HHMI Investigator Program

HHMI catalyzes discovery science by investing in outstanding researchers with generous and flexible funding for significant periods of time. Carefully selecting scientist who ask tough questions in science, even at the risk of failure, the HHMI Investigator Program allows scientists tremendous freedom to pursue their work. There are approximately 300 HHMI investigators worldwide; with these appointments, 32 have associations with The Rockefeller University.

Current Faculty and Emeriti

Gabriel D. Victora

2024-PRESENT HHMI Investigator

Victora studies how antibodies are generated in response to infection and immunization.

Vanessa Ruta

2021-Present HHMI Investigator

Vanessa Ruta investigates neural circuits that underlie innate and learned behaviors.

Daniel Kronauer

2021-Present HHMI Investigator

Daniel Kronauer studies evolution in insect societies.

Daniel Mucida

2021-Present HHMI Investigator

Daniel Mucida examines mucosal immunology.

Gaby Maimon

2018-Present HHMI Investigator

Maimon investigates how brains form memories and perform cognitive operations to guide behavior, with a focus on navigation.

Luciano Marraffini

2018-Present HHMI Investigator

Marraffini investigates how bacteria acquire immunity to viruses via CRISPR-Cas systems.

Jean-Laurent Casanova

2014-Present HHMI Investigator

Casanova tests the hypothesis that life-threatening disease during primary infection results from inborn errors of immunity.

Leslie B. Vosshall

2008-2022 HHMI Investigator

Vosshall investigates how sensory stimuli are perceived and processed.

Paul Bieniasz

2008-Present HHMI Investigator

Bieniasz studies the biology and evolution of viruses, including HIV-1, and host-virus interactions.

Thomas Walz

2008-2015 HHMI Investigator

Walz uses cryo-electron microscopy to study macromolecular complexes and membrane proteins in lipid environments.

Erich D. Jarvis

2008-Present Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Jarvis studies neural and genetic mechanisms of spoken language using song-learning birds and other animals.

Jue Chen

2008-Present HHMI Investigator

Chen investigates the structure and function of transporter proteins in the cell membrane.

Thomas Tuschl

2005-2018 HHMI Investigator

Tuschl investigates gene regulation by small RNA molecules, RNA-binding proteins, and ribonucleoprotein complexes.

Robert B. Darnell

2002-Present HHMI Investigator

Darnell studies RNA regulation in autoimmunity, neurological disease, and cancer.

Stanislas Leibler

2000-2001 HHMI Investigator

Leibler Conducts quantitative studies of interacting biological systems on molecular, cellular, and ecological levels.

Michel C. Nussenzweig

1999-Present Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Nussenzweig studies the molecular aspects of adaptive and innate immune responses with a focus on HIV-1.

Roderick MacKinnon

1997-Present HHMI Investigator

MacKinnon studies principles underlying biological electricity, particularly the passage of ions across cell membranes.

Hermann Steller

1997-2016 HHMI Investigator

Steller investigates the regulation of cell death and protein degradation.

Cori Bargmann

1995-2016 HHMI Investigator

Bargmann studies the relationship between genes, neural circuits, and behavior in C. elegans.

Richard P. Lifton

1994-2016 HHMI Investigator

Lifton uses large-scale genetics and genomics to identify mutations underlying human disease and their biochemical mechanisms.

Elaine Fuchs

1993-Present HHMI Investigator

Fuchs studies the mechanisms underlying how stem cells make and repair tissues and deviate in stress, aging, and cancer.

Michael O'Donnell

1993-Present HHMI Investigator

Donnell studies the molecular mechanisms of DNA replication, recombination, and repair.

A. James Hudspeth

1993-Present HHMI Investigator

Hudspeth studies the neural mechanisms of hearing and pursues treatments for hearing loss.

Nathaniel Heintz

1992-2022 HHMI Investigator

Heintz investigates histological and functional aspects of the mammalian brain in health and disease.

Michael W. Young

1987-1996 HHMI Investigator

Young investigates the genetic regulation of biological clocks that underlie many activities of living organisms.

Jeffrey M. Friedman

1986-Present HHMI Investigator

Freiwald studies how the brain processes visual cues from faces to better understand perception and social cognition.

Past Faculty

1994-2003

Marc Tessier-Lavigne

1990-2002

Stephen K. Burley

1988-2001

Yongwon Choi

1988-1999

Claude Desplan

1988-1993

Jan Geliebter

1986-2018

Gunter Blobel

Rockefeller University

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HHMI Investigator Program

Current Faculty and Emeriti

Gabriel D. Victora, Ph.D.

Vanessa Ruta, Ph.D.

Daniel Kronauer, Ph.D.

Daniel Mucida, Ph.D.

Gaby Maimon, Ph.D.

Luciano Marraffini, Ph.D.

Jean-Laurent Casanova, M.D., Ph.D.

Leslie B. Vosshall, Ph.D.

Paul Bieniasz, Ph.D.

Thomas Walz, Ph.D.

Erich D. Jarvis, Ph.D.

Jue Chen, Ph.D.

Thomas Tuschl, Ph.D.

Robert B. Darnell, M.D., Ph.D.

Stanislas Leibler, Ph.D.

Michel C. Nussenzweig, M.D., Ph.D.

Roderick MacKinnon, M.D.

Hermann Steller, Ph.D.

Cori Bargmann, Ph.D.

Richard P. Lifton, M.D., Ph.D.

Elaine Fuchs, Ph.D.

Michael O'Donnell, Ph.D.

A. James Hudspeth, M.D., Ph.D.

Nathaniel Heintz, Ph.D.

Michael W. Young, Ph.D.

Jeffrey M. Friedman, M.D., Ph.D.

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