Caltech Biologist Awarded “Genius” Grant

Sarkis K. Mazmanian, a professor of biology at Caltech studying bacteria and their impact on immunity and on the human body, is being awarded a $500,000 “no strings attached” MacArthur grant on October 2. Mazmanian’s findings are revealing links between gut bacteria or microbes and immunity, autism, multiple sclerosis, and other major diseases.

Each year, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awards the unrestricted fellowships – also known as “genius” grants – to individuals who show “exceptional creativity in their work and the prospect for still more in the future,” according to the Foundation’s website. For more information about the MacArthur Foundation, visit www.macfound.org.