Each year, the MCB Department chooses five outstanding postdoctoral fellows for their excellence in research, contributions to their division, the department, and for their mentoring and outreach efforts.
Department News
Below are articles from various sources about members of MCB and their research.
October 20, 2016
An international research consortium led by MCB scientists in the Harland and Rokhsar Labs, along with researchers at the University of Tokyo, "reports a striking pattern of genome duplication in the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis. The team showed that the frog’s genome arose through interspecific hybridizations of two now-extinct species between 15 and 20 million years ago."
October 18, 2016
Assistant Professor of Genetics, Genomics and Development Elcin Unal is the recipient of a 2016 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's New Innovator Award for her work on "Illuminating Cellular Aging Pathways through Gametogenesis."
October 17, 2016
Assistant Professor of Neurobiology Stephen Brohawn is a recipient of a 2016 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's New Innovator Award, designed to support exceptionally creative new investigators who propose innovative projects that have the potential for unusually high impact.
October 14, 2016
HHMI Investigator and Professor of Genetics, Genomics, and Development Barbara Meyer was once again elected to the Genetics Society of America (GSA) Board of Directors. Professor Meyer wiill serve as the 2017 Vice-President and 2018 President of GSA.
October 13, 2016
Associate Professors of Cell and Developmental Biology, Diana Bautista and Lin He were named 2016 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholars through a collaboration between HHMI, the Simons Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Scholars are recognized for their potential to make unique contributions to their fields.
October 12, 2016
As part of the Bay Area Science Festival, the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute (HWNI) and Science@Cal are holding a celebration of science and art called "Vision + Light: Extending the Senses."
October 27 & 28
5:30 to 8:30pm
Energy Biosciences Building (2151 Berkeley Way)
FREE with light refreshments
October 07, 2016
MCB and Chemical Engineering Professor David Schaffer collaborated with HHMI scientists to develop a powerful new viral vector that can deliver genetically-encoded neural activity sensors in the brain. This tool provides a new opportunity to observe the structures of neural networks on a larger scale, as well as the specific role of projection neurons in neural networks.
October 06, 2016
A team of researchers led by MCB Professor and HHMI Investigator Michael Rape has found that in addition to its importance for bone strength, calcium has a major role as a signal molecule that regulates bone formation and growth at a cellular level. This finding could help locate and correct erroneous signals during bone growth that lead to bone abnormalities.
MCB Associate Professor Diana Bautista and MCB Professor and HHMI Investigator Randy Schekman co-authored this study.
September 27, 2016
The Department of Molecular & Cell Biology welcomes Professor Eric Betzig and Associate Professor Na Ji, who will be joining us in the summer of 2017. Betzig was awarded the Nobel prize in 2014 for developing super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, which allows scientists to look inside cells and visualize the pathways of individual molecules, including those involved in disease. Ji studies optical imaging technology development and its application in neurobiology.