Milestones

Awarded:

C. David Allis, a $1 million grant from the Starr Foundation’s Sixth Starr Cancer Consortium Grant Competition to investigate epigenetic contributions to the development of pediatric gliomas. Dr. Allis is the Joy and Jack Fishman Professor and head of the Laboratory of Chromatin Biology and Epigenetics.

Cori Bargmann and Titia de Lange, two of the first annual Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences, $3 million prizes established by six tech entrepreneurs dedicated to advancing breakthrough research. Dr. Bargmann, the Torsten N. Wiesel Professor, head of the Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, is recognized for her work on the genetics of neural circuits and behavior, and synaptic guidepost molecules. Dr. de Lange, Leon Hess Professor and head of the Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics, is recognized for research on telomeres, illuminating how they protect chromosome ends and their role in genome instability in cancer.

Teresa Davoli, the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award, one of the country’s most prestigious graduate student prizes, for her studies of a new mechanism of tetraploidization that is induced by dysfunctional telomeres. Ms. Davoli is a graduate student in Titia de Lange’s Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics who will receive her degree this June. The award recipients will participate in a scientific symposium at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle in May, and will receive an honorarium from the Weintraub and Groudine Fund.

Jeffrey M. Friedman, The King Faisal International Prize in Medicine from the Saudi Arabian King Faisal Foundation. The prize recognizes Dr. Friedman’s discovery of the leptin pathway and its role in regulating body weight. Dr. Friedman is the Marilyn M. Simpson Professor and head of the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics as well as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. He shares the prize with Douglas Coleman, emeritus scientist at the Jackson Laboratory.

Jeffrey M. Friedman, the BBVA Frontier of Knowledge Award in Biomedicine from the BBVA Foundation, based in Bilbao, Spain. Dr. Friedman shares the prize with Dr. Coleman.

Elaine Fuchs, the Albert M. Kligman/Philip Frost Leadership Lecture Award, given in acknowledgement of significant contributions to the understanding of structure and function of skin. The award includes a $25,000 honorarium and will be presented at the meetings of the International Society of Investigative Dermatology in Edinburgh, Scotland in May. Dr. Fuchs is the Rebecca C. Lancefield Professor and head of the Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development at Rockefeller, and is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

Elaine Fuchs, the Robert J. and Claire Pasarow Foundation Medical Research Award in Cancer Research, which honors extraordinary achievement, creativity and distinction in cancer, cardiovascular disease and neuropsychiatry research. Dr. Fuchs will receive $20,000 to support ongoing research on the molecular mechanisms of skin stem cells, how they make and repair tissues and how cancers develop. She shares the prize with Richard Peto of the University of Oxford and Matthew P. Scott of Stanford University.

Emil C. Gotschlich, the 2013 Maurice Hilleman/Merck Award from the American Society for Microbiology, for his groundbreaking work that established the science of modern vaccinology and led to the creation of successful vaccines. The award includes a $20,000 prize and is named in honor of Maurice Hilleman, who helped save many lives through his work in the development of vaccines. Dr. Gotschlich is R. Gwin Follis-Chevron Professor Emeritus and consulting senior physician emeritus at The Rockefeller University Hospital.

Bruce S. McEwen, the William James Lifetime Achievement Award for Basic Research from the Association for Psychological Science. The award, which is the association’s highest honor, recognizes a lifetime of significant intellectual contributions to the basic science of psychology. It will be presented in honor of the association’s 25th anniversary, and commends Dr. McEwen as one whose work has had a profound impact on the field of psychological science over the past quarter century. Dr. McEwen is the Alfred E. Mirsky Professor and head of the Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology.

Vanessa Ruta, a 2012 Sloan Research Fellowship of $50,000 to further her research on how neural circuits are modified by experience. Dr. Ruta is assistant professor and head of the Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior. The two-year fellowships, from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, are given to early-career researchers who show promise as the next generation of scientific leaders.

Julia Sliwa, the Award for Young Researchers from the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation in France. The €25,000 award recognizes doctoral research in the life sciences, work that Dr. Sliwa conducted at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience in Lyon. She joined Winrich Freiwald’s Laboratory of Neural Systems as a postdoctoral fellow in 2012.

Michael W. Young, the 12th annual Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences, along with colleagues Jeffrey Hall and Michael Rosbash of Brandeis University, for their discovery of the molecular mechanisms governing circadian rhythm. Dr. Young is the Richard and Jeanne Fisher Professor and head of the Laboratory of Genetics. The award includes a $35,000 prize and was presented in April at Rockefeller.

Named:

Jesse Ausubel, the 2012 National Champion of the Ocean by Monmouth University in New Jersey. Announced at the 8th annual Future of the Ocean Symposium and Champions of the Ocean Awards Luncheon, the honor recognizes the work of Mr. Ausubel’s Census of Marine Life initiative, a global network of researchers in more than 80 nations that aims to assess and explain the diversity, distribution and abundance of marine life. Mr. Ausubel is senior research associate and director of the Program for the Human Environment.

