Rio Salazar (Cell and Molecular Biology) is a 2023 Gilliam Fellow. The Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study is granted to outstanding graduate students who are committed to increasing diversity in the scientific ecosystem. Her advisor is Robert Carrillo. Salazar and her adviser's work focused on Cell surface protein mechanisms of synaptic partner recognition in the Drosophila neuromuscular system. HHMI created the Gilliam program in 2004 in honor of the late James H. Gilliam, Jr., a charter trustee of HHMI who spent his life nurturing excellence and diversity in science and education. The Gilliam program seeks to advance equity and inclusion in science by investing in graduate students and their advisers who embody leadership in science. For up to three years, each student-adviser pair will receive an annual award totaling $53,000. Advisers will also participate in a year-long mentorship development course, focused on teaching advisers how to listen and engage across cultures.