Two Scripps Research faculty are recipients of this year’s Baxter Young Investigator Awards: Danielle Grotjahn, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, and Xin Jin, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience and a member of the Dorris Neuroscience Center. These awards are granted to researchers who are furthering the development of therapies and medical products that have the potential to save and sustain patients’ lives.

Grotjahn is studying how mitochondria change shape in response to different stressors. By uncovering the cellular stress pathways involved in mitochondrial remodeling, Grotjahn’s lab is shining light on the different mechanisms that contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction—including those involved in neurodegenerative diseases. Grotjahn is a former Scripps Research Fellow from the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, and she is the recipient of prestigious awards such as the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award from Fred Hutch and the Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovator Award.

Jin’s research focuses on the ways genetics and physiology play a role in brain development and diseases. Her lab is developing chemical biology and genomic technologies to enhance our understanding of the onset of different brain disorders, including autism spectrum disorder and developmental delay. Jin has received numerous awards and honors, including recently being named as one of MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35, the Larry L. Hillblom Foundation Award and the Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Award in Neuroscience.

As Baxter Young Investigators, Grotjahn and Jin will each receive $100,000 to fund their respective research. Alongside additional award recipients, they will present their results at the annual Baxter Young Investigator Awards ceremony in November.