Fifteen NIEHS trainees ranked among the top 25% in the 2025 Fellows Award for Research Excellence (FARE) competition for their impressive scientific research projects. Fellows from across the 27 Institutes and Centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health competed for the annual award. Only two other institutes — the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases — had more awardees than NIEHS this year.

“The success of our trainees in the 2025 FARE competition is a testament to the outstanding cadre of fellows that we have at NIEHS and the amazing mentoring that they receive at our institute,” said NIEHS Scientific Director Darryl Zeldin, M.D. “Congratulations to the winners — you continue to make us proud.”

For the competition, fellows submitted a research abstract that was blindly reviewed and ranked by a committee of scientific peers. Those whose projects placed in the top 25% received the FARE award, which includes a $1,500 travel stipend to attend a meeting of their choice to present their research.

Supporting diverse scientific topics

Research projects selected this year explored a wide range of topics, including health effects of early life exposure to pollutants, male fertility, and the gut microbiome. A full list of NIEHS awardees and their abstract titles can be found on the NIEHS FARE website.

Four of this year’s recipients are previous FARE awardees:

Dazhe Chen, Ph.D., visiting postdoctoral fellow in the Chronic Disease Epidemiology Group. 

Chen is investigating pesticides and other environmental pollutants as potential risk factors for chronic diseases, particularly autoimmune diseases. He used his previous FARE award to present his research at the Society for Epidemiologic Research Conference.

"Receiving the travel award means a lot to me, as it shows recognition of my work by the NIH research community,” he said. “The support and recognition from this award have motivated me to continue my research with even greater enthusiasm and determination."

Jacob Gordon, Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) predoctoral fellow (NIH-Cambridge Scholar) in the Nucleolar Integrity Group. 

Gordon uses structural biology techniques to study how essential molecules in human cells interact to function in both healthy and disease states. He used his previous FARE award to attend the RNA Regulation Gordon Research Conference and an international Ribosome Synthesis conference.

“Being able to travel to conferences to present my work was extremely positive for me to achieve professional visibility in my respective field, access networking opportunities, and gain diverse constructive feedback on my work,” he said.

Jicheng Li, Ph.D., visiting fellow in the In Vivo Neurobiology Group. 

Li studies Parkinson’s disease in mouse models, focusing on developing new treatments for patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease. He used his previous FARE award to present his work at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting.

“I’m very excited to receive the second FARE award,” he said.

“These awards are rewarding because they are big honors for fellows and provide travel support for us to attend scientific meetings,” Li added.

Danielle Stevens, Ph.D., IRTA postdoctoral fellow in the Perinatal and Early Life Epidemiology Group. 

Stevens investigates perinatal and early life influences on chronic diseases, with a focus on the role of environmental and nutritional exposures in cardiometabolic health. She used her previous FARE award to present her work at the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology North American Chapter meeting.

“These awards have provided me with valuable opportunities to present and receive feedback on my work from leaders in the field, and to develop connections with other scientists,” she said.