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Rockefeller University

Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Women’s Entrepreneurship Fund

Rockefeller is committed to ensuring that every scientist who wants to realize the therapeutic potential of their research has the support and encouragement to do so.

Established with gifts from Women & Science donors and endowed by a generous gift from the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, the Kellen Women’s Entrepreneurship Fund (Kellen WEF) provides women scientists at Rockefeller with the training, resources, and funding to explore the clinical applications of their scientific discoveries.

The Kellen Women’s Entrepreneurship Fund aims to:

  • Increase the participation of women in Rockefeller’s translational ecosystem through a competitive grants program that funds projects headed by women researchers
  • Encourage women scientists to explore entrepreneurial opportunities beyond the bench, notably through a speaker series featuring leaders in biotech, pharma, and venture capital
  • Create a network of women scientists, biotech innovators, and industry leaders who can advise and mentor future women investigators
  • Establish Rockefeller as the place where women scientists at all levels receive best-in-practice entrepreneurship training

The Kellen WEF shares application and evaluation processes with the Robertson Therapeutic Development Fund. Please see the RTDF pages for more information.

Priya Rajasethupathy

Priya Rajasethupathy, M.D., Ph.D.

Laboratory of Neural Dynamics and Cognition

“While the focus of our project was translational, there were also important basic science discoveries along the way. Especially related to identifying new brain circuits and cell-types, and their resulting mechanisms, that shape short-term memory and related cognitive abilities.”