James Nuñez, assistant professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley, has been named a 2025 Vallee Scholar by the Vallee Foundation. Established in 2013, the Vallee Scholar Awards program provides flexible, unrestricted funding to outstanding early-career investigators conducting basic biomedical research. According to the Vallee Foundation, Nuñez’s work on CRISPR-based genome and epigenome editing, “exemplifies the program’s mission to support bold, curiosity-driven science that pushes the boundaries of our understanding of human biology.” He will receive $400,000 to support his research.
James Nuñez
Nuñez’s research focuses on understanding DNA methylation — the most abundant epigenetic modification in humans — and its roles in health, disease and aging. His team uses advanced CRISPR technologies and stem cell models of neuronal differentiation. They aim to uncover how unique DNA methylation patterns are established in neurons and how their misregulation contributes to human disease.
Nuñez has received many awards, including a Hanna Gray Fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Pew Biomedical Scholars Award and the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship.