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Rockefeller president Richard P. Lifton releases statement on U.S. immigration policy

In response to an executive order on immigration issued by President Donald J. Trump Friday, Rockefeller University President Richard P. Lifton today released the following statement: We at Rockefeller University, a world-renowned center for research in the biomedical sciences, oppose both the sp...

Pels Family Center for Biochemistry and Structural Biology receives new $10 million grant

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor A new $10 million endowment gift made by the Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust will provide ongoing support for the university’s chemical and structural biologists through the Pels Family Center for Biochemistry and Structural Biology. Mr. Pels, who was a Roc...

Rockefeller’s annual Celebrating Science benefit raises $2.8 million, an all-time record

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor Last month, 400 guests gathered on campus for cocktails, a lecture on next-generation genomics given by Robert B. Darnell, and a festive dinner. The event—Rockefeller’s fifth annual Celebrating Science benefit—raised a record $2.8 million for the uni...

Molecular biologist Bonnie Bassler receives Rockefeller’s Pearl Meister Greengard Prize

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor For hundreds of years, bacteria were thought of as reclusive, antisocial organisms. But molecular biologist Bonnie Bassler, known to some as the “Bacteria Whisperer,” discovered that these single-celled creatures actually talk to one another and c...

Neuroscientist Huda Y. Zoghbi is elected to the Board

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor Huda Y. Zoghbi, a pediatric neurologist and neuroscientist who has made key discoveries in the study of brain disorders, has been elected to Rockefeller’s Board of Trustees. With her election, which took place at the Board’s October 19 meeting, the univ...

Rockefeller’s Science Outreach program explores the microbes in food

If you’ve ever forgotten about a cheese wedge in the fridge, you may have discovered something mysterious growing on it, a sure sign that it’s no longer edible. But have you ever wondered where the microbes responsible for that change came from? That’s one of several questions that the late...

Gaby Maimon, who studies sophisticated brain functions in fruit flies, is promoted to associate professor

Neuroscientist Gaby Maimon, who heads the Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function, will become an associate professor as of January 1, 2017. His research program explores how the brain performs calculations to estimate values like angles and time, and is based on the idea that fruit flies, his r...

Awards, Arrivals, and Promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Winrich Freiwald has won the 2016 W. Alden Spencer Award. The prize, given by Columbia University, recognizes outstanding contributions in neuroscience. Dr. Freiwald, who shares the prize with his long-time collaborator Doris Y. Tsao of Caltech, presen...

Pioneering drug discovery company Bridge Medicines launched to advance promising early technologies in major academic institutions through human proof of concept

The Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute, a partnership between Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medicine and Takeda, joins with Deerfield Management and Bay City Capital to create an accelerated path to innovative therapies to treat ...

Child and Family Center expansion to 15 classrooms is complete

  The Rockefeller University Child and Family Center has grown. The recently completed expansion project, which included the construction of five new classrooms on the second floor of the Graduate Students Residence, has doubled the number of infant spots available in the child care program and a...

Thinking like a scientist: Research assistants at Rockefeller

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor As an undergraduate, Raquel Hernandez-Solis knew she wanted to pursue a graduate degree in the biosciences. She assumed she would follow the trajectory of many of her peers: apply to schools in her senior year and begin a Ph.D. program right upon graduation...

Rockefeller University awarded $27 million NIH grant to fund clinical and translational science

Rockefeller University’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science, established a decade ago to accelerate the pace of translating scientific discoveries into interventions shown to improve health, has received $27 million from the National Institutes of Health to fund ongoing and expanded wo...

Rockefeller boosts its wellness offerings

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor "Your head is down and you’re gritting your teeth and you’re pedaling hard,” says Timothy Blanchfield, describing what it’s like to be in one of the spin classes he teaches at Rockefeller’s fitness center. Mr. Blanchfield, a triathlete who has bee...

Neuroscientist Cori Bargmann to lead science work at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

Cori Bargmann, an internationally recognized neuroscientist who heads the Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior at Rockefeller, has been named the incoming president of science at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), the philanthropy funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuc...

Awards, Arrivals, and Promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Richard P. Lifton has won the 2016 Academy Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Biomedical Science. The award, given by The New York Academy of Medicine, recognizes Dr. Lifton for his seminal work on hypertension that has led to more effective prev...

Richard P. Lifton assumes office as the university’s 11th president

Physician-scientist Richard P. Lifton takes office on September 1 as Rockefeller University’s 11th president. Lifton, who has pioneered the use of genomics to identify the basis for diseases, succeeds Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who is leaving to assume the presidency of Stanford University. Lifton arr...

Awards, Arrivals, and Promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Veronica Jove is one of 34 graduate students who have received this year’s Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study, a program aimed at increasing diversity in the scientific workplace. The fellowship, given by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, support...

Daniel Mucida, who studies the gut’s specialized immune system, receives promotion

As of September 1, Daniel Mucida, who heads the Laboratory of Mucosal Immunology and studies the immune system along the vast surface of the intestine, will become an associate professor. The Board of Trustees approved his promotion on July 29. Although hidden from view, the gut has more interact...

Daniel Mucida, who studies the gut’s specialized immune system, receives promotion

by Wynne Parry, science writer As of September 1, Daniel Mucida, who heads the Laboratory of Mucosal Immunology and studies the immune system along the vast surface of the intestine, will become an associate professor. The Board of Trustees approved his promotion on July 29. Although hidd...

The 2016 graduates: Congratulatory tributes

During the Convocation ceremony, Rockefeller faculty commended their students for their scientific contributions, untiring work, and unique skills. Here are the congratulatory tributes given to each of the 2016 graduates (including students in the Tri-Institutional M.D.-Ph.D. Program, denoted wit...

