Ishmail Abdus-Saboor Named a 2022 Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences

The Abdus-Saboor lab will explore how the brain processes the physical sensation and emotional experience of pain.

June 21, 2022

Ishmail Abdus-Saboor, an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, has been selected to join the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. Along with 21 other early-career scientists, Abdus-Saboor will receive four years of funding to explore some of the most pressing questions in health and medicine.

“Biomedical innovation is essential to solving both current and emerging global health issues,” said Susan K. Urahn, Pew’s president and CEO. “We are pleased to support this talented and inspiring cohort and their research.”

Scholars were chosen from 197 applicants nominated by leading academic institutions and researchers across the United States. This year’s class includes scientists exploring the design of “universal vaccines” against rapidly mutating viruses, how the brain processes pain–which is Abdus-Saboor's area of study–and the evolution of cancer-protective responses from radiation exposure.

Learn more about Abdus-Saboor and his research at Columbia.