A research team in the UC Irvine Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences has been selected to receive support through the W. M. Keck Foundation Bridge Funding Initiative, a program designed to provide continuity for early-career scientists and their trainees during a period of uncertainty in federal research funding.
The funded project brings together Assistant Professor Maria Rebolleda-Gomez and her Ph.D. student Ariel Favier from the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Their research, “Uncovering the metabolic underpinnings of thermal adaptation in bacteria,” explores how microorganisms adapt to changing temperatures — work that may contribute to a broader understanding of biological resilience in shifting environments.
Through this initiative, the project will receive two years of support to advance doctoral training and sustain ongoing research efforts. With this funding Ariel Favier will be able to expand his Ph.D. thesis to investigate bacterial evolution in a continuous culture device that automatically increases temperature as cells adapt, allowing researchers to understand the limits of thermal adaptation under different nutrient conditions.
The Bridge Funding Initiative is part of a broader effort by the Foundation to support early-career investigators and maintain momentum in the research pipeline. By investing in faculty–student partnerships, the program aims to help ensure continuity in scientific discovery and training.
The W. M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954 in Los Angeles by William Myron Keck, founder of The Superior Oil Co. One of the nation’s largest philanthropic organizations, the W. M. Keck Foundation supports outstanding science, engineering, and medical research. The foundation also supports undergraduate education and maintains a program within Southern California to support arts and culture, education, health, and community service projects.