Ronald Breaker, a pioneering biochemist and longtime leader in the sciences at Yale, has been named the next dean of science in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), FAS Dean Steven Wilkinson announced today in a message to the Yale community.
Breaker will begin a five-year term on July 1, 2026.
Breaker, Sterling Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry, joined Yale in 1995 after completing his Ph.D. at Purdue University and conducting groundbreaking work as a postdoctoral researcher at The Scripps Research Institute.
Breaker has a long track record of leadership in the FAS and service to Yale.
Since 2023, he has served as the chair of the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. From 2010 to 2016 he chaired the department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB), where he oversaw the recruitment and retention of faculty and guided the department as it provided crucial input toward the redesigned Yale Science Building (which officially opened in 2019). Breaker has also been a member of dozens of university-wide committees, including the Committee on Yale College Expansion and the Yale Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, and chaired important committees including the Yale Committee on Risk Stratification – COVID-19 Research Restart.
“Ron’s extensive experience working across the physical and biological sciences and his collaborations with Yale School of Medicine and other units across campus will make him an invaluable member of our team,” wrote Dean Wilkinson in his message to the community. “I look forward to working closely with Ron as we continue supporting our excellent FAS science departments, faculty, and students in their research and teaching.”
Amid a rapidly changing landscape for academic science, Yale’s research and teaching missions will forever remain critical for our collective success.
“Amid a rapidly changing landscape for academic science, Yale’s research and teaching missions will forever remain critical for our collective success,” said Breaker. “I am eager to help our faculty, students, and staff meet these challenges and thrive as they pursue their highest goals.”
From the earliest stages of his career, Breaker has helped to revolutionize our understanding of DNA and RNA. His findings have been published in more than 240 scientific papers, book chapters, and patents. Since establishing his laboratory at Yale in 1995, he has continued to explore the advanced functions of nucleic acids, including through research on ribozyme reaction mechanisms, molecular switch technology, next-generation biosensors, and catalytic DNA engineering.
The Breaker lab established the first proof of messenger RNA elements known as riboswitches, which sense molecules and help control genes. His research team has discovered more than 60 distinct classes of riboswitches in bacteria and published the first studies validating riboswitches as targets for antibiotics — paving the way for new medical therapies.
More recently, Breaker and his team uncovered the first examples of riboswitches in humans, many of which regulate genes relevant to neurological functions.
“I’m thrilled that Ron Breaker has agreed to be the next FAS Dean of Science,” said Gary Brudvig, the Benjamin Silliman Professor of Chemistry and professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry and materials science, who chaired the dean of science search committee. “Ron is an outstanding scientist and has a broad institutional perspective. He will be a visionary leader for science at Yale.”
Added Marla Geha, a professor of astronomy and of physics who was also a member of the search committee: “Ron brings a remarkable combination of strategic vision and practical judgment that will help lead Yale Science into the future.”
Anna Pyle, Sterling Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and professor of chemistry, who was also a member of the search committee, said: “Ron appreciates the breadth and complexity of science within the FAS and he understands the challenges involved in maintaining a strong basic research university at this important time. He’s a builder and an advocate who will work enthusiastically to advance research and education at Yale.”
Breaker is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Academy of Microbiology. At Yale, he has taught numerous courses including “Introductory Biology,” “Biochemistry,” and an “Advanced Seminar in Biochemistry and Genetics.” He also helped create new courses including “Biotechnology” and the popular course “Biology, the World, and Us.”
Beyond Yale, Breaker has been the co-founder of two biotechnology companies: Archemix, which developed engineered aptamers as sensors and therapeutic agents, and BioRelix, which developed antibiotics that target bacterial riboswitches. Breaker was also an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute from 2005 to 2025 and has served on the editorial boards for the scientific journals Chemistry & Biology, RNA Biology, and RNA.
Breaker will succeed Larry Gladney, a professor of physics in the FAS, who has been the dean of science since July 2022. Gladney will retire from the Yale faculty at the end of the 2026 calendar year.
In his message, Wilkinson thanked the members of the FAS Dean of Science Search Advisory Committee for their guidance and recommendations.
