Petra Anne Levin is an American microbiologist. She is a professor in the department of biology and co-director of the Plant and Microbial Biosciences Graduate Program at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

Education and early career

Levin graduated, cum laude, from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

with a bachelor of arts in biology in 1989. She worked as a science teacher at the

American School in Switzerland TASIS or TASIS Switzerland, formally known as The American School In Switzerland, is a private American international boarding and day school in Switzerland. It is the oldest of the four TASIS Schools. TASIS is the oldest American college-prepar ...

from 1989 to 1990. Levin completed a doctor of philosophy in biology from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1996. Her dissertation was titled ''Asymmetric Division During Spore Formation in Bacillus subtillis''. Her doctoral advisor was

Richard Losick Richard Marc Losick ( ; born 1943) is an American molecular biologist. He is the Maria Moors Cabot Professor of Biology at Harvard University, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. He is especially noted for his investigations of endospore f ...

. Levin was a postdoctoral fellow in the

MIT Department of Biology The MIT Department of Biology ("Course VII") is a center for research and teaching in the life sciences. Many members of the faculty hold joint appointments with other departments at MIT and with outside institutions. Faculty members faculty ...

under advisor Alan Grossman.

Career

Levin was an assistant professor at

in the department of biology. She was an associate professor from 2008 to 2015 before becoming a professor. In 2015, she became the co-director of the Plant and Microbial Biosciences Graduate Program at Washington University. Levin became a member of the editorial advisory board of ''Molecular Microbiology'' in 2008. In 2016, Levin became a front matter editor of ''

PLOS Genetics ''PLOS Genetics'' is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal established in 2005 and published by the Public Library of Science. The founding editor-in-chief was Wayne N. Frankel (Columbia University Medical Center). The current editors-in ...

''. In 2018, she became an editorial board member of ''

Current Biology ''Current Biology'' is a biweekly peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers all areas of biology, especially molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, neurobiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. The journal includes research articles, var ...

''.

Awards and honors

Levin was awarded a

National Science Foundation CAREER Award The National Science Foundation CAREER awards, presented by the National Science Foundation (NSF), are in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through research and education, and the integration of these endeavors i ...

in 2005. She was a

Fulbright scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

from 2015 to 2016.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Levin, Petra Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American microbiologists 20th-century American biologists 21st-century American biologists 20th-century American women scientists 21st-century American women scientists American women biologists Women microbiologists Williams College alumni Harvard University alumni Washington University in St. Louis faculty Academic journal editors Fulbright alumni