PhRMA Foundation Expands 2026 Awards With Industry Support, Reaching 65 Early-Career Scientists
March 25, 2026The PhRMA Foundation awards six additional researchers with 2026 fellowships and grants in bench science programs.
The PhRMA Foundation is pleased to announce an additional $400,000 in 2026 grants and fellowships, made possible by generous donations from the pharmaceutical companies that support our work. This funding enabled the Foundation to award six more early-career researchers in our bench science programs.
With these new awards, the PhRMA Foundation’s 2026 cohort comprises 65 early-career researchers supported by more than $4.6 million in grants and fellowships — up from 41 awardees in 2025.
Ongoing instability in federal research funding is disrupting the training pipeline for early-career scientists. The PhRMA Foundation is committed to strengthening the workforce that underpins biomedical innovation by expanding our support for future scientific leaders conducting research directly relevant to drug discovery and development.
The six researchers listed below join the 50 awardees previously announced in the Foundation’s Drug Discovery, Drug Delivery, and Translational Medicine programs as well as the nine researchers announced earlier this month in our Value Assessment and Health Outcomes Research program.
Predoctoral fellowships provide $30,000 per year of stipend support for up to two years. Faculty starter grants provide $100,000 in project support for one year.
Drug Discovery
Predoctoral Fellowships
- Bushra Zaman, BPharm, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
- Kelly O’Rourke, Vanderbilt University
Drug Delivery
Predoctoral Fellowships
- Robert Kirian, University of Maryland-College Park
- Anastasiia Vasylaki, The City College of New York (CUNY)
Translational Medicine
Predoctoral Fellowship
- Ketan Dighe, Pennsylvania State University
Faculty Starter Grant
- Taotao Wu, PhD, University of Georgia