This is a classic CSHL story—two people in complementary areas of research collaborating on problems that we would not necessarily be able to tackle on our own,” Navlakha says. “It’s a very natural collaboration borne out of random conversations. We’re going to have fun.”
As an immunologist, Meyer is excited about the work’s potential applications in science and medicine. “In computational research, it can be difficult to find the questions that are most impactful and relevant,” she says. “I look forward to offering that biological insight. And in Saket, I have a ‘mentee’ with very high expertise whom I can learn from as well.”
Navlakha is one of eight scientists awarded the fellowship in 2024. Pivot fellows receive one year’s salary and $10,000 toward research, travel, and professional development. Mentors receive an additional $50,000 to support their fellow’s training.
Written by: Nick Wurm, Communications Specialist | wurm@cshl.edu | 516-367-5940