‘I believe scientific activity, like artistic activity, is sort of an expression of who we are as humans.’
Once a social studies and philosophy student, HHMI Investigator David Baker became inspired to pursue scientific research thanks to an undergraduate course in developmental biology. Since that time, he has been fascinated by proteins the “miniature machines that carry out jobs” in cells, as he says. His lab uses machine-learning methods that they’ve developed to design new proteins to tackle specific problems in health, medicine, and the environment.
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HHMI Investigator David Baker is a professor of biochemistry and an adjunct professor of genome sciences, bioengineering, chemical engineering, computer science, and physics at the University of Washington. Baker was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on computational protein design.
‘Encountering girls with Rett Syndrome - that really inspired me to go into science.’
In 1999, a few years after she became an HHMI Investigator, Huda Zoghbi and her lab identified the gene that causes Rett syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects brain development and causes young children to experience a progressive loss of motor skills and language. Zoghbi’s lab focuses on childhood neurodevelopmental disorders – particularly Rett syndrome and autism – as well as adult neurodegenerative disorders. Originally from Lebanon, Zoghbi is driven by her experiences with patients; she says one of her greatest achievements in life is training students, fellows, and postdoctoral researchers who will continue to do work that impacts many lives.
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HHMI Investigator Huda Zoghbi is a professor of pediatrics, molecular and human genetics, neuroscience, and neurology at Baylor College of Medicine. She is also the director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital.
‘That’s the greatest kind of career one could have – where you’re still running as fast and as hard as you can, and not getting to the finish line.’
At Princeton University, HHMI Investigator Bonnie Bassler and her lab are leading the way in research on quorum sensing: the process by which bacteria communicate with one another using a chemical “language.” Their work has shown how these seemingly primitive lifeforms carry out sophisticated, coordinated behaviors that have both good and bad impacts on daily life. Their findings could one day lead to alternatives to antibiotics – a pressing need in the war against multi-drug resistant bacteria.
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HHMI Investigator Bonnie Bassler is the Squibb Professor in Molecular Biology and chair of the molecular biology department at Princeton University.
‘The more inclusive we are, the more scientific advances will be possible.’
HHMI Investigator Nels Elde and his lab at the University of Utah use experiments and observations of today to look backward and understand the origins of life. Specifically focusing on the immune systems of zebrafish, Elde’s group is exploring the ways that pathogens and bacteria interact with hosts. These findings can help inform different ways to treat diseases in the future.
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HHMI Investigator Nels Elde is an associate professor of human genetics at University of Utah.
Media Contact: Halea Kerr-Layton, Media Relations Manager [email protected]
Media Contact: Halea Kerr-Layton, Media Relations Manager [email protected]