Awards & Honors
2025 Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE)
National Duke University · 2025Duke BME Program Award for Inter-Lab Chalk Talks
School Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University · 2024Faculty Travel Grant for Visit to Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore
University Duke University & Duke-NUS · 2024Inducted Member of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society and publisher of American Scientist
Other American Scientist · 2024HHMI Gilliam Fellowship (paired award for thesis advisor and mentee)
National Howard Hughes Medical Institute · 2024Maclin Community Connection Grant
Other Duke University · 2023NIH Director's New Innovator Award (DP2)
National NIH/NIDDK · 2023 The New Innovator Award is part of the NIH Common Fund's High-Risk, High-Reward Research program and supports exceptionally creative early career investigators proposing innovative, high-impact research. The $2.4 million award will support research in the Musah Lab focused on developing new therapeutic strategies for degenerative glomerulopathies. More about this awardShared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF) Award, Duke University
University Duke University · 2023Genentech Research Award
National Genentech · June 2021Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF) Award, Duke University
University Duke University · 2021George O’Brien Kidney Center Pilot Grant
National The George M. O'Brien Kidney Translational Core Center at the University of Michigan (P30 DK081943) · 2021 The George M. O'Brien Kidney Translational Core Centerat the University of Michigan (P30 DK081943) invites proposals for pilot and feasibility (P&F) grants involving the pathophysiology, basic mechanisms, therapeutic approaches, translational studies and clinical outcomes of chronic kidney diseases. The intent of this pilot program is to provide seed monies for researchers to obtain subsequent extramural funding. More about this awardCell Stem Cell Early-Career Researchers, Featured
International Cell Stem Cell · 2021Nature Biotechnology’s Outstanding & Trailblazing Researchers in U.S.A., Featured
International Nature Biotechnology · 2021Functional & Molecular Genomics Core Facility Voucher Program Award
University Duke University · January 2020Duke Incubation Fund
University Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative · January 2020 The Incubation Fund, run by Duke’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative (I&E), supports early-stage ideas from Duke’s innovation ecosystem with the potential to go to market. Whereas many resources exist at Duke to support research and commercialization, the Incubation Fund is among the only opportunities for innovations still in the ideation stage. The Fund is made possible by a gift from I&E advisory board member Jeffrey Citron and his wife, Suzanne. One goal of the Fund is to foster innovation in all corners of Duke. While previous awards have supported faculty, staff, and students representing schools and departments ranging from the Nicholas School, to the School of Nursing, all the way to the Dance Program, this year’s awardees represent the Department of Pathology, the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, the Department of Radiology, the Department of Chemistry, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering. More about this award100 inspiring black scientists in America
National Cell Press, Cell Mentor · 2020 A few months ago, an African-American colleague of mine was speaking with an undergraduate student. During the conversation, the student raised two poignant questions: (1) are there any other black science professors, and (2) if they do exist, why aren’t we learning about their accomplishments in our curriculum? Conversation like this are all too common, and if we don’t this perception, young black scientists won’t realize the amazing legacy they come from. When Dr. Saboor raised this conversation with me, I immediately acted. There’s a plethora of black scientists who make significant contributions to science, but many of them are unknown to the masses. It’s imperative that young black scientists know about the myriad accomplished scientists from African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, and African-American backgrounds in the fields of life sciences, chemistry, engineering, and physics. To provide some revelation and encouragement to existing and forthcoming generations of scientists, I worked with my colleagues Zer Vue and Haysetta Shuler to compile a list of 100 inspiring black scientists. We’ve included 75 established investigators that range from tenure track Assistant Professors to Associate Professors and Full Professors. The last 25 scientists included are those that we consider rising stars. Our hope is that this resource will have a significant and long-lasting effect on all members of the scientific community and continue to emphasize the need for diversity in the academy. Please keep in mind that there are many more black scientists in the United States, but this list provides an example for what universities, societies, and nonacademic institutions should take the initiative to do. More about this awardMEDx (Medicine & Engineering) Biomechanics of Injury and Injury Repair Grant
University Duke MEDx Initiative · 2020 More about this awardWhitehead Scholarship in Biomedical Research
School Whitehead Foundation · 2020Chair's Research Award
School Department of Medicine, Duke University · April 2019 Each year, the Department of Medicine provides resources through the Chair’s Research Award to fund junior investigators in the Department of Medicine who are making the transition to becoming independent scientists and planning for their first extramural funding. Grants are for one year of funding up to $95,000.Dr. Samuel M. Nabrit Early Career Scholar
National Brown University · 2019Early Career Investigator Travel Award
National Keystone Symposia · 2019CPRIT Scholar
Scholarly Society Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas · 2018 More about this awardFellow
Other Keystone Symposia Fellowship · 2017Baxter Young Investigator Award, First-Tier
National Baxter International Inc. · 2017NIH/NIDDK Nephrology Research Fellowship
National NIH-BIDMC · 2016MIT Rising Stars in Biomedical Engineering and Science
National Massachusetts Institute of Technology · 2016Burroughs Wellcome Fund Postdoctoral Enrichment Fellowship
National Burroughs Wellcome Fund · 2015First Prize, Novartis Institute for BioMedical Research Postdoctoral Award
National Novartis Institute for BioMedical Research · 2014UNCF-Merck Postdoctoral Science Research Fellowship
National UNCF & Merck Foundation · 2014Dean's Postdoctoral Fellowship
School Harvard University · 2014NIH Chemical-Biology Interface Training Grant
National NIH · 2011National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
National NSF · 2007In the News
Published October 5, 2023
Two Duke Scientists Awarded NIH Grants for High-Risk, High-Reward Research
Published October 3, 2023
NIH to award over $187 million for exceptionally creative biomedical and behavioral research projects
Published January 26, 2022
Duke biomedical engineers report potential advance in fighting kidney disease
Published August 6, 2020
Introductions to the Community: Early-Career Researchers in the Time of COVID-19
Published January 9, 2020
The Decade Ahead: What’s coming in the Life Sciences? Musah shares predictions.
Published November 25, 2019
Incubation Awards to Assist Seven Innovative Research Projects Move Toward the Market
Published November 6, 2019
“Talent from All Corners” Event Honors the Contribution of Immigrants to American Science