Meet Our Scientists

Here's a sampling of stories about our researchers in the basic sciences. We're adding new stories every month, so please check back for updates.

Debbie Andrew, Cell Biology
The students and postdocs in this cell biologist's lab are racking up research grants

Joel Bader, Biomedical Engineering
Deconstructs the numbers game of computational biology

Jay Baraban, Neuroscience
On learning how drug abuse rewires the brain

Jef Boeke, Molecular Biology and Genetics and the HiT Center
On microarrays and scientific nomenclature

Mike Caterina, Biological Chemistry and the Center for Sensory Biology
On skin and the senses

Janice Clements, Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology
On how HIV infects the brain
On joining the NIH’s Council of Councils

Philip Cole, Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
On studying the intricate chemical changes in proteins that change how they behave in a cell

Robert Cotter, Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
Reveals the challenges of finding life on Mars

Nancy Craig, Molecular Biology and Genetics
On being “entranced” by the phenomenon of DNA that moves itself around in the genome

Stephen Dahl, Director of Biological Safety
On playing it safe

Chi Dang, Vice dean of research
On how a research institution’s performance should be evaluated

Stephen Desiderio, Director of IBBS, Molecular Biology and Genetics
On balancing a diverse immune system and a stable genome

Angelika Doetzlhofer, Neuroscience and Center for Sensory Biology
On auditory hair cells

Xinzhong Dong, Neuroscience
On the molecules behind the itch

Jennifer Elisseeff, Biomedical Engineering and the Translational Tissue Engineering Center
On her work engineering tissues
On developing an artificial cornea

Peter Espenshade, Cell Biology
On how the body senses cholesterol, research surprises, and the future of medical research

Andy Ewald, Cell Biology and the Center for Cell Dynamics
On having the right tools to watch an epithelial tissue remodel its architecture

Andrew Feinberg, Medicine and the Center for Epigenetics
On charm school, London and complex diseases

David Foster, Neuroscience
His interests in the brain and the mind go way back

Paul Fuchs, the Center for Sensory Biology
On being an electrode jockey

David Ginty, Neuroscience
On the challenges in understanding nervous system development

Erin Goley, Biological Chemistry
How bacterial science is undergoing a renaissance

Stephen Gould, Biological Chemistry
On a promising new direction for HIV research

David Graham, Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology
On pioneering viral proteomics

Warren Grayson, Biomedical Engineering
On regenerating our own body parts

Rachel Green, Molecular Biology and Genetics
Fascinated by the ribosome

Carol Greider, Molecular Biology and Genetics
"Telomere" expert shares 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Bill Guggino, Physiology
On Hopkins’ oldest basic science department
Contemplating fish, physiology, and his love of the sea

Gerald Hart, Biological Chemistry
On sweet talking cynics about the importance of O-GlcNAc

Andrew Holland, Molecular Biology and Genetics
On creating a better model for human cancers

Rick Huganir, Neuroscience
Looks to the future of neuroscience

Takanari Inoue, Cell Biology and the Center for Cell Dynamics
On the leading edge of migrating cells

Alex Kolodkin, Neuroscience
On the importance of establishing connections

Abraham Kupfer, Cell Biology
On finding a better way to suppress the immune system

Se-Jin Lee, Molecular Biology and Genetics
On myostatin and muscle growth

Andre Levchenko, Biomedical Engineering
On being a non-traditional computational biologist

David Linden, Neuroscience
On the formation of memory, the fun of lab work and his recent book The Compass of Pleasure

Jun Liu, Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
On teaching an old dog new tricks -- using known drugs to treat new diseases

Svetlana Lutsenko, Physiology
On the importance of copper metabolism

Henry Ma and Abena Apaw, Students in the "Build-a-Genome" course
On how they go about building a synthetic yeast genome

Feilim Mac Gabhann, Biomedical Engineering
His career has taught him that mathematical models are versatile tools

