J. Caleb Macdonald awarded Zuckerman Postdoctoral Scholarship

Mathematics PhD graduate Joshua Caleb Macdonald (PhD May 2022) has been awarded a prestigious Zuckerman Postdoctoral Scholarship. Mortimer B. Zuckerman, writing to Caleb on behalf of the trustees of the Zuckerman Institute, noted that "The Selection Committee was extremely impressed by your scientific achievements to date, career development plans, and demonstrated leadership qualities. We offer our sincere congratulations on your successful application".

The Zuckerman Postdoctoral Scholars Program attracts high-achieving postdoctoral scholars from premier universities in the United States and Canada to do research at one of seven Israeli universities. Once they complete their research, many Zuckerman postdocs are expected to accept faculty positions at top North American universities, weaving a network of academic collaboration and goodwill that will greatly benefit US-Israeli scientific cooperation.

Caleb's research project is concerned with the co-evolution of cultural and ​genetic traits. For this project Caleb will work in the Ram Lab in the School of Zoology in the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University. His soon-to-be postdoc mentor, Dr. Yoav Ram from Tel Aviv University, expressed his excitement by noting that "This is an excellent grant - $44k / year for 2 years (with option to extend for 3) + $7,600 per year for travel. This is the maximum supplementary grant award that a postdoc can receive at an Israeli university. " Hayriye Gulbudak, Caleb's PhD advisor, added "I am very excited about Caleb's new journey as a postdoctoral fellow at Tel Aviv University with Dr. Ram. As his PhD advisor, I couldn't be more proud. He exhibited many noteworthy academic achievements during his PhD training. I strongly anticipate a very promising future for Caleb Macdonald as a rising scholar."