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Six faculty researchers win Sloan Fellowships

BY ANNE BURKE
Today Staff Writer

Mark Frye works with fruit flies

When Assistant Professor Mark A. Frye of the Department of Physiological Science learned he had just won a Sloan Research Fellowship, his first thought was to tell his wife, Cully Nordby, in person. Frye sprinted from his office in the Life Sciences Building to La Kretz Hall, then raced up six flights of stairs to the Institute of the Environment, where Nordby is assistant director for academics.

“I was literally out of breath by the time I got to her, so all I could do was hand her the letter and let her read it for herself,” Frye said. “She was thrilled for me. My wife is a scientist too … so she knows exactly how much it means to get something like this.”

Frye is one of six UCLA faculty who recently got good news from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which each year awards fellowships to 116 of the best young researchers in chemistry, computer science, economics, mathematics and other sciences. Winners may spend the $45,000 two-year awards on research expenses.

Frye will use his for stipends for students who work in the lab where he researches complex behavior in fruit flies.

These pesky insects have a brain the size of a poppy seed, yet outperform human-engineered machines.

Other UCLA winners are:

James Warwick Bisley, assistant professor, neurobiology. Bisley looks at the neural mechanisms underlying visual attention to figure out how the brain decides where to look.

Thomas G. Graeber, assistant professor, molecular and medical pharmacology. Graeber works to understand cancer signaling from a systems standpoint.

Michael Hitrik, assistant professor, mathematics. Hitrik studies mathematical aspects of quantum mechanics, specifically spectral theory and semiclassical analysis.

Heather D. Maynard, Howard Reiss Assistant Professor of Organic Chemistry. Maynard researches the integration of polymeric materials with biologically derived molecules for use in nanotechnology and medicine.

Jianwei (John) Miao, assistant professor, physics and astronomy. Miao looks at the interplay of physics, nanoscience and biology.