St. Jude and Caltech researchers join Salk Institute as Nonresident Fellows

October 5, 2023

St. Jude and Caltech researchers join Salk Institute as Nonresident Fellows

October 5, 2023

LA JOLLA—The Salk Institute has named two highly accomplished scientists to join its faculty as Nonresident Fellows, a group of eminent scientific advisors who guide the Institute’s leadership.

Douglas R. Green is co-leader of the Cancer Biology Program and Peter C. Doherty Endowed Chair of the Department of Immunology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He and his lab are working to understand the complex world of how cells eat, live, and die. They investigate fundamental molecular processes involved in cell survival and death, and how these processes operate in cellular contexts and disease states. Their research into cell death and survival pathways and the cell biology of immune cells called T lymphocytes encompasses a variety of technical approaches that include targeted and global metabolomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and diverse computational tools. Their discoveries help create a better understanding of catastrophic diseases in children and adults.

Green earned both his undergraduate degree in biology and his PhD in immunology from Yale University. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and has received numerous awards and recognitions for his research, including a National Cancer Institute Outstanding Investigator Award and the Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal for Yale Alumni Achievement.

Stephen L. Mayo is Bren Professor of Biology and Chemistry and Merkin Institute Professor at Caltech. Mayo’s research focuses on the development of computational approaches to protein engineering—a field that has broad applications ranging from advanced biofuels to human therapeutics. His lab develops quantitative methods for protein design with the goal of developing a fully systematic design strategy he calls “protein design automation.” This design approach has been captured in a suite of software programs and has been applied to a variety of problems ranging from protein fold stabilization to enzyme design. Additionally, he co-founded Molecular Simulations Inc. (formerly Accelrys, currently Biovia), a computational chemistry company; Xencor, a publicly traded biotherapeutics company; and Protabit, a privately held protein engineering company.

Mayo earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Pennsylvania State University and a PhD in chemistry from Caltech. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, received a National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship, and was recognized with the Pennsylvania State University Distinguished Alumni Award.

“We are thrilled to add these two exceptional scientists to our nonresident faculty,” says Salk President Gerald Joyce. “The number one objective at Salk is to produce high-impact science, and the addition of Drs. Green and Mayo will contribute greatly to our continued pursuit of this goal.”

Salk Nonresident Fellows serve as members of the faculty for renewable six-year terms. These individuals come from world-renowned academic organizations where they have achieved high levels of success in research areas that are represented at the Salk Institute. They visit Salk each year to help benchmark the Institute by advising on the scientific progress of its faculty and on the effectiveness of its existing and proposed scientific programs. The Nonresident Fellows also play a key decision-making role in the appointment and promotion of the Salk Institute’s faculty.