Davis and Green recognized by the European Molecular Biology Organization
Two UMMS researchers have been recognized by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) for their outstanding research contributions in molecular biology. Roger J. Davis, PhD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, the H. Arthur Smith Chair in Cancer Research and professor of molecular medicine and biochemistry & molecular pharmacology, and Michael R. Green, MD, PhD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, the Lambi and Sarah Adams Chair in Genetic Research and professor of molecular medicine and biochemistry & molecular pharmacology, have been elected associate members of the EMBO, a lifelong honor that places them among the world’s leading molecular biologists.
According to the EMBO, the awards, which were announced on Oct. 27 in Heidelberg, Germany, recognize life science researchers from 14 countries, including 11 scientists from the United States, who represent a broad cross-section of research covering classical areas of molecular biology, as well as rapidly developing fields such as systems biology, neuroscience and cancer biology. Many of them bridge a number of fields, from biology to medicine, biochemistry or biophysics.
“EMBO members are the basis for the organization's international reputation and our most valuable asset,” said Maria Leptin, EMBO director. “We welcome this year's group of exceptional scientists and look forward to their fresh input and ideas to advance the life sciences.”
Dr. Davis’s work focuses on the molecular mechanism by which inflammation contributes to diabetes, cancer and stroke, and he is currently investigating the design of novel therapeutic strategies. His prior studies of stress signaling pathways have led to the discovery of new genes that contribute to development of these devastating diseases. Davis has been featured on the ISIHighlyCited.com listings, the web site of the Institute for Scientific Information that tracks the most influential international investigators whose published papers are cited the most often. A graduate of Queens’ College of Cambridge University in Great Britain where he received a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences, advanced degrees in biochemistry and natural sciences, and a doctorate degree in biochemistry, Davis joined the UMMS faculty in 1985 after serving as a Damon Runyon/Walter Winchell Cancer Fund Fellow.
Dr. Green, director of the Program in Gene Function and Expression, focuses his research on the mechanisms that regulate gene expression in eukaryotes and the role of gene expression in various human disease states. Green, who has been featured in the ISIHighlyCited.com listings, has published nearly 250 papers and reviews in leading scientific journals including Cell, Nature and Science and holds several patents in collaboration with other researchers at UMMS. Green graduated with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and earned his MD and PhD from Washington University in St. Louis before completing his postgraduate training at Harvard University. He joined UMMS in 1990.
Through their new involvement in the EMBO, Davis and Green will “help shape the direction of the life sciences in Europe,” according to the organization. More than half of its members contribute by serving on advisory editorial boards of the organization's four scientific journals, mentoring young researchers, providing expertise to EMBO programs and taking the lead on new initiatives. Members also nominate candidates for the annual EMBO Gold Medal award. Davis and Green will formally join the organization during the EMBO Members' Workshop, to be held in Heidelberg in fall 2011.
