Professor of Molecular Therapeutics Susan Marqusee was selected as one of the Class of 2025 Protein Society Fellows. This honor, awarded by the Protein Society, recognizes current or past members of the Society who have demonstrated excellent science and service to the Society and the protein science community. Read more about the Protein Society Fellows here.   
 

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology James Nuñez was appointed as one of six 2025 Vallee Scholars. This award, from The Vallee Foundation, is awarded to early-career researchers at a pivotal stage of their tenure-track careers. Read more about the 2025 Valle Scholars here. 
 

Professor of Molecular Therapeutics James Olzmann is the recipient of the 2026 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Avanti Award in Lipids. This award recognizes outstanding research contributions in the area of lipids. Read more about Olzmann and the other recepients of the award here. 
 

Congratulations to Priya Moorjani on her promotion to MCB Associate Professor of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development!

The Moorjani Lab focuses on questions in human population genetics and evolutionary biology to understand evolutionary history and its impact on human adaptation and disease. Read more about the Moorjani lab and their research. 
 

MCB is pleased to welcome our newest graduate students to the department! Learn fun facts about their favorite model organisms, childhood career aspirations, and more. 
 

Photo credit: Shoey Sindel Photography
 

Interested in becoming a UC Berkeley faculty member in MCB? We are now accepting applications for an Assistant Professor for the MCB Division of Molecular Therapeutics (MTx).  

Learn more and apply by October 20, 2025. 

Interested in becoming a UC Berkeley faculty member in MCB? We are now accepting applications for an Assistant Professor for the MCB Division of Immunology and Molecular Medicine (IMM).  

Learn more and apply by October 20, 2025. 

Assistant Professor (Affiliated) of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology Ana Arruda is one of 22 researchers to be named 2025 Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences. This award from the Pew Charitable Trusts is given to early-career scientists to uncover fundamental insights about human health and disease.

Professor of Molecular Therapeutics James Olzmann was named one of the fourteen American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 2025 Fellows. This award honors exceptional contributions to cell biology and the Society. Read more about the ASCB Fellows here. 
 

Professor of Molecular Therapeutics, Jennifer Doudna, will receive the 2026 Priestley Medal from the American Chemical Society (ACS). This award, the highest honor from the ACS, is in recognition for “outstanding discoveries on ribozyme function, Dicer and double-stranded RNA processing and CRISPR gene editing, and for impactful international science leadership.” Read more about the American Chemical Society Priestley Medal honor here. 

Assistant Professor (Affiliated) of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, Filipa Rijo-Ferreira, was named a 2025 Freeman Hrabowski Scholar. The five-year grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) supports "outstanding early career faculty who have the potential to become leaders in their research fields and to create lab environments in which everyone can thrive". Read more about the 2025 Freeman Hrabowski Scholars here.  

Congratulations to MCB postdocs Aurora Alvarez-Buylla (Schepartz Lab), Grace Hibshman (Nogales Lab) and Heegwang Roh (Rapé Lab) who have been selected as 2025 Jane Coffin Childs Fellows!

Assistant Professor (Affiliated) of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology, Yvette Fisher, was selected as one of ten neuroscientists to receive the 2025 McKnight Scholar Award. Granted by the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience (MEFN), recipients are early-career scientists who have demonstrated a commitment to neuroscience. Read more about the 2025 McNight Scholars here. 
 

Assistant Professor (Affiliated) of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology, Yvette Fisher, was named a 2025 Freeman Hrabowski Scholar. The five-year grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) supports "outstanding early career faculty who have the potential to become leaders in their research fields and to create lab environments in which everyone can thrive". Read more about the 2025 Freeman Hrabowski Scholars here.  

Congratulations to Gloria Brar on her promotion to MCB Professor of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology!

The Brar Lab aims to unravel the unconventional molecular circuitry that allows precursor cells to be remodeled into gametes. Read more about the Brar lab and their research.  

Congratulations to Dirk Hockemeyer on his promotion to MCB Professor of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology!

The Hockemeyer Lab focuses on establishing reliable models of human diseases using genetically engineered human and stem cell and mouse models and functional genomics screening approaches. Read more about the Hockemeyer Lab and their research.  

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a new contract with Dell Technologies to develop a supercomputer named after Jennifer Doudna at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC). The new flagship computer, NERSC-10, will support large-scale high-performance computing workloads that make cutting-edge science possible. Read the announcement from the Berkeley Lab here. 

Congratulations to Elçin Ünal on her promotion to MCB Professor of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development!

The Ünal Lab studies the principles that control the nuclear and cytoplasmic integrity of gametes. Read more about the Ünal lab and their research.  

Professor of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development Noah Whiteman has been awarded the 2025 Genetics Society of America medal for his "outstanding contributions to the field of genetics."  Read about the award and his research.