Four early-career scientists share how they’ve harnessed features of their lives—from music to AI technology—to inspire their career and uplift communities. Each winner receives $10,000 for their science with essays published in the journal Cell
Danvers, MA, USA, Feburary 6, 2025 ‐ Cell Press, Cell Signaling Technology (CST), and the Elsevier Foundation are proud to announce the winners of the 5th annual Rising Black Scientists Awards: Jheannelle Johnson of Stanford University; Victor Ekuta, MD, of the Morehouse School of Medicine; Kenna Gloria Agbugba of Philander Smith University; and Nyasha Milanzi of Michigan Technological University.
This year saw hundreds of applicants from across the life, health, physical, earth, environmental, and data sciences. Essays from the winners and honorees appear in the journals Cell and iScience on 2025 年 2 月 6 日. 获奖文章如下：
The awards were originated in 2020 to break down barriers and create opportunities by providing visibility and funds to support talented Black scientists at the undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral levels in the life or medical sciences on their career journey. Now, at the 5th anniversary of the initiative, there have been 14 recipients of the awards across the spectrum of science. Four winners are selected, two in the category of life and health sciences and two in the category of physical, earth and environmental, or data sciences. This year’s winners span the fields of medicine, engineering, and computer science.
“I’m thoroughly impressed by the advocacy and excellence of the winners of this year’s Rising Black Scientists Awards,” says John Pham, editor-in-chief of Cell. “From reading their stories, I’m confident that they will all make important scientific contributions and that they will be agents of positive change. I hope that winning the award will be helpful to them on their journeys, and that their stories will inspire others.”
The awards are conducted in partnership with the Elsevier Foundation and Cell Signaling Technology, whose contributions provide support and funding for the award package. The winning essays are published in the journal Cell, and the winners receive $10,000 to support their science and a $500 travel grant. Because of the volume of outstanding submissions, we also recognize four honorable mentions who receive $500 each. Their essays are published in the interdisciplinary open access journal iScience.
“I’m so inspired by the depth and breadth of topics these essays cover and the personal stories behind them,” says Ylann Schemm, Executive Director, the Elsevier Foundation. “Giving much needed recognition to Black scientists is an integral part of the Elsevier Foundation’s mission to encourage a more inclusive research ecosystem. 我们认为，在他们成为科学家的早期关键阶段，表彰他们的卓越和抱负至关重要。”
“At CST, we believe that actions speak louder than words,” says Margaret Murray, VP of Global Human Resources at CST. “Our support for the Rising Black Scientists Awards demonstrates our dedication to creating meaningful change and building a more inclusive scientific community. We are excited to witness the groundbreaking contributions these young scientists will make.”
Discovering the notes of Alzheimer’s disease
Jheannelle Johnson (@JheannelleJ) is one of the Rising Black Scientists Awards’ winners in the category of life and health sciences. After receiving her bachelor’s at Howard University, she’s now completing a Neurodegeneration Computational Fellowship at Stanford University, where her work centers on understanding cell vulnerability in Alzheimer’s disease. She also serves as the development director for the non-profit organization Black in Neuro, whose aim is to empower Black scholars and professionals in neuroscience. In her essay “The sounds of music: Tracing memories and pathways through research and resistance,” she shares how music offered her a window to connect with her grandmother suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and this musical connection sparked her journey into studying both the molecular and societal underpinnings of the disease.
“Winning the Rising Black Scientists Award is an incredible honor that I want to share with my community, whose wisdom, guidance, and passion have shaped my journey,” says Johnson. “I am highly grateful to Cell, the Academic Advisory Board, the Cell Press editorial team, and Cell Signaling Technology for allowing me to highlight my work and my mission that drives me daily. It reaffirms my belief in the power of investing in underrepresented communities in science. For me, this award encourages me to continue the mission because not only do our voices matter, but they are essential to shaping the field forward.”
Science as a tool for change
The other award recipient in the category of life and health sciences is neurology resident physician Victor Ekuta (@victorekuta) for his essay “Retooling science: Transforming tools into instruments of equity as a Black physician-scientist.” In it, he describes how science and identity can both be used to heal or harm and how he used these “tools” to serve his community for the better. He is currently a neurology resident at the Morehouse School of Medicine and holds several scholarly appointments, including as a postdoctoral research fellow and Clark Scholar at Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and as Health Equity Scholar with the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). His aim is to specialize in academic neurology as a physician-scientist-advocate.
“Winning this award is not just a personal achievement—it’s a testament to the power of resilience, representation, and the pursuit of equity in science and medicine,” says Ekuta. “It reaffirms that our stories, our voices, and our work as Black scientists matter and have the power to transform tools into instruments of justice. I carry this honor forward with a renewed commitment to advancing brain health equity and uplifting those who come after me.”
