on January 20, 2016
Sara Montagner was awarded a Marie Heim-Vögtlin (MHV) grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation for her project “Epigenetic regulation of mast cell differentiation and function”. Sara is about to complete her PhD thesis in the laboratory of Dr. Silvia Monticelli, and this fellowship will allow her to continue working on her project after graduation. Sara briefly interrupted her PhD studies due to the happy arrival of her daughter Elena.
MHV grants are meant for women with excellent scientific qualifications who would like to pursue a scientific career after having reduced or interrupted their research activities due to family commitments. This last MHV call attracted 140 applications. After an initial selection, 56 candidates were invited to present their project and 39 were granted (from which 17 biologists) and will be able to begin or continue their research activities in 9 different Swiss institutions. Only 27% of all applicants were funded.
Since joining the laboratory of Dr. Silvia Monticelli at the IRB, Sara co-authored 5 publications, including two as a first author. This fellowship will allow her to further improve her publication record and scientific maturity before safely move her family towards her next career step.
The IRB wishes to congratulate Sara for her achievements and the MHV grant she obtained.