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Launched in September 2014, BroadIgnite is an exciting initiative to support the bold ideas of early-career scientists by connecting them with emerging philanthropists. Some quick facts about our program:
Our selection process
BroadIgnite is committed to engaging a wide diversity of Broad scientific leaders and awardees. In this aim, we recently launched the expanded BroadIgnite Committee to help evaluate candidates from a broader array of scientific areas; serve as mentors to awardees; and assist with project ideas, research planning, and professional development. The BroadIgnite Committee is co-chaired by Roby Bhattacharyya, associate member in the Broad’s Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, and Anne Carpenter, senior director of the Broad's Imaging Platform, and comprised of the following institutional leaders:
Our donors
BroadIgnite partners with donors at many different levels to support groundbreaking science. This support has been catalytic for our awardees’ research, and your contribution will allow us to invest in additional bold projects.
How to join
If you are interested in learning more about BroadIgnite or becoming involved, please contact Anna Silverberg, Director of Individual Giving and Strategic Initiatives, at ansilver@broadinstitute.org or at 617-714-7786.
You can also donate online now. Any contribution is welcome. Please select BroadIgnite as your designation.
Eric Lander, president of the Broad Institute, addresses attendees of an event on June 13, 2019, that marked the 5th anniversary of BroadIgnite, a program that seeds groundbreaking research by connecting emerging scientists and up-and-coming philanthropists.
The event featured a panel and Q&A discussion with leaders in the BroadIgnite community, including (from left) philanthropist Sharmil Modi, award recipents Viktor Adalsteinsson and Sonia Vallabh, and Broad senior scientific advisor Alex Burgin.
Attendees peruse a “science fair,” which featured some of the 36 research projects supported by BroadIgnite, covering topics ranging from cancer immunotherapy to machine-learning methods in biology.
Broad physician-scientist and 2016 BroadIgnite awardee Roby Bhattacharyya (far left) fielded questions about antibiotic resistance, a major global threat, and his work in the field.
Lauren Cook (left) learned about a mobile phone app developed by 2018 award recipient Andres Colubri (right) that rapidly shares de-identified patient data—a critical tool for tracking emerging outbreaks.
Members of the Broad’s vertebrate genomics group, led by 2017 BroadIgnite awardee Elinor Karlsson, showcased how dog genetics can provide a window into human disease pathways.
2018 award recipient Anne Carpenter discussed her work using patient skin cells to test potential treatments for psychiatric disorders.
Cardiologist and 2017 awardee Amit Khera explains how DNA-based polygenic scores can predict a person’s risk for many common diseases—such as coronary artery disease and obesity—from birth to adulthood.
For more information about these exciting projects and the talented scientists leading them, please visit https://giving.broadinstitute.org/broadignite or email Anna Silverberg at ansilver@broadinstitute.org.