Reuben Shaw honored as recipient of William R. Brody Chair

December 16, 2015

Reuben Shaw honored as recipient of William R. Brody Chair

December 16, 2015

Salk scientist Reuben Shaw has been named recipient of the William R. Brody Chair in acknowledgement of his outstanding contributions and dedication to scientific research. The chair was dedicated to Salk President William Brody last month on behalf of the Salk Board of Trustees in appreciation of his six years of leadership of the Institute. Brody will retire at the end of this month.

“It will be a twofold honor for me to have my name associated with the Salk Institute in perpetuity and the chair held by such a distinguished scientist,” says Brody. “I am delighted that Reuben Shaw will be the inaugural holder of the Brody Chair.”

Shaw, who has been at Salk since 2006, is a professor in the Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early Career Scientist. A decade ago Shaw discovered that a gene altered in lung cancer regulated an enzyme targeted in diabetes medicine. This discovery led him to wonder if drugs originally designed to treat metabolic diseases could also work against cancer. This tantalizing connection between cancer and metabolism opens up a host of new possible therapeutics for both diseases and is quickly moving to the forefront of cancer research and medicine.

“It is a tremendous honor to be the inaugural holder of the William R. Brody Chair,” says Reuben Shaw. “This unique chair gifted by wonderful trustees and Joan and Irwin Jacobs is a testament to Dr. Brody’s leadership during the past six years. It will be an honor to hold this chair carrying his name into the bright future here at Salk. ”

The Joan Klein Jacobs and Irwin Mark Jacobs Senior Scientist Endowed Chair Challenge was established in 2008. For every $2 million that a donor contributes toward an endowed chair at the Institute, the Jacobses will add $1 million to achieve the $3 million funding level required to fully endow a chair for a Salk senior scientist. The Jacobses and Salk Trustee Ralph O’Connor and his wife Becky, along with 13 other trustees, contributed to the establishment of the William R. Brody Chair.