Sushma Subramanian, assistant professor of English specializing in journalism, was recently awarded a Genetics and Human Behavior Journalism Fellowship. For the GHA Fellowship, Subramanian will observe researchers studying the physiology of the Bajau laut, a group in Indonesia known for their unique ability to see underwater and hold their breath for long periods while diving, to understand whether humans may have special adaptations for swimming.
Subramanian’s is one of five fellowships awarded by the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia and aimed at early- and mid-career journalists. The fellowship supports ambitious, long-form stories on the broad theme of genetics and behavior. The fellowship was established by Eric Turkheimer, Hugh Scott Hamilton Professor, Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia, and Jonathan Weiner, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Beak of the Finch and Maxwell M. Geffen Professor of Medical and Scientific Journalism at Columbia Journalism School.
