To honor Dr. Lindquist, Johnson & Johnson has endowed the Susan Lindquist Chair for Women in Science at Whitehead Institute, to be awarded to a distinguished female scientist who is advancing biomedical research.
鈥淭he biomedical research enterprise has been immeasurably enriched by the hundreds of women and men who, directly or indirectly, were inspired by Sue鈥檚 achievements, guided by her wisdom, and nurtured by her support,鈥� observes David C. Page, M.D., Director of Whitehead Institute and Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 鈥淪he played a particularly important role as an exemplar and an advocate for women in the sciences. And we are immensely pleased that鈥攖hrough this professorship鈥擩ohnson & Johnson is honoring her legacy and advancing her vision of scientific research as a gender-neutral endeavor.鈥�
In addition to serving as a Member of Whitehead Institute and Professor of Biology at MIT, Lindquist was a member of the Johnson & Johnson Board of Directors since 2004, serving as Chairman of its Science, Technology and Sustainability Committee and a member of its Regulatory, Compliance, and Government Affairs Committee.
鈥淪ue was a prolific scientific pioneer who changed fundamental understanding of the biology of human health. As part of the Johnson & Johnson Board of Directors, she challenged us to use science and technology in new ways to help improve the health and lives of people all around the world,鈥� says Alex Gorsky, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson. 鈥淲e are pleased to establish this Chair in Sue鈥檚 name, recognizing a greatly respected and beloved scientist and a passionate advocate for women in science.鈥�
鈥淪usan was a force of nature and a force for good,鈥� reflects Cori Bargmann, President of Science for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
Legions of leading female scientists credit Lindquist with helping advance their careers. 鈥淪ue Lindquist understood that pioneering scientists need champions鈥攅specially if the pioneering innovator is a woman. This chair creates a new link in the ever-growing chain of women scientists connecting Sue with women before and after her鈥攚omen who mentor and promote one another as we work toward our shared dream of a profession without gender bias,鈥� says Bonnie Bassler, Ph.D., Squibb Professor and Chair in Molecular Biology at Princeton University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator (HHMI), MacArthur Fellowship winner, and member of the National Science Board appointed by President Obama. 鈥淚n my own case, Sue heard an early seminar of mine, knew that my post-doc mentor had just retired, and took it upon herself to become my advocate. This selfless act was the most meaningful and important influence in my career.鈥�
Recent MacArthur Foundation Fellowship winner Dianne K. Newman, Gordon M. Binder/Amgen Professor of Biology and Geobiology at California Institute of Technology, recalls that she first heard Lindquist speak when Newman was in graduate school. 鈥淪he was so passionate about her work, so eloquent, and exemplified the type of daring, open minded, rigorous scientist I hoped one day to become,鈥� Newman says. 鈥淢any years later, as a colleague at MIT, I saw an equally impressive side of Sue: her personal warmth and generosity. Sue demonstrated that one could be a first-class scientist and a first-class human being. She was a phenomenal role model in all ways, to young men and women alike.鈥�
The newly established chair will be held by a distinguished female member of the Whitehead Institute faculty, whose title would be Susan Lindquist Professor for Women in Science. 鈥淭he title's phrasing鈥斺�榝or women in science鈥欌�攚as specifically chosen by Sue and endorsed by Whitehead Institute leadership,鈥� Page explains. "It is deliberately open-ended and consciously provocative. We want the incumbents to have great flexibility in how they pursue Sue's legacy of stellar science and courageous leadership. We hope it spurs discussion in the broader science community, and are comfortable if it sparks controversy.鈥�
Brit D鈥橝rbeloff, one of the few women to earn a graduate degree at MIT in the early 1960s, and her late husband, former Whitehead Institute Board Chair Alex D鈥橝rbeloff, were close to Lindquist. 鈥淪ue was the reason Alex and I were involved with Whitehead,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淪ue was both an unbelievable researcher and an amazing, warm, open and interesting person. I miss her, but am thankful for having known her and seen all she was able to accomplish."
Reflecting on Lindquist鈥檚 stellar science, Cori Bargmann, says, 鈥淭he beauty of her own scientific trajectory shows how depth and focus lead to advances: first asking how chaperones help proteins fold, then learning how misfolded yeast proteins propagate across generations, then using that knowledge to probe protein misfolding in human neurodegenerative diseases. And her creativity! Rutherford and Lindquist, 1998 (鈥淗sp90 as a capacitor for morphological evolution鈥�) will always be one of my favorite papers.鈥�
鈥淪usan Lindquist was a wonderful scientist who cared about those for whom her research was being done as much as the science itself,鈥� says Rita Colwell, Professor in the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies at University of Maryland, who was the first woman to serve as Director of the National Science Foundation. 鈥淪ue was noble in spirit and in action; that was most evident in her commitment to STEM education and in advocating for women in science. She left us too soon but we will long remember her contributions to the betterment of humanity through her scientific research, teaching, and mentoring.鈥�
Family members have suggested that donations in Susan Lindquist鈥檚 honor be directed to the Whitehead Institute Fund to Encourage Women in Science. Programmatic efforts funded by this fund will complement the new Lindquist Professor鈥檚 mentoring and public outreach efforts, and may include K-12 programs, a lecture series, or a symposium for women in science ().
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