En Yang, a neuroscientist in the College of Arts and Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill, has won a Pew Biomedical Scholar award for her engineering-informed research on learning and memory.
The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences provides research funding to early-career investigators whose work stands to substantially impact human health. This year, 22 scholars were appointed from 209 nominations submitted by leading U.S. academic centers.
“Pew-funded scientists have long contributed to biomedical research discoveries that have improved human health,” said Lee Niswander, a 1995 Pew scholar and chair of the program’s national advisory committee. “I’m confident this new class of scholars, with their innovative and creative approaches to scientific research, will continue this tradition.”
The 2025 scholars were announced by Pew on Aug. 12. Each scholar will receive four years of funding support to pursue an exploratory research project.
“This award will significantly accelerate my research by providing the flexibility to pursue high-risk, high-reward directions beyond the scope of traditional grants,” said Yang, who is an assistant professor in the department of biology and an Institute for Convergent Science faculty fellow.
Yang uses zebrafish as an experimental model to study the neural pathways involved in learning and memory formation. At the intersection of experimental and computational neuroscience, she and her colleagues image zebrafish brains in real time — at a single-cell resolution — for a uniquely comprehensive view of how memories are written. They aim to use these insights to explore how these pathways are disrupted in neurodegenerative diseases, and how they might reactivate these pathways or help the brain adapt around the deficits.
With this award, Yang will use virtual reality to study the neurons and signaling pathways that activate while fish navigate simulated scenarios. Her team will then disrupt those pathways to evaluate the impact on memory and wayfinding capabilities and examine how the brain adapts to overcome these challenges.
“With Pew’s support, I can bridge systems neuroscience, behavior and neural engineering to uncover the brain-wide mechanisms underlying memory formation, recall and internal visualization,” Yang said.
Yang said she also looks forward to the unique sense of camaraderie the Pew Biomedical Scholars program will provide. She is excited to connect “with a vibrant community of scientists who challenge norms, support one another and push the boundaries of biomedicine.
“At this stage in my career, that sense of community and intellectual freedom is invaluable,” she said. “It strengthens my commitment to mentoring the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists and fostering a lab culture grounded in curiosity and rigor.”