Micro Grants, Major Impact

Philip LeDuc is pioneering the use of artificially created cells that can help to target and treat disease. His work is revolutionizing the fields of micro- and nanotechnology. And the Carnegie Mellon professor credits a gift to the university with giving him support when he needed it most.

Carol and Myles Berkman set up the Berkman Faculty Development Fund to honor Myles' mother, Sybiel Altman Berkman (CFA'31). The fund’s goal: to support primarily junior faculty members in pursuing projects that would be difficult to fund but are important toward developing their ability to think outside-the-box – and break new ground. Each spring and fall, faculty members are chosen to receive these grants, not exceeding $10,000 a piece.

A Carnegie Mellon professor of mechanical engineering, LeDuc has since been recognized with a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and received funding from the National Institute of Health and the Department of Energy, among others.

"This was an instrumental grant for me to receive in terms of developing my confidence and knowledge in this area," said LeDuc, who received the Berkman grant to study interfacing engineering and biology through micro- and nanotechnology. "This was the first grant that I received and I believe it helped project me on a path forward."

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