Scripps Research professors Donna Blackmond, Marisa Roberto and Xiang-Lei Yang have been honored with endowed chairs in recognition of their scientific leadership.
“These respected scientists embody the research excellence Scripps Research is known for,” said Peter Schultz, president and CEO of Scripps Research. “Their laboratories continue to inspire new ways of solving serious challenges in health and medicine.”
Donna Blackmond has been named to the John C. Martin Endowed Chair in Chemistry. Martin, a Scripps board member and executive chairman of Gilead Sciences, died at 69 in March. The chair was endowed just prior to his death.
Blackmond, who also serves as chair of the Department of Chemistry on Scripps’ California campus, received the honor due to her work in reaction kinetics and prebiotic chemistry.
“There are few people who have had as significant of a scientific and humanitarian impact as John Martin, and we are honored to have this opportunity to commemorate his legacy,” Schultz said.
Marisa Roberto will hold the inaugural Schimmel Family Chair.
She serves as vice chair of the Department of Molecular Medicine, and has expanded scientific understanding of the brain’s role in alcohol-use disorder and addiction.
“We are pleased that a woman of the character, passion and achievements of Professor Marisa Roberto will serve as the first recipient of this endowed chair,” says Paul Schimmel, the professor in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology on the Scripps Florida campus, who along with his wife Cleo endowed the chair.
Xiang-Lei Yang has been named to the Ernest W. Hahn Chair.
Yang is a professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine whose discoveries have shed new light on a number of diseases and medical conditions, from cancer to neurological disorders.
Much of Yang’s research focuses on enzymes known as aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, which she has found play many critical roles in the body beyond their well-known function of helping create proteins.
Hahn, a longtime supporter of Scripps Research until his death, served as a board member and made numerous philanthropic gifts. He and his wife, Jean established the chair in 1984.
“These endowed chairs not only recognized the faculty who hold them but honor the legacy of the donors in perpetuity,” says Jamie Williamson, executive vice president of research and academic affairs. “We are so fortunate to have two new chairs from our benefactors and colleagues, John Martin and Paul Schimmel, as a fitting tribute to their lasting impact on the institute.”
