Sally Kornbluth | |
---|---|
18th President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology | |
Assumed office January 1, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Leo Rafael Reif |
Provost of Duke University | |
In office July 1, 2014 – December 31, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Peter Lange |
Succeeded by | Jennifer Francis (interim) |
Personal details | |
Born | Sally Ann Kornbluth 1960 (age 63–64) |
Education | |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Cellular biology |
Institutions | Duke University Duke Kunshan University |
Thesis | Modulation of cellular SRC family tyrosine kinases: phosphorylation state and polyomavirus middle T antigen binding (1989) |
Doctoral advisor | Hidesaburo Hanafusa |
Other academic advisors | John Newport |
Doctoral students | Daniel Colón-Ramos |
Sally Ann Kornbluth (born 1960) is an American cell biologist and academic administrator. She began serving as the 18th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in January 2023.[1]
Early life and education
Kornbluth was born in Paterson, New Jersey, and grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.[2] She is Jewish.[2] Her father George was an accountant[2] and her mother, Marisa Galvany, was an opera singer.[3]
Kornbluth received a Bachelor of Arts with a major in political science from Williams College in 1982 and a Bachelor of Science with a major in genetics from the University of Cambridge, in 1984. She received a Doctor of Philosophy in molecular oncology from the Rockefeller University in 1989.[4]
While at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, she was a Herchel Smith Scholar. She worked at the laboratory of Hidesaburo Hanafusa when at Rockefeller University,[5] and performed postdoctoral training with John Newport at the University of California, San Diego.[6][7]
Career
Duke University
Kornbluth joined the faculty at Duke University in 1994. Her research focuses on cell growth and programmed cell death and how cancer cells evade apoptosis.[8][9] She is interested in the role of programmed cell death in regulating the length of female fertility in vertebrates, in a mechanism regulated by caspase-2.[7][10][11]
At Duke she received a Research Mentoring award in 2012 and the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Duke Medical Alumni Association in 2013. She was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 2013.[12]
In 2014 Kornbluth became Provost at Duke, the first woman to serve in this role.[6][13] As Provost, she oversaw a leadership transition in which female Deans became a majority at Duke.[14] She is an advocate of liberal arts education and has stated that her own experience in a liberal arts school at Williams College led her to a career in the sciences.[15] She is also an advocate for on-line learning as a driver of pedagogic innovation.[16]
She also served as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Duke Kunshan University,[17] overseeing the appointment of Al Bloom as the university's Executive Vice Chancellor in 2020,[18] and the launch of the WHU-Duke Research Institute in 2014.[19]
Kornbluth served as provost from 2014 to 2022 and vice dean for basic sciences at Duke University School of Medicine from 2006 to 2014.[12][4]
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
In 2022, Kornbluth was selected as the 18th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, succeeding L. Rafael Reif in this role in 2023.[20][1] At her inauguration she outlined objectives for the institute including accelerating work on climate change and strengthening links between engineering and life sciences.[21]
Following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel,[22] Kornbluth and the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University were called to testify before a December 2023 congressional hearing about antisemitism on their campuses.[23] When asked by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) whether calls for "genocide of Jews" was harassment under university policies, she responded, "If targeted at individuals, not making public statements."[24][25] Kornbluth's statement has been described by Stefanik and others as antisemitic, leading to calls by some for Kornbluth's resignation.[26]
Honors
- National Academy of Medicine[2]
- National Academy of Inventors[2]
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences[2]
Personal life
Kornbluth is married to Daniel Lew, a professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at the Duke University School of Medicine. They have two children. Kornbluth is Jewish.[2]
References
- ^ a b Hartocollis, Anemona (October 20, 2022). "M.I.T. Names a Duke Provost as Its New President". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bradt, Steve (October 27, 2022). "Sally Kornbluth is named MIT's 18th president". Jewish Journal. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ Smith, Robin (October 31, 2014). "A scientist's unlikely path, with Duke Provost Sally Kornbluth". Duke Research Blog. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ a b "Sally Kornbluth". MIT Department of Biology. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Kornbluth, Sally Ann (1989). Modulation of cellular src family tyrosine kinases: Phosphorylation state and polyomavirus middle T antigen binding (Ph.D. thesis). The Rockefeller University. OCLC 38075792. ProQuest 303824168.
- ^ a b "Sally Kornbluth Named Duke University Provost" (Press release). Duke University. March 3, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ a b Sedwick, Caitlin (July 7, 2014). "Sally Kornbluth: Nature's incredible contraptions". The Journal of Cell Biology. 206 (1): 4–5. doi:10.1083/jcb.2061pi. ISSN 0021-9525. PMC 4085709. PMID 25002675.
- ^ "Sally Kornbluth, Ph.D." Duke University School of Medicine - Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ Matsuura, K.; Huang, N.-J.; Cocce, K.; Zhang, L.; Kornbluth, S. (2017). "Downregulation of the proapoptotic protein MOAP-1 by the UBR5 ubiquitin ligase and its role in ovarian cancer resistance to cisplatin". Oncogene. 36 (12): 1698–1706. doi:10.1038/onc.2016.336. ISSN 1476-5594. PMC 5447866. PMID 27721409.
- ^ Nutt, Leta K.; Margolis, Seth S.; Jensen, Mette; Herman, Catherine E.; Dunphy, William G.; Rathmell, Jeffrey C.; Kornbluth, Sally (October 7, 2005). "Metabolic regulation of oocyte cell death through the CaMKII-mediated phosphorylation of caspase-2". Cell. 123 (1): 89–103. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2005.07.032. ISSN 0092-8674. PMC 2788768. PMID 16213215.
- ^ "The Collaborator". MIT News.
- ^ a b "Sally Kornbluth, vice dean for basic science at Duke, named to Institute of Medicine" (Press release). Duke Medicine. October 21, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ Muoio, Danielle (July 1, 2014). "Meet Sally Kornbluth: the first female provost". The Chronicle (Duke University). Archived from the original on March 19, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ WRAL (July 26, 2018). "'Two remaining men': Female leaders become majority at Duke schools". WRAL.com. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ Yang, Robert (March 12, 2014). "Duke appoints Kornbluth as provost". The Williams Record. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ Anders, George. "Duke's Sally Kornbluth Gives Online Learning Top Marks". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ "Board of Trustees | Duke Kunshan University". dukekunshan.edu.cn. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "Global education leader Al Bloom to be executive vice chancellor | Duke Kunshan University". dukekunshan.edu.cn. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "Overview | Duke Kunshan University". dukekunshan.edu.cn. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ Bradt, Steve (October 20, 2022). "Sally Kornbluth is named as MIT's 18th president". Retrieved October 20, 2022.
- ^ "The collaborator". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Belkin, Douglas; Ellis, Lindsay (October 11, 2023). "Blaming Israel for Hamas Attacks Sparks Backlash Across U.S., Exposing Deep Rifts". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ Haslett, Cheyenne; Hensley, Sarah Beth (December 5, 2023). "Presidents of universities grilled on efforts to counter antisemitism on campus". ABC News. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ Damiano, Mike; Burns, Hilary (December 6, 2023). "University presidents' responses to genocide question at congressional hearing draw furor". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ Borter, Gabriella (December 6, 2023). "US House Republicans grill university presidents over campus antisemitism". Reuters. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ "University presidents face investigation, walk back responses after heated hearing on antisemitism". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 4, 2024.