Rockefeller’s 58th Convocation ceremony in pictures

At Rockefeller University’s first Convocation in 1959, there were five graduates. Fifty-seven years later, as of Convocation on June 9, 2016, there are now 1,209 recipients of the Rockefeller University doctor of philosophy degree. The day’s festivities began with a graduate luncheon in the G...

Awards, arrivals, and promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Cori Bargmann has been awarded an honorary doctor of science degree from the University of Oxford. Dr. Bargmann was one of nine distinguished figures who was celebrated at Encaenia, the university’s annual honorary degree ceremony, on June 22. Dr. Barg...

Rockefeller’s newest faculty member studies birdsong to illuminate the origins of human language

The ability to speak has allowed our species to pass knowledge between generations, articulate complex ideas, and build societies. Erich Jarvis, the newest addition to Rockefeller’s faculty, uses songbirds as a model to study the molecular mechanisms that underlie how individuals learn spoken lan...

Rockefeller’s newest faculty member studies birdsong to illuminate the origins of human language

by Katherine Fenz, media relations manager The ability to speak has allowed our species to pass knowledge between generations, articulate complex ideas, and build societies. Erich Jarvis, the newest addition to Rockefeller’s faculty, uses songbirds as a model to study the molecular mechan...

Mary E. Hatten and Daniel Kronauer honored with teaching awards

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor Mary E. Hatten, Frederick P. Rose Professor and head of the Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, and Daniel Kronauer, assistant professor and head of the Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, were honored at this year’s Convocation luncheon w...

2016 David Rockefeller Fellowship awarded to third-year graduate student Lillian Cohn

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor Lillian Cohn, a graduate fellow in Michel Nussenzweig’s Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, has been awarded the 2016 David Rockefeller Fellowship, given annually to an outstanding third-year student for demonstrating exceptional promise as a scientist...

Four leaders in biomedicine awarded honorary degrees

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor In addition to 31 students, four esteemed scientists received degrees at this year’s Convocation ceremony. Continuing a tradition dating back more than five decades, the university awarded honorary doctorate of science degrees to distinguished individual...

Neurobiologist interested in memory to join Rockefeller faculty

For humans, the ability to form and recall memories is what gives meaning to existence. Memory is what allows us to learn, to form relationships, and to feel emotions. Priya Rajasethupathy, the most recent addition to Rockefeller’s faculty, studies the mechanisms that make memories possible, work...

Neurobiologist interested in memory to join Rockefeller faculty

by Wynne Parry, science writer Currently a postdoc at Stanford, Dr. Rajasethupathy will join the university as a tenure-track assistant professor and head of laboratory in May. She is the third new scientist to emerge from Rockefeller’s fall 2015 open recruitment process, making this year...

New faculty member investigates how cells respond to mechanical forces

Whether maneuvering about under their own power, or being pushed and pulled by the surrounding tissue, cells both give and receive mechanical force. The newest addition to Rockefeller University’s faculty, Gregory Alushin, is a biophysicist who investigates how cells use their structural filament...

New faculty member investigates how cells respond to mechanical forces

by Wynne Parry, science writer Whether maneuvering about under their own power, or being pushed and pulled by the surrounding tissue, cells both give and receive mechanical force. The newest addition to Rockefeller University’s faculty, Gregory Alushin, is a biophysicist who investigates ...

Miriam O. Adelson, a physician and expert in drug addiction research, is elected to the Board

by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor The university’s Board of Trustees elected new member Miriam O. Adelson, a doctor of internal medicine and an expert in drug addiction research, at their June 1 meeting. With her election, the university has 48 voting trustees. Dr. Adelson is the chairma...

Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute expands focus to include antibody drug discovery research

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medicine today announced that they will expand the focus of the successful Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute, Inc., a partnership established in 2013 to expedite early-stage drug discovery of inn...

Awards, arrivals, and promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Research associate Richard Hite and postdoctoral fellow John Maciejowski are two of this year’s four winners of the 2016 Tri-Institutional Breakout Awards for Junior Investigators. The prize, established last year by three Tri-Institutional winners of ...

Installation of River Campus structure begins with delivery of first of 19 prefabricated modules

A new phase of the project to extend the Rockefeller University’s campus toward the East River begins tomorrow at midnight, when the first of 19 prefabricated sections of the extension’s structural skeleton will be lifted into place over the FDR Drive

Science Saturday draws hundreds of young explorers and their families

Never is Rockefeller University as aglow with excitement and curiosity as during Science Saturday, an annual festival now in its third year. Last month, the event drew close to 1,000 students and their families to campus, where scientists engaged them in hands-on experiments and interactive demon...

Rockefeller’s annual science festival draws hundreds of young explorers and their families

Never is Rockefeller University as aglow with excitement and curiosity as during Science Saturday, an annual festival now in its third year. Last month, the event drew close to 1,000 students and their families to campus, where scientists engaged them in hands-on experiments and interactive demon...

31 students receive Ph.D.s at Rockefeller’s 58th convocation

The Rockefeller University awarded doctoral degrees to 31 students at its convocation ceremony today. Each doctoral candidate was presented for the degree by his or her mentor, a tradition dating back to the university’s first commencement ceremony in 1959. In addition, four esteemed immunology r...

New online system to quickly report and address non-emergency issues

by Wynne Parry, science writer Broken locks or stuck doors, loud music, shattered glass—these aren’t emergencies, but they need to be addressed. Now, with the new NotifyRU system, community members can simultaneously relay these concerns to security and the appropriate department. Modeled o...

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...