The Ray Thomas Edwards Foundation
The foundation was established in 1997 as a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization, funded by an endowment from the late
Ray Edwards.
Note: The foundation will be terminated in 2022 and its
assets transferred to the Edwards-Yeckel Research
Foundation, recently formed to conduct, support, and
disseminate basic scientific research aimed at better
understanding the central nervous system, with the objective
of improving human health.
Board of Directors
Donald G. Yeckel, Chairman
Mark F. Yeckel, PhD
Andrew J. Yeckel, PhD
Foundation Mission
The Ray Thomas Edwards Foundation is devoted to providing
financial support for basic research in the biomedical
sciences. The Foundation recognizes that discovery and
innovation in the biomedical sciences for the public's good
depends on the training and support of the highest quality
young scientists in the very best research environments. In
pursuit of this goal, the Foundation offers a Career Award in
the Biomedical Sciences for researchers working in San Diego
County. The purpose of the award is to foster the development
of biomedical researchers who are early in their careers,
during the critical transition to becoming independent
investigators. The Foundation supports research across the
spectrum of the biomedical sciences, including: biochemistry;
cell, developmental, molecular, and structural biology;
endocrinology; immunology; microbiology; neurobiology;
physiology; virology.
Financial support has been provided to the Salk Institute for
Biological Studies, The Scripps Research Institute, University
of California, San Diego, and the Neurosciences Institute
through various awards and charitable contributions granted by
the Foundation.
Career Development Awards
The Ray Thomas Edwards Foundation Career Development Award in
the Biomedical Sciences is intended to foster the development
of biomedical researchers who are early in their careers and
to help them make the critical transition to becoming
independent investigators. The goal of the program is to help
bridge the gap between completion of research training and
attainment of status as an independent research scientist. To
facilitate the career development of promising biomedical
research scientists, funding is provided for the purchase of
appropriate laboratory equipment and salary support for
laboratory personnel, including postdoctoral fellows, graduate
students, and technicians.
Kristian Andersen, Assistant Professor in the Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, UCSD, 2017-2019.
Chih-Ying Su, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, UCSD, 2016-2018.
Janelle Ayres, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Nomis Foundation Laboratories for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 2015-2017.
Andrew Ward, PhD, Assistant Professor of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology at The Scripps Research Institute, 2014-2016.
Hu Cang, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Wait Advanced Biophotonics Center at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 2013-2015.
George Sen, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine/Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 2012-2014.
Emily Troemel, PhD, Assistant Professor in Biology, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, 2011-2013.
Jill Leutgeb, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Neurobiology Section of Division of Biological Sciences at University of California-San Diego, 2010-2012.
Tatyana Sharpee, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Computational Neurobiology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, 2009-2011.
Lei Wang, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Chemical Biology and Proteomics Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, 2008-2010.
Dorian B. McGavern, PhD, formerly Associate Professor in the Molecular and Integrative Neurosciences Department at The Scripps Research Institute, now at NIH, 2007-2009.
Gentry Patrick, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biology at University of California, San Diego, 2006-2008.
Jeffrey A. Long, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Plant Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 2005-2007.
James G. Umen, PhD, formerly Assistant Professor in the Plant Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, now at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 2004-2006.
Joseph G. Gleeson, MD, Associate Professor in Neurosciences at University of California, San Diego, 2003-2005.
Foundation Fellowship Awards
The Ray Thomas Edwards Foundation Fellowship Award is a one
time unrestricted grant that recognizes exceptional merit
among nominees not selected for the Career Development Award.
David Gonzalez, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at University of California, 2015.
Lisa Boulanger, PhD, formerly Assistant Professor of Biology at University of California, San Diego, now Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University, 2007.
Tracy L. Johnson, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biology at University of California, San Diego, 2004.
Perpetual Endowments
The foundation has funded these endowments at University of
California, San Diego:
Edwards-Yeckel Fellowship for Learning and Communicating Science
To support Masters-level students enrolled in Contiguous BS/MS Program for UC San Diego biology majors with a focus on science education.
Edwards-Yeckel Eureka! Scholars Program Endowment
To support the awarding of scholarships for students in the Eureka! Scholars Program who face obstacles that limit their access to research opportunities, including but not limited to first-generation students and those with financial need.
