The Fishman Awards - Sanford Burnham Prebys

The Fishman Awards

Fostering the Next Generation of Scientists

The Fishman Awards provides funding for exceptional postdoctoral researchers through a competitive application process.

2025 Fishman Award winners. From left: Theophilos Tzaridis, Kokila Shankar, Meenakshi Sudhakaran, Bastien Cimarosti and Alejandro Lillo

2025 Fishman Award winners. From left: Theophilos Tzaridis, Kokila Shankar, Meenakshi Sudhakaran, Bastien Cimarosti and Alejandro Lillo.

To nurture the careers of future research trailblazers, Sanford Burnham Prebys introduced the Fishman Awards in honor of the Institute’s founders, Dr. William and Lillian Fishman.

In 2001, the Fishman Awards was established by Sanford Burnham Prebys supporters Mary Bradley and Reena Horowitz, to honor the Fishman’s. In 2010, Jeanne Jones became the co-founder designee.

Postdoctoral students can apply for the Fishman Fellowship, a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship, and Fishman Career Development Awards.

Donate to the Fishman Awards

The Fishman Awards

Fishman Fellowship

The Fishman Fellowship will provide exceptional Sanford Burnham Prebys postdocs with a two-year fellowship award. This fellowship will be bestowed every other year to the young scientist who is ranked highest by the selection committee, and it will be unique from other institutional postdoctoral grants because of the level of the Institute’s commitment and support. Most fellowships match or only slightly increase the salary compared with standard NIH postdoctoral salary funding. By compensating exceptional postdocs at a higher level, the Fishman Fellowship will be a sustained investment in future scientific leaders and pioneers.

Fishman Research Excellence Award

Established in 2024, The Cynthia Schwartz Shenkman Research Excellence Fishman Award is given to a Sanford Burnham Prebys postdoc for their outstanding biomedical research contributions and demonstrated track record of research excellence.

Fishman Career Development Awards

The Fishman Career Development Awards will provide exceptional Sanford Burnham Prebys postdocs with $10,000 awards. With the funds, postdocs can attend workshops, seminars, conferences and network with top scientists in their field.

  • Jeanne Jones and Kathryn Fishback Fishman Career Award
  • Lenka Finci and Erna Viterbi Fishman Career Award
  • Reena Horowitz and Mary Bradley Fishman Founders Career Award
  • Don Barach Memorial Fishman Career Award

2025 Fishman Fund Awardees

Alejandro Lillo, PhD

 Alejandro Lillo, PhD

Jeanne Jones and Kathryn Fishback
Fishman Career Award

Alejandro Lillo, PhD, is a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Elena Pasquale, PhD. Lillo is studying a family of membrane proteins called Eph receptors. These receptors play important roles in many biological processes and in various diseases, including cancer.

Among these receptors, the Eph receptor A2 is most profoundly linked to cancer. Lillo’s work explores how Eph receptor complexes influence cancer cell signaling networks. His ongoing studies aim to identify new ways to target these receptor complexes for cancer therapy.

Kokila Shankar, PhD

Kokila Shankar, PhD

Lenka Finci and Erna Viterbi
Fishman Career Award

Kokila Shankar, PhD, is a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Douglas Sheffler, PhD. Shankar focuses on neuroscience therapeutics discovery with a special interest in the stress system. The stress system plays a crucial role in the onset and maintenance of alcohol addiction and other substance use and mood disorders.

Shankar aims to identify new small molecules that modify how the stress system sends and receives biochemical signals in the brain. New drugs targeting the stress system may mitigate aspects of addiction such as withdrawal symptoms.

Meenakshi Sudhakaran, PhD

Meenakshi Sudhakaran, PhD

Reena Horowitz and Mary Bradley
Fishman Founders Career Award

Meenakshi Sudhakaran, PhD, is a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Kelly Kersten, PhD. Because cancer cells and tumors do not exist in a vacuum, Sudhakaran is interested in how tumors develop in and alter the nearby milieu of immune cells, connective tissue, blood vessels, proteins and carbohydrates.

Sudhakaran studies how this tumor microenvironment influences anti-tumor immunity and reduces the effectiveness of immunotherapy in solid tumors. She seeks to identify new immunomodulatory targets to help treat patients whose tumor microenvironment prevents an effective immune response.

