William H. Danforth Fellowship
The William H. Danforth Graduate Fellowship, established 2015, is a one-year fellowship supporting outstanding plant science PhD students whose research demonstrates great promise for humankind. Thanks to funders Roy and Diana Vagelos, WHD Fellow recipients have the opportunity to conduct their research with the guidance of outstanding principal investigators at the Danforth Center.
Past fellows have gone on to attain notable careers in the sciences and have published papers on subjects regarding circadian rhythms in plants, the root architecture of maize, and more. These early-career scientists are the leading principal investigators of tomorrow, tackling hunger and climate change. See the gallery of WHD Fellowship recipients below.
Recipients
As a child in Uganda, Ketra Oketcho showed a keen interest in the science behind the natural world. Today, she is a third-year graduate biology student at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. In the labs of Principal Investigators Nigel Taylor, PhD, and Becky Bart, PhD, Ketra is working to understand how cassava, a staple crop in her home country, confers resistance to cassava mosaic disease—a key threat to food security.
A Testament to Friendship
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Dr. Danforth awarding the Danforth Distinguished Service Award to Roy Vagelos, 2010
In 2015, Dr. P. Roy Vagelos and his wife, Diana Vagelos, longtime leaders in philanthropic giving for scientific and medical research and education, generously endowed the William H. Danforth Plant Science Fellowship in honor of William H. Danforth, MD, founding chairman of the Danforth Center.
Drs. Vagelos and Danforth shared a long friendship and many interests, including the great potential for science to improve human health and well-being. They first met in 1966 when Dr. Vagelos joined the faculty of the Washington University School of Medicine, where Dr. Danforth was Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs before becoming Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis in 1971.
Although Dr. Vagelos left the university in 1975 to pursue a career in industry, eventually serving as Chief Executive Officer of Merck & Co. Inc. from 1985 to 1994, he and Diana continued to have strong ties to the St. Louis region. When the Danforth Plant Science Center was established in 1998, Dr. Danforth recruited his trusted friend and colleague to join the Board of Directors, where they worked together to advance the mission of the Danforth Center. Dr. Vagelos retired from the board in 2014.
It was always a great pleasure working with someone that I had such confidence in and someone that I knew had only one motive. And that was: to make everybody better.
Dr. P. Roy Vagelos on William H. Danforth
Help us help early-career scientists
Graduate fellowships are especially critical to attracting and retaining the best minds. Medical research receives significantly more federal and foundation funding, so individual donors can make a substantial difference by investing in plant science. Contact the Development team for more information: phone 314.587.1234 or email development@danforthcenter.org.