Ray Thomas Edwards Endowed Fellowship Fund
To provide financial assistance to outstanding graduate students in the Department of Biology, University of California San Diego.
Ray Thomas Edwards Lectureship in Neurobiology & Neuroscience
To provide support for a keynote lecture for the Neurosciences Graduate Program Retreat. Funds may also support travel to scientific meeting by neurosciences and neurobiology graduate students.
Ray Thomas Edwards Research Scholarship Endowed Fund
To provide support to undergraduate students who are majoring in the biological sciences and are conducting research.
The foundation has funded these endowments at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies:
Edwards-Yeckel SciChats at Salk
To provide support, through the Salk Institute's Education Outreach program, to a virtual program that pairs students in a classroom (or alternative learning setting) with a volunteer scientist for an interactive conversation about science.
The Edwards-Yeckel Postdoc Professional Development Award
To fund a prestigious award dedicated to the professional development of a postdoctoral trainee who would not otherwise be eligible for internal or external funding.
Francis Crick Nobel Laureate Lecture
To provide support for this annual event in the Salk Nobel Laureate Lecture series.
Roger Guillemin Nobel Laureate Lecture
To provide support for this annual event in the Salk Nobel Laureate Lecture series.
One Time Gifts
The foundation has given numerous one time gifts to support education and outreach. Some of these are listed here.
Trifecta: Art, Science, Patron
This exhibition, funded by the foundation and presented by the La Jolla Historical Society, paired scientists at Salk Institute with regional artists to create artworks inspired by science research (Sept. 25, 2021 — Jan. 16, 2022).
Behind the scenes of Trifecta: Art, Science, Patron
Three videos were produced by Warehouse Media, in partnership with the La Jolla Historical Society and David's Harp, to document the collaborative process behind the Trifecta exhibition through interviews with the curator and two of the artist-scientist pairs who participated (premiered Nov. 16, 2022).2021 UCSD iGEM Team
The foundation provided financial support to a student-run team where undergraduates are given the chance to perform graduate-level research over the summer and present their results at a conference in the fall.
Weather on Steroids: The Art of Climate Change Science
This exhibition, funded by the foundation and presented by the La Jolla Historical Society, paired scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography with regional artists to create artworks inspired by research on climate change (Feb. 11 — May 21, 2017 at the La Jolla Historical Society, and June 10 — Sept. 3, 2017 at the San Diego Central Library Gallery).Ovarian cancer research at Scripps Clinic
The foundation provided financial support to Scripps Clinic in 2015 to analyze ovarian cancer cells in the blood stream in order to better understand the spread of this cancer, with implications for both treating the disease and screening for it.
Sci Flicks movie/lecture series
In 2014 the foundation sponsored a series of science fiction film showings paired with opportunity to meet noteworthy scientists who explain the science behind the science fiction, a public outreach effort by the the Arthur C. Clark Center for Human Imagination.
2012 Kuffler Lectures Dinner
The foundation was the exclusive sponsor of the 2012 Kuffler Lectures Dinner, held May 11, 2012 at the Birch Aquarium at UCSD to honor Stephen Kuffler, the first chairman of the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard University.
2011-12 Profiles in Discovery
The foundation sponsored the 2011-12 Profiles in Discovery program, the focus of which is to record and preserve the late-career insights and observations of outstanding scientists who have been pioneers in UCSD Biology.
50th Anniversary of Science Matters
The foundation provided funding in support of the 50th Anniversary of UCSD's Science Matters series (November 18, 2010 — April 11, 2011), focused on the three big issues of the "New Biology Era": health, environment, and energy.
The George E. Palade Celebration Symposium
This symposium was held on January 28, 2010, with financial assistance from the foundation. Eight presentations celebrating the life and work of the renowned cell biologist and Nobel laureate were made by colleagues and former students.
LJHS science lecture series
Three lectures sponsored by the foundation and presented at the La Jolla Historical Society in 2009 explore the Emergence of Pioneering Scientific Institutions in La Jolla: UCSD, The Salk Institute, and The Scripps Research Institute.Nature Matters lecture series
The foundation provided funds to UCSD Division of Biological Sciences in support of its 2008-2009 Nature Matters lecture series, Science Matters.