Hired:

Marlon Almonte, helpdesk and computer support specialist, Information Technology.
Anja Armache, postdoctoral associate, Allis Lab.
Victor Baez, associate cook, Hospital Bionutrition.
Annette Becker, postdoctoral associate, Tarakhovsky Lab.
Martin Blaser, member of the adjunct faculty, Coller Lab.
Angel Noel Cardenas, cage card compliance assistant, Comparative Bioscience Center.
Andrea Chiricozzi, visiting fellow, Krueger Lab.
Xi Chu, visiting student, Pfaff Lab.
Eleanor Clowney, postdoctoral associate, Ruta Lab.
Hannah Cohen, human resources assistant, Human Resources.
Lindsey Cole, assistant director of outreach programming and events, Development.
Alan Curry, research specialist, Program for the Human Environment.
Erika Custer, administrative assistant, Greengard Lab.
Tali Czarnowicki, instructor in clinical investigation, Krueger Lab.
Annunziata Dattola, postdoctoral fellow, Krueger Lab.
Sarah de Jong, postdoctoral associate, Casanova Lab.
Karolin Pia Dosenovic, postdoctoral fellow, Nussenzweig Lab.
Laura Duvall, postdoctoral associate, Vosshall Lab.
Sara Eriksson, foreign research intern, Pfaff Lab.
Christine Espiritu, research specialist, Rice Lab.
Aitor Garcia, postdoctoral fellow, Tuschl Lab.
Yejing Ge, postdoctoral associate, Fuchs Lab.
Caroline Gleason, research assistant, Simon Lab.
Benjamin Greenbaum, visiting fellow, Leibler Lab.
Oscar Greenberg, member of the adjunct faculty, Khuri Lab.
Tomomi Haremaki, research associate, Brivanlou Lab.
Michael Heke, senior research associate, Brivanlou Lab.
Makoto Ishii, member of the adjunct faculty, Friedman Lab.
Amelia Kahaney, laboratory administrator, Tarakhovsky Lab.
Emma Karnsund, foreign research intern, Pfaff Lab.
Wolfgang Keil, postdoctoral fellow, Siggia Lab.
Ryan Kim, research associate, Tarakhovsky Lab.
Kathryn Kistler, research assistant, Vosshall Lab.
Erica Korb, postdoctoral associate, Allis Lab.
Maksim Kutuzov, database administrator, Information Technology.
Victor Laboy, campus security officer, Security.
Andrea Leinberger-Jabari, community engagement specialist, Hospital Clinical Research Office.
Leandro Lemgruber Soares, research support specialist, Electron Microscopy Resource Center.
Shu Li, research assistant, Brivanlou Lab.
Romain Libbrecht, postdoctoral fellow, Kronauer Lab.
Anna Lindh, visiting student, McEwen Lab.
Jesper Lofgren, foreign research intern, Pfaff Lab.
Oshane Lord, laboratory helper, Stebbins Lab.
Janet Markle, postdoctoral associate, Casanova Lab.
Steven Martinez, cashier, Finance Accounting Services.
Daniel Montiel, postdoctoral associate, Brady Lab.
Virginia Pedicord, postdoctoral associate, Hang Lab.
Alena Powell, administrative coordinator, Office of Academic Affairs.
Teodoro Pulvirenti, scientific editor, Rockefeller University Press.
Johan Rudling, foreign research intern, Pfaff Lab.
Roy Saado, visiting student, McEwen Lab.
Erin Salb, senior manuscript coordinator, JCB, Rockefeller University Press.
Jeremy Segal, member of the adjunct faculty, Fuchs Lab.
Ataman Sendoel, postdoctoral associate, Fuchs Lab.
Caroline Sferrazza, research assistant, Heintz Lab.
Zhen Shen, postdoctoral associate, Roeder Lab.
Bernardo Tavora, postdoctoral associate, Tavazoie Lab.
Nesibe Temiz, foreign research intern, Freiwald Lab.
Michael Tomasini, postdoctoral associate, Simon Lab.
Priyanka Verma, postdoctoral associate, Kapoor Lab.
Vikram Vijayan, postdoctoral associate, Maimon Lab.
Guillaume Vogt, member of the adjunct faculty, Casanova Lab.
Christoph von Beeren, postdoctoral fellow, Kronauer Lab.
Lotta von Boehmer, postdoctoral fellow, Nussenzweig Lab.
Gunnar von Heijne, visiting professor, MacKinnon Lab.
Weiwei Wang, postdoctoral associate, MacKinnon Lab.
Ethan Weinberg, visiting fellow, Tavazoie Lab.
Kinga Winczura, visiting student, Rout Lab.
Valerie Yanofsky, visiting medical student, Krueger Lab.
Jianping Zhang, bioinformatics specialist, Greengard Lab.

Promoted (academic appointments):

Guo-Qing Chang, to senior research associate, Leibowitz Lab.
Howard Hang, to associate professor and head of laboratory, Hang Lab.
Thomas Huber, to research assistant professor, Sakmar Lab.
Alexander Ploss, to research associate professor, Rice Lab.
Christine Trumpfheller, to research assistant professor, Nussenzweig Lab.
Shen-Ying Zhang, to assistant professor of clinical investigation, Casanova Lab.

A new species of protozoan, Staurojoenina mulleri, in honor of professor emeritus Miklós Müller. The organism, which is found in hindgut of North American termites, was discovered by Patrick J. Keeling of the University of British Columbia and his colleagues. An electron micrograph of S. mulleri (above) was featured on the cover of The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology this spring and will also be part of a permanent exhibit opening in April at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. “This species is named in honor of professor Miklós Müller, a pioneer of parabasalian research, whose work transformed our understanding of their biochemistry and evolution, and who has been a longtime mentor and supporter of parabasalian researchers,” Dr. Keeling and his colleagues wrote.
Photo credit: Kevin J. Carpenter

This publication lists new hires, awards and promotions. Staff promotions are listed yearly;