#ImmigrantStoryoftheWeek! How does our brain let us see, feel, and give rise to vivid subjective experiences? Cognitive neuroscientist and Vilcek Prizewinner Biyu J. He (b. China) is helping answer this question through her groundbreaking research. Watch the full video: vilcek.co/4viKIcs
#Immigrantstoryoftheweek! Gerta Hoxhaj (b. Albania) was awarded our 2024 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science for her research in metabolic pathways in cancer cells, specifically in vulnerabilities that could be used to develop targeted therapies. Watch more: vilcek.co/4ruEfZ4
#ImmigrantStoryoftheWeek 🔬 Meet Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, a Venezuelan molecular biologist whose curiosity was sparked by his grandfather’s ranch. His research reveals how organisms regenerate themselves, offering insight into treating human disease. Watch the full video: https://vilcek.co/3YPdH8W
#immigrantstoryoftheweek 🎬 Meet producer and filmmaker Shih-Ching Tsou! After building her filmmaking career in NYC, she returned to Taiwan to tell a deeply personal story of family, identity, and change with Left-Handed Girl. Don’t miss a special screening + Q&A this Friday @Film at Lincoln Center!
#ImmigrantStoryOfTheWeek 🌟 Who gets to be seen and who gets to write history? 2017 Vilcek Prizewinner Carlos Motta documents underrepresented histories, challenging whose stories shape our collective memory. Don't miss their solo show “When Falling Feels Like Flying” with mor charpentier.
#ImmigrantStoryoftheWeek
Housing and sustainability shape the work of architect Jing Liu (CPP'18) who grew up in Nanjing, China and immigrated to the U.S. at 13.
Now based in Brooklyn, she leads SO-IL, designing projects worldwide, from museums and art fair venues to large-scale urban districts.
#ImmigrantStoryoftheWeek 🪩 🩰 Meet dancer & choreographer Tamisha Guy, our Winner of our 2022 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Dance. After immigrating from Trinidad at age 10, dance helped her find joy and a sense of home. Now a lead soloist, Guy continues to captivate audiences onstage.
#ImmigrantStoryoftheWeek 🎉
Meet Marcus Samuelsson! Born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden, Samuelsson became the youngest chef to earn a three-star review in @nytimes.com.
He reminds us that immigrants are what make this country "beautiful, diverse, strong, and constantly evolving."
Vilcek Foundation on Instagram #ImmigrantStoryoftheWeek
highlighting writer Yaa Gyasi, 2020 Vilcek Prizewinner for Creative Promise in Literature www.instagram.com/reel/DQpgyLr...
#ImmigrantStoryoftheWeek 🎶
Meet composer & conductor Juan Pablo Contreras — our 2023 Vilcek Prizewinner for Creative Promise in Music! ✨
Born in Guadalajara, he explores unexpected orchestral arrangements. 🎻💃🏽
🎵 “I wanted to answer that question — what does it mean to be Mexican — with music.”
#ImmigrantStoryoftheWeek ✨Meet Maryam Turkey, Iraqi-American artist & 2024 Vilcek Prizewinner in Design 🎨
Born in Iraq, Turkey moved to the U.S. in 2009 & now teaches at @pratt.edu. See her sculptural art @iparkct in Memory Reconsidered—A Modest Proposition 🌱
#ImmigrantStoryOfTheWeek 🧪🧠 Meet @Sergiu_P_Pasca, our 2018 Prizewinner! Born in Romania, & now a professor at @Stanford, his research provides new insights into the brain & conditions like Timothy syndrome, through stem cell-based models. Read more: vilcek.co/4mYXecg
#ImmigrantStoryOfTheWeek 🌱☀️
Meet Martin Jonikas (@mjonikas.bsky.social)—aka the pyrenoid pioneer! 🧪💡
Born in Paris 🇫🇷, now Princeton, Jonikas is using single-celled algae to reveal secrets of photosynthesis 💚—work that could help grow food sustainably and fight climate change 🌍✨
🔗 bit.ly/3JucvTL
Our #ImmigrantStoryOfTheWeek — Meet Wael Morcos!
Born in Lebanon Morcos is dedicated to developing modern and accessible Arabic typography As cofounder of Morcos Key, he has developed successful global campaigns for major corporations including @bloomberglp.bsky.social, Nike, and IBM. bit.ly/4lcxoQw
Our #immigrantstoryoftheweek: Haitian-born Swiss artist Tatiana Desardouin was recently named a 2025-2026 resident artist for the New Dance Alliance program Black Artists Space to Create.
Tatiana was the winner of our Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Dance in 2022: bit.ly/3ILm1BE