Bastien Cimarosti, PhD

Bastien Cimarosti, PhD

Don Barach Memorial
Fishman Career Award

Bastien Cimarosti, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Sanjeev Ranade, PhD. Cimarosti investigates how early-life genetic and environmental factors shape heart development and cardiovascular health.

He is particularly interested in the role of neural crest cells which migrate during embryonic development to become many types of cells. Cimarosti studies links between these cells

and congenital heart defects, including those associated with Down Syndrome. He also works on identifying molecular pathways that drive heart cell dysfunction in hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Theophilos Tzaridis, MD

Theophilos Tzaridis, MD

Cynthia Schwartz Shenkman
Research Excellence Fishman Award

Theophilos Tzaridis, MD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Peter Adams, PhD. Tzaridis studies ways to enhance immunotherapy for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), the deadliest brain tumor in children.

Tzaridis found that targeting a checkpoint molecule called CD155 leads to an enhanced immune response and tumor control. Tzaridis is testing the antibody’s potential efficacy for treating DIPG in order to pave the way for a clinical trial to improve survival for patients.

Fishman Awards Community Advisory Board

The Fishman Awards Community Advisory Board Members have been so important to the continued success of the Fishman Awards. Their participation, advice, and counsel are what makes these awards possible.

  • Reena Horowitz
    Co-Founder and Co-Chair
  • Jeanne Jones
    Co-Founder Designee
  • Brad Benter
    Co-Chair
  • Jeffery Adler
  • Cathe Burnham
  • John Cashman
  • Jessica Cline
  • Nan Eastman 
  • Nina Fishman
  • Cynthia Goodman
  • Laura Mitchell
  • Ludvina Nevarez
  • David Ostrander
  • Doreen Schonbrun
  • Aaron Shenkman
  • Judy White

Fishman Award Winners

  • 2009
    Pilar Cejudo-Martin
    Martin Denzel
    Fabian Filipp
    Lars Pache
    Nai-Ying Michelle Yang
  • 2008
    Melanie Hoefer
    Jochen Maurer
    Elizabeth Rico-Bautista
    Maria Cecilia Scimia
    Chih-Cheng Yang
  • 2007
    Jennifer Katz
    Ana Miletic Sedy
    Sayantan Mitra
    Derek Ostertag
    Peter Teriete
  • 2006
    Sergio Alonso
    Mari Enoksson
    Amy Howes
    Yuehai Ke
    Lutz Tautz
  • 2005
    Ruchi Bajpai
    Lionel Hebbard
    Nicole K. Noren
    John Stebbins
    Ramón Díaz Trelles 
  • 2004
    Tasmia Duza  
  • 2003
    Sean Oldham
  • 2002
    Hudson Freeze
    José Luis Millán

Joana Borlido, PhD, describes why the Fishman Fund Award has been such a boost to her career.

Fishman Awards Selection Committees

Thank you to the dedicated selection committees for their time and expertise.

Fishman Career Development Awards

  • Barbara Ranscht, PhD (Chair)
    Professor Emeritus
  • Hudson Freeze, PhD
    Professor and William W. Ruch Distinguished Endowed Chair
  • Brooke Emerling, PhD
    Associate Professor and Director of the Cancer Metabolism & Microenvironment Program
  • Nisha Cavanaugh
    Associate Director of Career Development and Postdoctoral Programs
  • Cynthia Goodman, Ed.D.
    Member, Fishman Awards Community Advisory Board

Cynthia Schwartz Shenkman
Research Excellence Fishman Award

  • Barbara Ranscht, PhD (Chair)
    Professor Emeritus
  • Kevin Yip, PhD
    Professor and Cancer Center Associate Director for Training and Education
  • Su-Chun Zhang, MD, PhD
    Professor and Jeanne and Gary Herberger Leadership Chair in Neuroscience
  • Aaron Shenkman
    Member, Fishman Awards Community Advisory Board

Fishman Fund Fellowship

Donate to the Fishman Awards

The Fishman Awards relies on support from community members. To invest in the next generation of scientists please considering making a gift to support the program.