Department News

Ellen Lumpkin, Professor of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology, has been a selected as the winner of the 2023 Rennie Fund for the Study of Epilepsy. This award, from the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute (HWNI), will support her research proposal "Identifying Susceptibility Genes for Reflex Seizures".

MCB's newest division, Molecular Therapeutics (MTx), has officially launched and undergraduates now have the option to pursue this new major emphasis with classes starting this Fall 2023.

Michael Rapé, Professor of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology, has recently been elected as a new Associate Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). 69 scientists have been named new members for their contributions spanning the spectrum of life science research.

Mark Plitt, an MCB postdoc in the lab of Yvette Fisher, has recently been named one of the 2023 Jane Coffin Childs Fellows. Twenty-seven new fellows were selected for this esteemed fellowship program in biomedical research based on their doctoral research accomplishments, innovative research plans, and their chosen scientific mentors

Robert Saxton, Assistant Professor of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, has received the 2023 ICIS-Regeneron New Investigator Award for Excellence in Cytokine & Interferon Research. Dr.

Filipa Rijo-Ferreira, Assistant Professor (Affiliated) of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, is one of 15 scientists named as Searle Scholars for 2023 for her research on "Circadian host-parasite interactions and their impact on malaria transmission".

Assistant Professor of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology, Ian Swinburne, was named one of the 2023-2024 Hellman Fellows.

David Weisblat, Professor of the Graduate School Division of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology, was elected to the 2023 Society for Developmental Biology (SDB) Academy.

Eva Nogales, Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology, has received the 2023 Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine for pioneering structural biology that enabled visualisation, at the level of individual atoms, of the protein machines responsible for gene transcription, one of life’s fundamental processes.

We are excited to report that the MCB Class of 2023 senior gift campaign to raise funds for sponsored research stipends has met their goal of $5,000! Thanks to the generosity of our community, more MCB students will be able to receive stipends and have transformative research experiences. This year's funds will support 5 undergraduate students to receive $1,000 research stipends in the 2023-2024 academic year.