Developing AI to help educate
Kenna Gloria Agbugba receives the award in the physical, earth and environmental, or data sciences category. In her essay, “Bridging worlds: A STEM journey from Nigeria to the U.S. and back,” Agbugba shares how she wants to take the skills learned from her research in AI technology to build tools for supporting the advancement of students in her homeland. As a computer science undergraduate at Philander Smith University, she has co-led a team to design an award-winning AI-driven literacy-support prototype to assist students in Detroit and has worked on a National Science Foundation project to develop an intelligent learning support AI-powered iOS app.
“Firstly, I want to thank the God who sees me (El-Roi), my family, and my friends for their unending support, as well as Cell Press for this incredible honor and for celebrating diversity in such a meaningful way,” says Agbugba. “Winning the RBSA is a moment of triumph that validates the resilience and effort I’ve put into my journey in STEM so far, especially during moments of self-doubt—even when applying for this award. I’m so glad I pushed through and applied because this award is more than just a personal milestone; it’s a push forward and an opportunity to inspire others like me to overcome self-doubt, believe in their work, and keep moving forward with resilience.”
Engineering for equitable solutions
Our other recipient in the physical, earth and environmental, or data sciences category is Nyasha Milanzi (@n_milanzi). Trained as an electrical engineer at Ashesi University in Ghana, she has developed affordable, sustainable devices such as an air pollution detectors and solar cookers. She recently defended her master’s thesis at Michigan Technological University, where her research centered on building just energy transitions in underserved communities. In her essay, “Inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists to be champions of equitable change,” she relays her mission of climate action by building cross-disciplinary approaches to address the public health needs of our most vulnerable communities.
“It feels incredible that my essay highlights the equity work my parents championed in making education accessible to young people from marginalized backgrounds—a mission that directly connects to my journey in environmental justice,” says Milzani. “Receiving this award not only recognizes my efforts in the environmental field but also serves as a testament to the invaluable contributions of Black international students to science and engineering. I hope it inspires others to confidently pursue unconventional careers that uplift frontline communities and drive meaningful change.”
Honorable mentions recognized with publication in iScience
In recognition that the remarkable talent of the award applicants is not limited to four winners, an additional four honorable mentions were also selected this year, whose essays appear in iScience. The selected honorees for the life or health sciences category are post-baccalaureate Daphna Fertil of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering for her essay “Healing through innovation: Advancing health equity from lab to community” and MD PhD student Darnell K. Adrian Williams Jr. of Albert Einstein College of Medicine for his essay “The Sprained Mind.” The selected honorees for the physical, data, or earth and environmental sciences are PhD student Arona Bender of Duke University for her essay “Beneath the surface: A journey through hidden waters” and undergraduate Efemena Johnson of George Mason University for her essay “From Nigeria to innovation: A vision for inclusive science.”
关于 Cell Press
Elsevier 旗下子公司 Cell Press (@CellPressNews) 是一家领先的科学研究和评论出版商，拥有超过 50 种科学期刊，涵盖生命科学、物理科学、地球科学和健康科学领域。我们力求通过我们卓越的编辑能力、对创新的承诺、无与伦比的影响力和知名度以及对宣传的热情，来支持科学界并启发未来的研究方向。Visit http://www.cell.com/.
关于 Cell Signaling Technology
Cell Signaling Technology (CST) is a different kind of life sciences company—one founded, owned, and run by active research scientists, with the highest standards of product and service quality, technological innovation, and scientific rigor. 于 1999 年创立，总部位于美国马萨诸塞州丹弗斯，全球有 600 多名员工。我们始终如一地为全球的科学家提供高质量产品与服务，助力他们对科学发现的探求。CST坚持以人为本，以科学为本——是一家坚持服务客户，帮助社区，关爱地球的公司。如需了解更多信息，请访问 CST 中国官网：cellsignal.com
About The Elsevier Foundation
The Elsevier Foundation contributes over $1.5 million a year to non-profit organizations through partnerships which incubate new approaches, highlight inequities, and catalyze change toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Elsevier 基金会由专门从事科学和健康领域的全球信息分析公司 Elsevier 资助，是 Elsevier 更广泛的企业责任计划的一部分。By leveraging Elsevier’s networks and unique insights in content, data, and analytics, the Elsevier Foundation is able to expand its impact in gender, health, climate action, and reduced inequalities. 自 2005 年以来，Elsevier 基金会已向全球 70 个国家/地区的超过 100 个合作伙伴捐赠 1600 多万美元。此外，Elsevier 基金会还提供了一项特别基金，用于支持救灾、将员工的捐款和志愿服务相匹配，使员工能够与基金会合作伙伴密切合作，并支持他们的社区。
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