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New faculty member investigates how genes are born and proliferate

It’s a central question in evolution: How does something new emerge? Li Zhao, an evolutionary biologist and the most recent addition to Rockefeller’s faculty, approaches this problem by investigating the birth of new genes. Appointed a tenure-track assistant professor and head of laboratory, Zha...

New faculty member investigates how genes are born and proliferate

by Wynne Parry, science writer It’s a central question in evolution: How does something new emerge? Li Zhao, an evolutionary biologist and the most recent addition to Rockefeller’s faculty, approaches this problem by investigating the birth of new genes. Appointed a tenure-track assistant pr...

Rick Lifton, geneticist who linked salt and hypertension, to be Rockefeller’s 11th president

by Zach Veilleux, director of publications & editor-in-chief Rick Lifton has been at the cutting edge of genomics since his college days and has led Yale’s department of genetics for the last 18 years. He’s also the scientist whose work makes us feel guilty about sprinkling salt on our ...

Rockefeller tops global ranking of scientific impact

by Katherine Fenz, media relations manager A new ranking of universities that measures their influence based on the impact of research publications has placed The Rockefeller University at the very top of its list. The results of the 2016 CWTS Leiden Ranking, announced May 18, reveal that Rockefe...

35 labs and counting: How the Robertson Therapeutic Development Fund speeds translational research at Rockefeller

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor Developing a new medical product is a complex, high-risk endeavor. Of the thousands of clinically promising concepts scientists formulate each year, only a small fraction move beyond the lab. The Robertson TDF was created to advance work that has gone beyon...

The new river campus is about to arrive—section by section

by Wynne Parry, science writer It’s no ordinary construction project. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation–David Rockefeller River Campus will extend the university’s grounds some 90 feet toward the East River, creating two new acres of land out of thin air. The steel skeleton that will mak...

Awards, arrivals, and promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: David Allis has won the 2016 Gruber Genetics Prize. The prize is given by The Gruber Foundation of Yale University and honors scientists whose work inspires fundamental shifts in knowledge and culture. Allis shares the award with Michael Grunstein of U...

Rockefeller scientists in the news

by Katherine Fenz, media relations manager Breakthrough human embryo research A revolutionary method to study early human embryo development developed in Ali Brivanlou’s laboratory received widespread media coverage this month. The study was the first to successfully culture human embryos for...

The Global Corporate Challenge at Rockefeller: 100 days around the world

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor This spring, several hundred Rockefeller faculty and staff members will embark on a competitive, virtual walking tour of the world. The group, which will be divided into teams and motivated to find the longest walking routes across campus and around the cit...

Richard P. Lifton named 11th president of The Rockefeller University

The Rockefeller University today announced that its Board of Trustees has elected Richard P. Lifton to be the 11th president of the university, effective September 1, 2016. Lifton, 62, Sterling Professor of Genetics and chair of the department of genetics at Yale University, will succeed Marc Tes...

Work begins to redesign Rockefeller’s website

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor and Zach Veilleux, director of publications & editor-in-chief The last time Rockefeller’s website was rebuilt, mobile phones had hinges and Netflix sent movies only on disks. Broadband was still a novelty and Myspace was on the rise. That was in 2004, an...

Awards, arrivals, and promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Paul Cohen has won a Young Investigator Award together with two of his collaborators. The prize is given by the International Human Frontier Science Program Organization to recognize projects under the theme of “complex mechanisms in living organisms...

New tools from IT aim to help users track device inventory and plan updates

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor Information Technology has unveiled two new tools—an inventory dashboard and a support matrix—to help users plan operating system upgrades and keep track of their computers and mobile devices. The tools are part of a larger initiative designed to help R...

Drug discovery institute seeks proposals for innovative antibody projects

by Julie Grisham, freelance writer The Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute (Tri-I TDI) has reached a new milestone in its effort to advance the development of new drugs based on basic science discoveries made at Rockefeller and its two neighboring institutions, Weill Cornell M...

Global ranking places Rockefeller ahead of 1,300 universities in two key measures of scientific impact

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor A comparison of more than 1,300 universities worldwide has found that Rockefeller University ranks first place in two key categories that measure the impact of its research and the transfer of knowledge to the private sector. The results, which were release...

Evolutionary biologist Sean B. Carroll wins Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor “How many true books about science include a coded message from occupied Hungary, written in invisible starch solution on the inside of a record album to be revealed by exposure to iodine?” Jesse Ausubel, who chairs the selection committee for Rockefel...

