Department News

MCB postdoc Akanksha Thawani (Nogales & Collins Labs) was selected as a 2024 STAT Wunderkind. This award recognizes Thawani as an outstanding early-career scientist and is for her research on Unraveling the mysteries of ‘the next CRISPR’.

It is with great sadness we report the passing of Bruce N. Ames, who served as professor of biochemistry from 1968 to 1989, and then professor of molecular and cell biology from 1989 to 2000, and thereafter as a senior scientist at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute from 2000 to 2018.

Former MCB graduate student David Baker (PhD 1989) shared in this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for computational protein design". While at Berkeley, he conducted his doctoral dissertation research on protein transport and protein trafficking in yeast in the lab of Professor Randy Schekman.

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology Bronwyn Lucas and Assistant Professor (Affiliated) of Molecular Therapeutics Ziyang Zhang are both among the 2024 NIH Director's New Innovator Awardees.

Associate Professor of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development Hernan Garcia has received The 2025 Michael and Kate Bárány Award from the Biophysical Society.

We are excited to announce the recipients of our annual MCB Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellows Awards! Each year, the department honors postdocs for excellence in research, leadership, and service. 

Assistant Professor of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology Andrea Gomez was selected for Science News’ 2024 10 Scientists to Watch list. This honor recognizes early- and mid-career scientists doing leading-edge research.

Congratulations to Nicholas Ingolia on his promotion to MCB Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology!

Congratulations to Laurent Coscoy on his promotion to MCB Professor of Immunology and Molecular Medicine!

Welcome to MCB's newest faculty member, Ahmad Nabhan, who will join us as an assistant professor of Cell Biology, Development & Physiology (CDP) on January 1, 2025. Nabhan's research is focused on decoding and recoding stem/niche communication in regeneration and fibrosis.