Brandeis Alumni, Family and Friends

Blavatnik Family Foundation Supports Brandeis Researchers Advancing Innovative Life Sciences Ventures

March 27, 2024

The gift will establish two new graduate research fellowships for doctoral students.

Brandeis University has received a $6 million gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation to support two new graduate research fellowships in life sciences.  The fellowships will allow Brandeis doctoral students to make important scientific discoveries mentored by world class faculty and to develop into future leaders in biotechnology and biomedical research.

“We are grateful to the Blavatnik Family Foundation for establishing the Blavatnik Fellowships in Life Sciences, which help further our university’s excellence in science,” said Brandeis President Ron Liebowitz.  “Just this year, Brandeis community members have been recognized with a Nobel Prize and with two National Medal of Science Awards for their pioneering research.  I have no doubt that these fellowships will support future generations of award-winning scientists as they move forward on their own career paths.”

In its 75-year history, Brandeis has emerged as a powerhouse in the sciences, with numerous alumni and faculty achieving significant scientific milestones, and winning many awards across their fields.  Its Division of Science encompasses 15 departments and programs granting degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s and PhD levels; the university also features interdisciplinary and interdepartmental PhD programs that foster collaboration among students from across Brandeis.

The Blavatnik Family Foundation provides many of the world’s best researchers, scientists, and future leaders with the support and funding needed to solve humankind’s greatest challenges. Led by Len Blavatnik, founder of Access Industries, the Foundation advances and promotes innovation, discovery, and creativity to benefit the whole of society. Over the past decade, the Foundation has contributed more than $1 billion to more than 250 organizations.

“The Blavatnik Fellowships will accelerate the transition of new ideas and discoveries from academic research to industry, expediting Brandeis’s development of lifesaving health interventions,” said Len Blavatnik.