News & HighlightsNews
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...
Awards, Arrivals, and Promotions
Congratulations to the following researchers, who have recently been honored with prestigious awards: Joel Cohen has received the Golden Goose Award in honor of his work developing the first global map of human population distribution by elevation. Award winners, selected by a panel of respected ...
Newest addition to Rockefeller faculty studies how cellular metabolism contributes to disease
The most recent addition to Rockefeller’s tenure-track faculty, Kivanç Birsoy, studies the changes in cellular metabolism that occur in disease, including cancer. Currently a postdoc at MIT’s Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Birsoy will relocate to Rockefeller in January and establi...
Announcements
New perks, health and wellness events unveiled. Rockefeller students and employees are now eligible for a discount on Verizon FiOS service, special banking deals from Apple Bank and on mortgage rates at Chase, and car rental deals with Enterprise CarShare. For more information on perks, visit ins...
Rockefeller welcomes three new lab heads
by WYNNE PARRY In the next five months, three new laboratories will open on campus, their research centering on cellular metabolism, biological membranes, and molecular motors. Two of the new faculty recruits are tenure-track candidates who emerged as finalists in last year’s open search. The thi...
With landmark gift from Kravis Foundation, construction on the river campus begins
by AMELIA KAHANEY The first visible sign of the university’s ambitious expansion project—the construction of a new “river campus” and a 135,600 square-foot laboratory building over the FDR Drive—arrived on June 15 in the form of a small excavator and a few dozen orange and white road barr...
Smogorzewska and Tavazoie named associate professors
Agata Smogorzewska and Sohail Tavazoie, physician-scientists who joined Rockefeller in 2009, have both been promoted this year to the rank of associate professor. Dr. Smogorzewska, who studies DNA repair processes that occur during cellular replication, is head of the Laboratory of Genome Mainten...
New garden dedicated to longtime employee Lila Magie
Before retiring to Maine in 1991, Lila Magie was an indomitable force at Rockefeller for 41 years, working with five university presidents and rising from stenographer to head of non-academic personnel, and then to director of faculty administration and corporate secretary to the Board of Trustee...
New university Board members have backgrounds in biology and finance
by AMELIA KAHANEY The university’s Board of Trustees recently elected two new members: Robert K. Steel, chief executive officer of Perella Weinberg Partners, and Joan A. Steitz, Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute in...
Rockefeller designated a “Milestones in Microbiology” site by the American Society for Microbiology
by AMELIA KAHANEY Infectious disease was once the most serious threat to human health. Research in microbiology changed this by revealing the responsible pathogens and producing therapies to counter their infection. For its critical contributions to this historic transition, this spring The Rocke...
Artist Isabella Kirkland donates prints to Rockefeller
by AMELIA KAHANEY The earth has lost approximately 1,000 species to extinction in the past 500 years, and scientists predict that number will multiply rapidly during this century. At the same time, thousands of species new to science are discovered each year and several million may remain to be d...
Second annual "Science Saturday" draws families for hands-on learning
In its second year, Science Saturday attendance grew by nearly a third, bringing more than 1,000 guests—over half of them children—to Rockefeller to experience a day of hands-on science activities. Jointly hosted by the Development Office’s Parents & Science initiative and the Science Outreach...
Susan King named executive director of Press
by AMELIA KAHANEY When Susan King first began her career in scientific publishing, with a Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Glasgow and after a three-year postdoc at St George’s Hospital Medical School (now St George’s, University of London), she wasn’t sure what to expect of life out...
Mathematicians Steven Strogatz and Ian Stewart win Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science
by WYNNE PARRY It takes a particular breadth of mind to succeed in bridging the world of advanced science and the world of letters. But perhaps even more unusual is the mathematician who can translate complex numerical investigations into poetry, comedy, suspense, and mystery for readers untraine...
John C. Whitehead, emeritus trustee, dies at 92
by AMELIA KAHANEY John C. Whitehead, a member of the university’s Board of Trustees for nearly three decades, as well as a public servant and business leader, died in February at the age of 92. Closely identified with the partnership of Goldman Sachs, which he led for nearly a decade, Mr. Whitehe...
70 employees honored for longtime service
Two ceremonies have been held this year to commemorate years of service to the university by Rockefeller employees. In June, employees who retired in 2014 and those celebrating special anniversaries of 30 or more years were feted at an anniversary and retirement dinner in the Great Hall of Welch....
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