University of Chicago genomics researcher receives prestigious NIH New Innovator Award
Anindita “Oni” Basu, PhD, an assistant professor of genetic medicine at the University of Chicago, has received the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New Innovator Award.
These awards, part of the NIH’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program, are given to exceptionally creative scientists proposing high-risk, high-impact research at all career stages. The New Innovator Award, funded through the NIH Common Fund, is focused on supporting early career researchers, supporting unusually innovative research from early career investigators who are within 10 years of completing their final degree. This year, 53 researchers were recognized with the award.
“The breadth of innovative science put forth by the 2020 cohort of early career and seasoned investigators is impressive and inspiring," said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. “I am confident that their work will propel biomedical and behavioral research and lead to improvements in human health.”
Since arriving at UChicago in 2016, Basu has worked on a variety of research projects. She investigates complex biological systems using single cell genomics — isolating individual cells and sequencing their genetic information to get a better picture of cellular differences within a tissue sample. This, in turn, provides insight into the unique subtypes of cells and their functions within a given tissue.