Jacob Beckham, who earned his Ph.D. in chemistry in 2023, was announced a Schmidt Science Fellow Wednesday, marking the third consecutive year a Rice graduate has won one of the prestigious awards.
“I’m incredibly excited and thankful for this opportunity,” Beckham said. “The Schmidt Science Fellows promote an interdisciplinary approach to science and a focus on ambitious and impactful projects, both of which align with my own values. I feel lucky to be supported in my postdoctoral work by such a wonderful fellowship community.”
The Schmidt Science Fellows postdoctoral program is supported by Schmidt Sciences, a philanthropic initiative co-founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, in partnership with Rhodes Trust.
Schmidt Science Fellows seeks out the world’s best, emerging scientists who have completed a Ph.D. in natural sciences, computing, engineering or mathematics and places them in fellowships in a field different from their existing expertise, according to its website . The program funds training for the scientists and the research they undertake and creates a community of interdisciplinary leaders.
“Welcoming each new cohort is an important milestone in our mission to cultivate a community of interdisciplinary science leaders who, through fellowship, will enhance discovery, magnify impact and deliver science with lasting benefits to society,” Schmidt Science Fellows Executive Director Megan Kenna said.
Beckham is a postdoctoral associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In his doctoral work at Rice, he worked under Professor James Tour, studying graphene, molecular machines and other carbon nanomaterials. As a Schmidt Fellow, he will pivot from chemistry to biological sciences, exploring how the bacteria in a person’s gut influence mental health and developing new bioelectronic therapeutics for anxiety. Recent findings show that the bacteria in a person’s digestive tract play a surprisingly large role in mood disorders, according to Schmidt Sciences. However, scientists haven’t yet identified the circuits and proteins that drive the effects of these bacteria on the brain.
Beckham’s proposed experiments aim to create a better understanding of how bacteria reduce anxiety and how their signaling can be mimicked to treat mental health issues, according to Schmidt Sciences.
“Jacob is an excellent scientist,” said Tour, Rice’s T. T. and W. F. Chao Professor of Chemistry and professor of materials science and nanoengineering. “He is able to pick up a new project and become an expert in the area very quickly and then make enormous contributions by capitalizing on his breadth of talent. He is destined to be an academic star, and this Schmidt Science Fellowship is one important step along the way.”
Beckham joins fellow Rice Ph.D. alumni Natsumi Komatsu, a 2022 electrical and computer engineering graduate, and Joshua Chen, a 2023 bioengineering graduate, in receiving a Schmidt Science Fellowship. Komatsu is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and Chen is a presidential postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology.
“The Schmidt Science Fellowship is one of the most prestigious postdoctoral awards in the world, providing significant mentorship and opportunity for Ph.D. graduates who want to continue their academic career,” said Seiichi Matsuda, Rice’s dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies. “To have three from Rice in three years speaks to the quality and ambitions of our graduate students.”
Launched in 2018, the Schmidt Science Fellowship promotes an interdisciplinary approach among scientific fields in order to solve the world’s biggest challenges and support future leaders in STEM. The 2024 fellows consist of 32 scholars from 17 nationalities representing North America, Europe and Asia.
Learn more about the Schmidt Science Fellows here.