Awards, arrivals, and promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Cori Bargmann has won the 2016 Edward M. Scolnick Prize in Neuroscience, an award given by the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT to recognize outstanding advances in the field. She is being honored for her work on the genetic and neural mech...

Rockefeller scientists in the news

by Katherine Fenz, media relations manager Mutant mosquitoes Earlier this month, PBS Newshour featured Leslie Vosshall in a segment on the use of mutant mosquitoes to fight Zika and dengue fever. “Mosquitoes—especially the mosquitoes that are spreading Zika, dengue, and chikungunya...

February attacks show why we should take cybersecurity seriously

by Diana Gitig, science writer Rockefeller was attacked some eight billion times last year by hackers. The overwhelming majority of those attempts were thwarted by firewalls, anti-virus software, and other countermeasures maintained by IT’s information security team: the offenders are blocked a...

Mayor de Blasio visits Rockefeller for tour and biotech conference

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio hosted a life sciences roundtable, featuring leaders from the pharmaceutical, biotech, and venture capital industries, at The Rockefeller University this week, part of an effort by the city to highlight investments in this sector and solicit ideas to encourage c...

Three new trustees are elected to the Board

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor The university’s Board of Trustees elected three new members at their February 17 meeting: William A. Ackman, chief executive officer and portfolio manager of Pershing Square Capital Management, L.P.; Scott K.H. Bessent, chief executive officer and chief in...

Luciano Marraffini, among the first scientists to plumb the workings of the CRISPR-Cas system, is promoted to associate professor

by Diana Gitig, science writer Rockefeller University microbiologist Luciano Marraffini, head of the Laboratory of Bacteriology, has been promoted to associate professor. He studies the CRISPR-Cas system, which is part of an immune response that bacteria and some other microbes use to defend...

Luciano Marraffini, among the first scientists to plumb the workings of the CRISPR-Cas system, is promoted to associate professor

Rockefeller University microbiologist Luciano Marraffini, head of the Laboratory of Bacteriology, has been promoted to associate professor. He studies the CRISPR-Cas system, which is part of an immune response bacteria and some other microbes use to defend themselves against viruses known as phag...

Search committee formed to identify Marc Tessier-Lavigne’s successor

When President Marc Tessier-Lavigne announced earlier this month that he will be leaving the university in September to become the next president of Stanford University, the news was met with praise for his many accomplishments by the campus community, the Rockefeller Board of Trustees, and its c...

Timothy O’Connor appointed executive vice president

by Eva Kiesler, managing editor The Rockefeller Board of Trustees has approved the appointment of Timothy O’Connor as executive vice president of the university, effective February 17. In his former role as chief of staff and vice president, Dr. O’Connor provided high-level support to presi...

Rockefeller hosts the first New York City symposium on human genetics

by Katherine Fenz, media relations manager Tapping into human genetics holds great promise for understanding and treating disease, but there is still much to be learned. Scientists continue to have questions about how our DNA is altered in various afflictions, and how to effectively sort thr...

Awards, arrivals, and promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Jean-Laurent Casanova has been recognized with the Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award for his work investigating the genetic basis of pediatric infectious diseases. The award is given by the American Society for Clinical Investigation, an honor society of phys...

Help our archivists keep Rockefeller's science legacy alive

by Katie Fenz, media relations manager The scene at Rockefeller in the early 20th century was bustling with activity. There was Simon Flexner, developing an efficient way to treat meningitis; René Dubos, identifying properties of the first antibiotics; and Peyton Rous, testing his new idea tha...

Rockefeller University president Tessier-Lavigne chosen to lead Stanford University

Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Ph.D., will step down from his position as president of The Rockefeller University September 1, 2016, to become the 11th president of Stanford University, it was announced today. Tessier-Lavigne was elected 10th president of Rockefeller in September 2010 following an interna...

Talking Science takes high school students on a journey through the history of drug development

by Wynne Parry, science writer   On a recent Saturday, about 350 students and 70 teachers from 50 New York City–regional schools took their seats in Caspary Auditorium for a whirlwind tour through the history of drug discovery. Their guide during the two-part lecture, which is part of the u...

