Milestones

Awarded:

Paul Bieniasz, the 2010 Eli Lilly and Company Research Award from the American Society for Microbiology, the society’s oldest and most prestigious prize. Dr. Bieniasz, head of Rockefeller’s Laboratory of Retrovirology and an investigator at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, is recognized for his work elucidating the mechanisms of virus-host interaction in HIV infection.

Charles D. Gilbert, a 21st Century Science Initiative Grant from the James S. McDonnell Foundation. The five-year grant, for approximately $360,000, is for a project to develop computational approaches to simulate the dynamic functionality of neural networks. Dr. Gilbert is head of the Laboratory of Neurobiology.

Yifan Xu, a 2010 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. An M.D.-Ph.D. student in Cori Bargmann’s Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, Ms. Xu is researching ways to modulate pain circuits so that their signals can temper the perception of unnecessary pain, with the eventual goal of finding novel treatments for chronic pain. Ms. Xu is one of 30 new Soros Fellows chosen from a pool of 890 applicants. Established in 1997, the fellowship program provides two-year grants to immigrants and children of immigrants for graduate study.

Named:

Titia de Lange, an American Cancer Society Research Professor by the American Cancer Society. The honor comes with a five-year $400,000 grant to fund Dr. de Lange’s work on telomeres, the strings of extra DNA that cap and protect the ends of chromosome through numerous cycles of cell division. Dr. de Lange is head of the Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics.

Hired:

Avinash Abhyankar, postdoctoral associate, Casanova Lab.

Jacob Bendor, postdoctoral associate, Greengard Lab.

Jon Blumenfeld, member of the adjunct faculty, Coller Lab.

Dusan Bogunovic, postdoctoral associate, Casanova Lab.

Nazario Bosco, visiting student, de Lange Lab.

Samuel Bouvet, foreign research intern, Rice Lab.

Marisa Cerio, laboratory administrator, Allis Lab.

Ariane Chapgier, postdoctoral fellow, Allis Lab.

Sung-Wook Chi, postdoctoral associate, Robert Darnell Lab.

Kelly Daggett, postdoctoral associate, Sakmar Lab.

Sarah Filipski, research assistant, McEwen Lab.

Natalia Frias-Staheli, postdoctoral associate, Rice Lab.

Khatuna Gagnidze, postdoctoral associate, Pfaff Lab.

Juana Gonzalez, research associate, Münz Lab.

Katharina Haeussermann, foreign research intern, Darst Lab.

Ai Kawashima, postdoctoral fellow, Nurse Lab.

Philip Kidd, visiting student, Siggia Lab.

Yonghwan Kim, postdoctoral associate, Smogorzewska Lab.

Xiao Li, research support specialist, Flow Cytometry Resource Center.

Hye Kyung Lim, research assistant, Casanova Lab.

Xiaofei Liu, postdoctoral associate, Brady Lab.

Sarah Malik, postdoctoral associate, Goulianos Lab.

Silas Mann, research assistant, Greengard Lab.

Julie Oppermann, research assistant, Nurse Lab.

Michael Orloff, research assistant, Rice Lab.

Anthony Rodriguez, research assistant, Steinman Lab.

Andrea Ronning, director of bionutrition, Hospital Bionutrition.

Bernice Rumala, community engagement specialist, Hospital Clinical Research Office.

Margarit Santiago, teacher, Child and Family Center.

Edward Scovell, director of science outreach, Dean’s Office.

Margaret Scull, postdoctoral associate, Rice Lab.

Karin Sono, research assistant, Muir Lab.

Alexandre Stipanovich, postdoctoral associate, Greengard Lab.

Michael Vinogradov, computational scientist, Hospital Biostatistics.

Spandana Vootukuri, research assistant, Coller Lab.

This publication lists new hires, awards and promotions. Staff promotions are listed yearly; academic promotions and appointments are 
listed monthly.