Akankshi Munjal, PhD, assistant professor of cell biology, has been selected as a 2025 Vallee Scholar to support her research to understand embryonic development. Vallee Scholar awards provide $400,000 over four years to outstanding, early-career independent investigators conducting basic biomedical research.
Munjal is one of just six new Vallee scholars selected this year. The Vallee awards are available only to investigators who have been nominated by institutions that have been selected by the Vallee Foundation board of directors, with each institution nominating one investigator.
At Duke, Munjal leads the Principles of Tissue Morphogenesis Lab. Her research aims to understand how embryos form organs with the correct shape and size amidst genetic and environmental variation. Her lab uses quantitative, interdisciplinary, and collaborative approaches to investigate the developmental programs, feedback interactions, and physical constraints that integrate across scales to sculpt functional tissues.