Wendy Gilbert
Wendy V. Gilbert, whose research focuses on regulatory elements in mRNA that control the cellular expression of the information stored in genetic code, was recently appointed the Maxine F. Singer’57 Ph.D. Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, effective immediately.
Gilbert, who has appointments in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and Yale School of Medicine, joined the Yale faculty in 2017 having previously held a faculty position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Her current projects, revealing how mRNA biogenesis, translation, and decay function, have the potential to transform RNA therapeutics and help determine the biological roots of many cancers and diseases. In recognition of her scholarly contributions to her field, she received the RNA Society Early Career Award in 2017 and the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award in 2014.
She is also valued as an outstanding teacher and mentor who works to create pathways to science for people from all backgrounds. She was awarded the Poorvu Prize for Academic Innovation in 2020. In 2023, she was awarded the FAS Dean’s Award for Inclusion and Belonging and the RNA Society Award for Excellence in Inclusive Leadership.
A graduate of Princeton University, Gilbert earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, San Francisco.
