Danelle Devenport, an assistant professor of molecular biology, has been named a 2013 Searle Scholar for her innovative research and her potential for making significant contributions to the biomedical sciences. Devenport and 14 others from universities and research institutes in the United States were selected for their exceptional promise in the fields of chemistry and biomedical sciences. Each Searle scholar will receive $300,000 to support research programs over the next three years.
Devenport's research focuses on how cells assemble into highly ordered structures to produce functional organs. She studies how directional signals control the organization of structures such as scales, feathers and hairs that are precisely aligned over the entire surface of the vertebrate body. She earned her undergraduate degree from Humboldt State University, her Master of Science from the University of British Columbia and her doctoral degree from University of Cambridge. She joined the Princeton faculty in 2011 following a postdoctoral position at Rockefeller University. The funds to support the awards come from trusts established under the wills of John Searle, president of G.D. Searle & Co. of Skokie, Ill., and his wife, Frances.