Winrich Freiwald, who studies facial processing, is promoted to associate professor

Winrich Freiwald, a neuroscientist who studies one of the most basic aspects of social interaction—how the brain processes faces—has been promoted to associate professor as of January 1. Freiwald, who heads the Laboratory of Neural Systems, works on understanding how a specialized system in t...

Winrich Freiwald, who studies facial processing, is promoted to associate professor

by Wynne Parry, science writer Winrich Freiwald, a neuroscientist who studies one of the most basic aspects of social interaction—how the brain processes faces—has been promoted to associate professor as of January 1. Dr. Freiwald, who heads the Laboratory of Neural Systems, works on unde...

Don’t miss these stories about Rockefeller and our scientists

by Eva Kiesler, managing editor In a recent episode of the CUNY TV talk show Conversations in the Digital Age, host Jim Zirin conducts a 30-minute interview with Rockefeller University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne about the university—which Mr. Zirin refers to as an “amazing instituti...

Awards, arrivals, and promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Luciano Marraffini has been recognized with the Hans Sigrist Prize for his work developing a new approach to fight antibiotic resistance. The Hans Sigrist Prize recognizes work in a different academic field each year based on a decision by a faculty co...

No borders to excellence: Rockefeller’s graduate students come from everywhere, including Cuba

by Wynne Parry, science writer Students arrive from around the world to join Rockefeller’s graduate program; the ratio of international students is higher here than in most equivalent programs in the United States. This year’s entering class has a particularly global character. Of the 27 stude...

Rockefeller fundraising breaks new record

by Eva Kiesler, managing editor It’s been a year of tremendous progress at Rockefeller. In 2015, we welcomed six new faculty members, most recently immunologist Gabriel Victora and biological physicist Alipasha Vaziri; began construction of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation—David Rockefeller Ri...

Awards, arrivals, and promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Luciano Marraffini has been awarded the Hans Sigrist Prize for his work applying CRISPR-Cas systems to antibiotic resistance. Bestowed by the University of Bern and the Hans Sigrist Foundation, the award recognizes mid-career academics and researchers ...

Employee art show reveals hidden talents

by Eva Kiesler, managing editor   Late one evening last fall, Rockefeller postdoctoral associate He Tian was setting up her camera on a tripod in the North Welch Garden outside the Markus Library. With a telephoto lens aimed toward the sky, and the exposure parameters carefully adjusted, she s...

Trustee Elizabeth Curry dies at 74

by Katherine Fenz, media relations manager Elizabeth “Beth” Curry, a member of Rockefeller’s Board of Trustees, died in November at the age of 74. She had a deep passion for science and relished learning about the work of the investigators at the university, and will be missed by the Rocke...

Groundbreaking ceremony marks start of construction on East River seawall repairs

The university has started to refurbish the damaged seawall that supports the East River Esplanade between 63rd and 68th Streets as part of the campus extension project. The esplanade will also be improved, with a new bike lane, landscaping, and a noise barrier along the FDR Drive.

Helen Hobbs receives Rockefeller’s Pearl Meister Greengard Prize

by Katherine Fenz, media relations manager Helen Hobbs, a cardiology researcher, received the 2015 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize during a festive event in the Caspary Auditorium last month. The award, which Dr. Hobbs received for her pioneering research into the genetics of high cholesterol and ...

Board of Trustees gains two new members

by Wynne Parry, science writer Two new members have joined the university’s Board of Trustees: Katherine Farley, a real estate investment and development executive, and Kathryn A. Murdoch, a philanthropist interested in aligning economic and environmental health. With their elections, the board ...

Rockefeller’s newest faculty member investigates how antibodies are made

When a pathogen invades the body, the immune system responds by producing proteins called antibodies that are precisely targeted at the invader. Gabriel Victora, an immunologist who studies how these finely tuned antibodies are generated, is the most recent addition to Rockefeller’s tenure-track ...

Rockefeller’s newest faculty member investigates how antibodies are made

by Katherine Fenz, media relations manager When a pathogen invades the body, the immune system responds by producing antibodies that are precisely targeted at the invader. Gabriel Victora, an immunologist who studies how these finely tuned antibodies are generated, is the most recent addition t...

Bigger data, bigger opportunities: Meet Rockefeller’s new chief information officer

by Eva Kiesler, managing editor According to some estimates, more than 90 percent of information created by humanity has been generated only in the last couple of years. The need for new technologies to handle large and complex data sets is particularly evident in the area of bioscience, where mo...

