Professor Justin Caram is one of 11 Cottrell Scholars selected by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) for an inaugural RCSA Bridge Award. The award will support his project titled “Single Nanocrystal Spectroscopy in the Shortwave Infrared”.
According to the RCSA announcement, this emergency initiative is meant to help stabilize strong research programs that have experienced disruptions due to abrupt changes to their federal funding.
“These researchers are pursuing exciting and productive research program that are, importantly, training the next generation of scientists,” said RCSA President Eric Isaacs. “The Bridge awards provide critical continuity to outstanding early-career scientists doing high-potential research at a time in their careers when creativity and momentum are so important.”
The need-based opportunity for one-year awards of up to $100K each was open to scientists with appointments at U.S. academic institutions who either received a Cottrell Scholar Award in 2016 or later or are Holland Award recipients whose first academic appointment was in 2013 or later.
RCSA Bridge Awards are the foundation’s first emergency response to the funding disruptions that began in 2025. RCSA will continue to engage with its community to see where further support may be needed to advance bold, early-career science in the year ahead.
Caram joined the Chemistry & Biochemistry faculty in July 2017. He currently serves as Vice Chair for Space Allocation. Caram has received numerous honors, including a Sloan Research Fellowship, the Richard P. Van Duyne Early Career Award in Experimental Physical Chemistry, a Journal of Physical Chemistry Lectureship Award, the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award and a Cottrell Scholar designation. He is also a founding member of UCLA’s Center for Quantum Science and Engineering.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penjen@g.ucla.edu.
