Developmental and Cell Biology Professor Arthur Lander received the prestigious Daniel G. Aldrich, Jr. Distinguished University Service Award for 2020-21. This high Academic Senate honor recognizes Senate members who are respected scholars and who have made outstanding contributions of service to the University of California and/or public service.
Professor Lander is the Donald Bren Professor of Developmental and Cell Biology and founding director of the Center for Complex Biological Systems (CCBS), UCI’s National Center for Systems Biology, a position he continues to hold. At UCI he has nucleated a dynamic community of researchers drawn from biology and mathematics, physics, computer science and engineering, that work collaboratively to solve biological problems at the systems level. He has spearheaded multiple Center grants that include the NIGMS P50 Center Grant, an NCI U54 Center grant in Cancer Systems Biology and an NIH-funded Skin Biology Resource-Based Center grant. He has contributed to education and training by initiating the MCSB graduate program, as director of three T32 training grants, and establishing the highly regarded national short courses in “Systems Biology: Morphogenesis and Spatial Dynamics” and “Systems Biology: Foundation for Interdisciplinary Careers”. Professor Lander has made many important contributions to the department, school and campus, including serving as chair of the Department of Developmental and Cell Biology for 8 years.
Originally trained as a neurobiologist and developmental biologist, Professor Lander’s research over the past 15 years has focused on the systems biology of morphogenesis and growth. Using vertebrate and invertebrate model systems, as well as mathematical and computational modeling, he has pursued questions about pattern formation, tissue and organ size control, and the origins of syndromic and non-syndromic birth defects. His contributions to the larger scientific community include serving on the Board of Directors of the Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Foundation, the NIH Developmental Biology study section and chairing the MABS (modeling and analysis of biological systems) NIH study section. He holds joint appointments in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Logic & Philosophy of Science, and visiting appointments at National Taiwan University and University of Tsukuba (Japan). He has also served on external advisory boards for several Systems Biology Centers in the US and abroad.
The award will be presented at the Distinguished Faculty Awards Event tentatively scheduled to take place Wednesday, February 10, 2021 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at the Newkirk Alumni Center (or remotely if needed).
Please join us in congratulating Professor Lander for this impressive achievement!