Eric Lander

Eric Lander
Name	Eric Lander
Caption	Lander in 2015
Birth date	3 February 1957
Birth place	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Fields	Biology, Genetics, Mathematics
Workplaces	Harvard University, MIT, Broad Institute
Alma mater	Princeton University (A.B.), University of Oxford (D.Phil.)
Known for	Human Genome Project, Broad Institute, Cancer Genome Atlas
Awards	MacArthur Fellowship (1987), Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2013)

Eric Lander is a prominent American biologist, geneticist, and mathematician who played a foundational role in the Human Genome Project. He is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University and served as the founding director of the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His career has spanned groundbreaking genomics research, leadership of a major biomedical institute, and high-level service in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Early life and education

Born in Brooklyn, he demonstrated an early aptitude for mathematics. He attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan before pursuing his undergraduate studies at Princeton University, where he earned an A.B. in mathematics. Awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, he then completed a D.Phil. in mathematics as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford. His doctoral thesis focused on symmetric groups and coding theory, laying an analytical foundation for his later pivot into molecular biology.

Career and research

After his doctoral work, he shifted his research focus to genetics and genomics. He joined the faculty at the Harvard Business School and later the Whitehead Institute at MIT. A pivotal moment came with his leadership of the Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research, one of the leading centers for the international Human Genome Project. His team developed key genetic mapping and DNA sequencing techniques that were critical to the project's success. Following this, his research expanded to understanding the genomic basis of human disease, contributing significantly to projects like The Cancer Genome Atlas and pioneering work in functional genomics.

Leadership of the Broad Institute

In 2003, he became the founding president and director of the Broad Institute, a collaborative biomedical research center founded by MIT, Harvard University, and the Harvard-affiliated hospitals. Under his leadership, the institute grew into a world-leading center for genomic medicine, fostering large-scale collaborative science. The Broad Institute launched ambitious initiatives in areas like psychiatric genetics, infectious disease genomics, and chemical biology, attracting major funding from organizations like the National Institutes of Health and the Stanley Medical Research Institute.

Science policy and government service

His expertise made him a leading voice in science policy. He served as co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology under President Barack Obama. In 2021, President Joe Biden appointed him as the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and as the Science Advisor to the President, a cabinet-level position. In this role, he helped shape federal policy on critical issues including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and artificial intelligence. He resigned from this post in February 2022.

Awards and honors

His contributions have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards. He received a MacArthur Fellowship in 1987. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Other notable honors include the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the Harvey Prize from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, and the Max Delbrück Medal. He has also received honorary degrees from institutions like Harvard University and Brown University.

Personal life

He is married to Lori Lander, an attorney. The couple has three children. He is known for his commitment to science education and public engagement, frequently lecturing on the societal implications of genomics. His interests include the history of science and promoting diversity within the STEM fields.

Category:American geneticists Category:American science advisors Category:Human Genome Project