Ben Williams named 2022 Hellman Fellow

May 19, 2022
A photo of assistant professor Ben Williams

Ben Williams

Congratulations to Ben Williams, assistant professor in the Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, on being named to the 2022-23 Society of Hellman Fellows!

Established by the late F. Warren and Chris Hellman in 1995 and supported by the Hellman Family since its establishment, the award funds early-career faculty members who show capacity for great distinction in their research.

Through his research, Williams hopes to answer fundamental questions about plant epigenetics, the study of heritable information that is not contained within the DNA sequence of the genome.

Hellman noted that junior faculty are often well-funded when first hired, but problems arise two to three years after start-up funding is exhausted and before first grants are obtained. The fund is designed to assist promising young faculty at this point in their careers.

Hellman Fellows may receive awards of up to $60,000 to support any research-related needs including assistantships, equipment, or travel. 

Visit the Society of Hellman Fellows website for more information.