Yuri has been awarded a prestigious Cross-Disciplinary Fellowship (CDF) from the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP), a highly competitive program that supports exceptional early-career scientists eager to expand their research into new fields while working internationally. The fellowship is designed to promote global collaboration and encourage bold, interdisciplinary research in the life sciences.
With her project, “Mesoscale and Microscale Organization in C. elegans Embryo,” Yuri joins a distinguished group of 50 postdoctoral fellows selected from 25 countries around the world. Holding a doctoral degree in physical chemistry from Pohang University of Science and Technology in the Republic of Korea, she is now transitioning into the life sciences to pursue innovative and cross-disciplinary research. The HFSP fellowship will support her work over the next three years, providing a total of $200,000 USD.
Her project focuses on understanding the internal organization of cells, specifically the concept of polarity—how cells create distinct regions with unique molecular identities. This is a fundamental process essential to cell division, movement, and development. Using a combination of in vivo and in vitro approaches, she will investigate how “MEX-5 clusters” and “their potential to bind RNA” contribute to cell polarity.
This recognition marks an exciting step in Yuri’s scientific journey as she bridges disciplines to explore fundamental questions in cell biology. Huge Congratulations Yuri !!