Bronner Named Director of Beckman Institute

Marianne Bronner, Albert Billings Ruddock Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering, has been named the director of Caltech's Beckman Institute. Bronner replaces Dennis Dougherty, who has been named the new chair of Caltech's Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.

The Beckman Institute was founded in 1989 as a collaborative space for biologists and chemists. The Institute's mission is to "invent methods, instrumentation, and materials that will open new avenues for fundamental research in the chemical and biological sciences, and to provide technical support for these efforts."

"I'm honored to take on this important role and look forward to working with members of the exciting centers and facilities supported by the Beckman Institute to drive technological advances and support the Caltech community as a whole," says Bronner.

Bronner's research has focused on developmental biology, specifically, how neural crest cells develop and evolve in embryos from lamprey to zebrafish, frogs, chickens, and mice. Neural crest cells are critical players in development, undergoing complex migration and giving rise to much of the skeleton and nervous system.

Bronner received a PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1979 and an Sc.B from Brown University in 1975. She joined the Caltech faculty in 1996. Bronner is also an affiliated faculty member of the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience at Caltech and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.