Roy H. Doi, distinguished professor emeritus of molecular and cellular biology, was a leader in advancing understanding of the mechanisms that control bacterial gene expression. Elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2006, Doi was recognized for his career contributions in molecular biology and biotechnology.
On Oct. 9, 2017, Doi passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, at the age of 84.
With funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, Associate Professor Bruce Draper, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, is studying zebrafish (Danio rerio) to learn about the genetics of sexual reproduction in vertebrates. Draper’s research, published in PLOS Genetics with postdoc and Dena Leerberg, ’17 Ph.D., may advance discoveries into the origins of ovarian cancer.
The UC Davis College of Biological Sciences has named Oliver Fiehn, professor of molecular and cellular biology, to the Paul K. and Ruth R. Stumpf Professorship in Plant Biochemistry.
An internationally recognized scholar, Fiehn has more than 220 publications to his name. He has driven significant developments in the field of metabolomics, the study of small molecules known as metabolites. Metabolites are the end products of cellular processes and form the chemistry of all life.
Eric Conn, professor emeritus of molecular and cellular biology, was a plant biochemist and member of the National Academy of Sciences. Conn is world-renowned in his field for his contributions to the understanding of plant metabolism, and he held tenure for 43 years with the University of California.
He passed away on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017.
Jodi Nunnari has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences. She studies mitochondria, tiny structures that provide energy to living cells and which are implicated in a wide range of diseases, including heart disease, stroke and inherited conditions.
A two-year, $150,000 research award from the March of Dimes organization will enable Assistant Professor Kassandra Ori-McKenney, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, to further explore cell structure and how that structure affects brain development.
Two professors from the College of Biological Sciences have been recognized for their contributions to plant biology by the American Society of Plant Biologists.
“Throughout their careers, Professors Comai and Lagarias have conducted critical research that increased our ability to produce food and other important commercial crops,” said Mark Winey, dean of the College of Biological Sciences. “They have significantly contributed to food security for the people of the planet.”
The addition of a ground-breaking microscope to the College of Biological Sciences’ arsenal of research tools will transform the way UC Davis life scientists conduct research, researchers say. The lattice light-sheet microscope — one of approximately 25 of its type in the world — has the potential to revolutionize what is known about the living cell.
The College of Biological Sciences would like to congratulate Jodi Nunnari, professor of molecular and cellular biology and chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology for receiving the Feodor Lynen Medal from the German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Aging, neurodegenerative disorders and metabolic disease are all linked to mitochondria, structures within our cells that generate chemical energy and maintain their own DNA. In a fundamental discovery with far-reaching implications, scientists at the University of California, Davis, now show how cells control DNA synthesis in mitochondria and couple it to mitochondrial division.