Ananya Majumdar, JHU NMR Facility
On the highs and lows of NMR spectroscopy

Joseph Mankowski, Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology
On investigating HIV and the journey from veterinarian to researcher

Seth Margolis, Biological Chemistry
On never underestimating the learning potential of a failed experiment

Erika Matunis, Cell Biology
On how a profound scientific question can be fodder for a life's work

Elliot McVeigh, Biomedical Engineering
On capturing MRI images of a beating heart

Mollie Meffert, Biological Chemistry and Neuroscience
On memory and NFkappaB

Caren Meyers, Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
A passion for chemistry’s puzzles and an intimate view of cancer’s harsh realities led her into to the field of medicinal chemistry

Susan Michaelis, Cell Biology
On good lamin going bad

Denise Montell, Biological Chemistry and the Center for Cell Dynamics
On her work in the movies

Craig Morrell, Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology
On platelets, transplant and malaria

Jeremy Nathans, Molecular Biology and Genetics
Mulls over tech transfer and retinal research

DJ Pan, Molecular Biology and Genetics
On hippo and cancer

Akhilesh Pandey, Biological Chemistry
On discoveries, databases and the sociology of science

Jennifer Pluznick, Physiology
On zooming in on the small details to understand an organism

Joel Pomerantz, Biological Chemistry
On his collaboration with Robert Siliciano in eliminating HIV
On the machinery that helps immune cells make decisions

Chris Potter, Neuroscience
On the fruit fly being an excellent tool for genetic research of neuronal function

Karen Reddy, Biological Chemistry
On what's missing in a two-dimensional view of a gene

Randall Reed, Molecular Biology and Genetics and the Center for Sensory Biology
On the sense of smell and why you should never drink wine with a straw

Roger Reeves, Physiology and McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine
On developing treatments for Down syndrome

Gabriele Ronnett, Neuroscience
On Hopkins’ Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research

Ken Rose, Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution
On being passionate about vertebrate paleontology

Murray Sachs, Biomedical Engineering
On his 25 years at the helm

Sridevi Sarma, Biomedical Engineering and the Institute for Computational Medicine
On how a sick relative influenced the course of her research

Ronald Schnaar, Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
On axon regeneration

Reza Shadmehr, Biomedical Engineering
On motor learning

Robert and Janet Siliciano, Medicine
On the prospects of a cure for HIV infection

Solomon Snyder, Neuroscience
On his love of research and quest for a Huntington’s disease treatment

Jungsan Sohn, Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry
On how any organism, whether large or microscopic, must have a way to deal with stress

James Stivers, Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
Before turning his attention to enzymes and nucleotides, James Stivers dealt in sharps and flats

Paul Talalay and Jed Fahey, Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
On the virtues of eating more vegetables

Sean Taverna, Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences and the Center for Epigenetics
On potential cancer treatments

Nitish Thakor, Biomedical Engineering
On developing a new prosthetic arm and inspiring other innovations

Natalia Trayanova, Biomedical Engineering
On developing computer simulations of the heart as tools for physicians

Leslie Tung, Biomedical Engineering
On studying the beating of heart cells in a dish

Sinisa Urban, Molecular Biology and Genetics
On the tricky malaria parasite

René Vidal, Biomedical Engineering
On developing programs that give computers and robots an ability akin to human vision

Herschel Wade, Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry
On the molecular switches that turn biological functions on and off

Rai Winslow, Biomedical Engineering
On the value of computer modeling

Jie Xiao, Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry
On using a single-molecule method to see how genes are regulated

King Wai Yau, Neuroscience
On why black and white TVs are not that bad

Michael Wolfgang, Biological Chemistry and the Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research
On how going to school for pig farming leads to a career as a biological chemist

David Yue, Biomedical Engineering
On the promises of calcium

Natasha Zachara, Biological Chemistry
On women in science

Jin Zhang, Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
On seeing the cell's signaling molecules

Heng Zhu, Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences and the HiT Center
On creating proteomics’ primo tool

Chris Zink, Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology
On being a veterinarian HIV researcher