Sandra Louise Schmid (born March 7, 1958 in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

) is the first Chief Scientific Officer of the Chan-Zuckerberg

Biohub Chan Zuckerberg Biohub (CZ Biohub), or simply Biohub, is a nonprofit research organization. In addition to supporting and conducting original research, CZ Biohub acts as a hub and fosters science collaboration between UC Berkeley, UC San Franci ...

. She is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

cell biologist Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...

by training; prior to her move to CZI, she was Professor and Chair of the Cell Biology Department at the

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern or UTSW) is a public academic health science center in Dallas, Texas. With approximately 18,800 employees, more than 2,900 full-time faculty, and nearly 4 million outpatient vi ...

. Throughout her academic career, she has authored over 105 publications on the molecular mechanism and regulation of

clathrin-mediated endocytosis Receptor-mediated endocytosis (RME), also called clathrin-mediated endocytosis, is a process by which cells absorb metabolites, hormones, proteins – and in some cases viruses – by the inward budding of the plasma membrane (invagination). This ...

and the structure and function of the

GTPase GTPases are a large family of hydrolase enzymes that bind to the nucleotide guanosine triphosphate (GTP) and hydrolyze it to guanosine diphosphate (GDP). The GTP binding and hydrolysis takes place in the highly conserved P-loop "G domain", a pro ...

dynamin Dynamin is a GTPase responsible for endocytosis in the eukaryotic cell. Dynamin is part of the "dynamin superfamily Dynamin Superfamily Protein (DSP) is a protein superfamily includes classical dynamins, GBPs, Mx proteins, OPA1, mitofusins i ...

and mechanisms governing

membrane A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. ...

fission. She was the first to identify dynamin's key role in endocytosis. She is a co-founder of the journal ''

Traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffi ...

'' and has been the Editor-in-Chief of ''

Molecular Biology of the Cell ''Molecular Biology of the Cell'' is a biweekly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Society for Cell Biology. It covers research on the molecular basis of cell structure and function. According to the ''Journal Citation Rep ...

'', and the President of the

American Society for Cell Biology The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) is a professional society that was founded in 1960.Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada. She credits her father, a high school science teacher, and her unique schooling experience for her interest in science. In her early education, Schmid was enrolled in a gifted student program in which teachers rejected textbooks and students were challenged to think critically. Schmid graduated high school as the valedictorian of her class. She received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in cell biology from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

in 1980 and received an undergraduate medical research grant while there. She earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Stanford University in 1985 under the mentorship of James E. Rothman. In 2009, Schmid earned a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

in Executive Leadership from the University of San Diego School of Business.

Past research positions

After earning her Ph.D at Stanford, Schmid worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cell Biology at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

from 1985 to 1988, working in the lab of Ira Mellman. There, she helped develop techniques for isolating endosomes, which Mellman and colleagues had recently discovered and named. From 1988 to 1994, she was an assistant member of the Department of Cell Biology at

Scripps Research Scripps Research, previously known as The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), is a nonprofit American medical research facility that focuses on research and education in the biomedical sciences. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the institu ...

, previously known a
The Scripps Research Institute
and in 1994 she was promoted to associate member. In 1996, Schmid became an associate professor with tenure at

, and in 2000 she earned the title of professor. In 2000 she became the Chairman of the Department of Cell Biology at

and in 2012 she was named the chairman of the Department of Cell Biology at the

Additional scientific roles

In April 2020, Sandra Schmid was named as the first Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at the Chan Zuckerberg

Awards and honors

In 1976, Schmid was awarded the British Columbia Provincial Scholarship and the Vancouver Student Civic Citizenship Award. She was the Helen Hay Whitney Post-doctoral Fellow at Yale University from 1985 to 1987. In 1990, she received a Junior Career Recognition Award from the American Society of Cell Biology, and in 1994 she received the American Heart Established Investigator Award. From 2000 until 2010 she received an

NIH MERIT Award The NIH MERIT award (Method To Extend Research in Time) Award (R37) was created by the National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary age ...

. In 2002, she earned the University of California San Diego Athena Pinnacle Award in Biotechnology. In 2006 she was the Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2009 she received the

American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) is a learned society that was founded on December 26, 1906, at a meeting organized by John Jacob Abel ( Johns Hopkins University). The roots of the society were in the American Ph ...

William C. Rose Award, and she was also elected as the President of the American Society of Cell Biology. In 2020, Schmid was elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for her distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Personal life

Schmid married Bill Balch in 1984. In 1986, they both took jobs in the cell biology department at

. She has two children and credits her supportive husband for her ability to balance work and family. In her free time, Schmid enjoys watching professional football and taking trips in the family RV.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmid, Sandra 1958 births Living people University of British Columbia Faculty of Science alumni Stanford University alumni Canadian women biologists Scientists from Vancouver University of San Diego alumni Cell biologists 21st-century Canadian women scientists Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 20th-century Canadian biologists 21st-century Canadian biologists 20th-century Canadian women scientists