Awards, arrivals, and promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Jesse Ausubel has been awarded an American Geographical Society honorary fellowship. The fellowship recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of geography. Certificates of this honor will be presented during the so...

Safe science: The fight against caustic splashes, toxic waste, and other common lab threats

by Julie Grisham, freelance writer In every Rockefeller lab and office, people are dedicated to improving human health, and the Office of Laboratory Safety and Environmental Health is no exception. In fact, its team members support the university’s mission by maintaining the health of one spec...

Rockefeller welcomes hundreds of visitors during Open House New York weekend

by Eva Kiesler, managing editor   Rockefeller is sometimes described as a scientific village within New York City. But for Upper East Side residents and other passersby who don’t work here, our campus may seem more like a secret garden, whose magnificent trees and deft architecture loom myste...

Helmsley Trust renews $15 million grant for novel digestive disorders research

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has awarded a new three-year, $15-million grant to The Rockefeller University to help support the interdisciplinary Center for Basic and Translational Research on Disorders of the Digestive System. Established in 2012 with an initial $15-million...

New faculty member develops light-based tools to study the brain

When the brain is at work, large numbers of neurons within it interact rapidly, passing messages, sometimes across large distances. The most recent addition to Rockefeller University’s faculty, Alipasha Vaziri, devises optical tools for capturing and manipulating these interactions to create dyna...

New faculty member develops light-based tools to study the brain

by Wynne Parry, Science Writer When the brain is at work, large numbers of neurons within it interact rapidly, passing messages, sometimes across large distances. The most recent addition to Rockefeller University’s faculty, Alipasha Vaziri, devises optical tools for capturing and manipulating ...

New neuroscience institute established at Rockefeller with funding from the Kavli Foundation

by Eva Kiesler, Managing Editor Earlier this month, a group of Rockefeller representatives travelled to Washington, D.C, to take part in an announcement of the university’s newly established Kavli Neural Systems Institute (Kavli NSI). Funded by a $20 million endowment supported equally by The Ka...

Under its new director, the grants office will explore fresh ways to ease scientists’ hunt for funding

by Eva Kiesler, Managing Editor Ask a handful of scientists what they wish they could spend less time doing, and chances are many will say applying for grants. Rockefeller’s Office of Sponsored Research and Program Development (SR-PD) strives to provide the highest level of assistance for those...

Helmsley Trust renews $15 million grant for novel digestive disorders research

by Wynne Parry, Science Writer The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has awarded a new three-year, $15-million grant to The Rockefeller University to help support the interdisciplinary Center for Basic and Translational Research on Disorders of the Digestive System. Established in 2...

Awards, arrivals, and promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Hani Goodarzi has been named a Blavatnik Regional Awards Winner in the life sciences. Given by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and the New York Academy of Science, the award honors outstanding postdocs in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Winners ...

Renovations to two RRB floors will create structural biology ‘cluster’

by ZACH VEILLEUX A lab modernization project underway on two floors in the Rockefeller Research Building, to be completed next spring, is reconfiguring 17,000 square feet of space to create new labs for four Rockefeller structural biologists who frequently collaborate. The result—a structural bi...

Celebrating David Rockefeller’s 100th birthday

[slideshow_deploy id='3672'] by WYNNE PARRY This summer marked two milestones for Life Trustee David Rockefeller: His 100th birthday and his 75th year on the Board of Trustees. In celebration, the Board’s June 3 meeting included a tribute to Mr. Rockefeller in honor of his extraordinary leade...

Obesity researcher and former hospital physician-in-chief Jules Hirsch dies

by WYNNE PARRY Jules Hirsch, an early leader in the study of human metabolism, died at age 88 in Englewood, New Jersey, after a long illness. His research, conducted at The Rockefeller University, helped establish the biological underpinnings of obesity, challenging the notion that the disease re...

The Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute opens new round of funding

by EVA KIESLER For the past two years, the Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute (Tri-I TDI) — a partnership between The Rockefeller University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Weill Cornell Medical College — has been working to speed the translation of basic science di...

Heilbrunn Center announces recipients of its Nurse Scholar Awards

by WYNNE PARRY Three nurses at New York state universities have been selected to receive the university’s Heilbrunn Nurse Scholar Awards, which The Rockefeller University awards annually to provide financial support for nurses while they pursue independent research projects. Each one- to two-year...