Castiglione and Ingolia win Keck Foundation grants

Gianni Castiglione, with several colleagues at Vanderbilt University, and Nicholas Ingolia received at least $1 million from the to fund their research. The foundation supports projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach, as well as high-risk with the potential for transformative impact.
Castiglione is an assistant professor of biological sciences, ophthalmology and visual sciences at VU and a member of Vanderbilt’s Evolutionary Studies Initiative. explores new directions in aging research by collaborating with experts from a wide range of disciplines across the Vanderbilt campus. Castiglione’s grant will help further research in reverse engineering the life span of birds. He hopes to uncover biological mechanisms behind exceptional longevity that could one day help safely extend the lives of humans.

“We’re drawing on these different disciplines, and that’s promoted here, rather than trying to fit into a box,” he said in a VU .
Ingolia is a professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley. studies how cells control the translation and stability of messenger RNA in the cytosol, and how this regulation fulfills important biological functions. Ingolia’s grant will be used toward the study of systematic testing of sequence–function relationships in intrinsically disordered proteins.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in People
People highlights or most popular articles

Cedeño–Rosario and Kaweesa win research award
The award honors outstanding early-career scientists studying cancer, infectious disease and basic science.

ASBMB names 2026 award winners
Check out their lectures at the annual meeting in March in the Washington, D.C., metro area.

Peer through a window to the future of science
Aaron Hoskins of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Sandra Gabelli of Merck, co-chairs of the 2026 ASBMB annual meeting, to be held March 7–10, explain how this gathering will inspire new ideas and drive progress in molecular life sciences.

How undergrad research catalyzes scientific careers
Undergraduate research doesn’t just teach lab skills, it transforms scientists. For Antonio Rivera and Julissa Cruz–Bautista, joining a lab became a turning point, fostering critical thinking, persistence and research identity.

Simcox and Gisriel receive mentoring award
They were honored for contributing their time, knowledge, energy and enthusiasm to mentoring postdocs in their labs.

ASBMB names 2025 Marion B. Sewer scholarship recipients
Ten undergraduates interested in biochemistry and molecular biology will each receive $2,000 toward their tuition and related educational costs.