Geraldine C. Seydoux (born 1964 in

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

) is a Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics (1995–present), the Huntington Sheldon Professor in Medical Discovery (2015–present), and the Vice Dean for Basic Research (2017–present) at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

. She is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. In 2002, '' Discover'' magazine recognized her as one of the 50 most important women in science.

Education

Seydoux received a B.Sc. from the University of Maine, Orono in 1986. She graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

with a Ph.D. in 1991, and did post-doctoral training at the

Carnegie Institution The Carnegie Institution of Washington (the organization's legal name), known also for public purposes as the Carnegie Institution for Science (CIS), is an organization in the United States established to fund and perform scientific research. T ...

before joining Johns Hopkins University in 1995.

Research

Seydoux's work has focused on the earliest stages of embryogenesis and how single-celled eggs develop into multicellular embryos. The Seydoux lab attempts to determine the process by which embryonic development and polarization are activated. Seydoux studies '' Caenorhabditis elegans'' to examine how embryos choose between

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and germline. She was able to demonstrate that the synthesis of

mRNA In molecular biology, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) is a single-stranded molecule of RNA that corresponds to the genetic sequence of a gene, and is read by a ribosome in the process of synthesizing a protein. mRNA is created during the ...

must be globally inhibited prior to the establishment of the germline. Seydoux has also confirmed that proteins in a fertilizing sperm trigger the reorganization of structural proteins inside the ovum. This is an essential step towards the anterior-posterior polarization of the one celled embryo. Geraldine Seydoux's studies provide much insight into the creation of a fully formed multicellular organism from a single cell.

Awards

* 2022,

Gruber Prize in Genetics The Gruber Prize in Genetics, established in 2001, is one of three international awards worth US$500,000 made by the Gruber Foundation, a non-profit organization based at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The Genetics Prize honors leadi ...

* 2019, Harvey Lecture * 2018, Kuggie Vallee Distinguished Lecturer * 2016, elected to the National Academy of Sciences * 2013, elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

* 2001, Kirsch Investigator * 2001, MacArthur Fellows Program *1997, Searle Scholar * 1996, Fellow,

David and Lucile Packard Foundation The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is a private foundation that provides grants to not-for-profit organizations. It was created in 1964 by David Packard (co-founder of HP) and his wife Lucile Salter Packard. Following David Packard's death ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seydoux, Geraldine Johns Hopkins University faculty Howard Hughes Medical Investigators Princeton University alumni Living people MacArthur Fellows Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences American geneticists 1964 births