Tom Maniatis, PhD
Evnin Family Scientific Director & CEO, Board Member, NYGC Isidore S. Edelman Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University
Dr. Maniatis leads the research and operational activities of the New York Genome Center (NYGC), which focus on the development of computational and experimental genomic methods and disease-focused research to better understand the genetic basis of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and neuropsychiatric diseases. He also directs NYGC’s faculty, who lead independent research labs based at the Center. All of the core faculty members hold tenure-track joint appointments with one of the Center’s member institutions. This arrangement has been a driving force in connecting the NYGC with its founder members.
Dr. Maniatis is recognized as one of the pioneers of modern molecular biology, having led the development of recombinant DNA methods and their application to the study of the mechanisms of gene regulation. He co-authored the definitive laboratory manual on genetic engineering, entitled the Molecular Cloning Manual, along with Joe Sambrook and Ed Fritsch in 1982. This three-volume manual, published by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, set a standard for international dissemination of recombinant DNA methods. Dr. Maniatis’ research has led to major advances in understanding the mechanisms of gene expression at the level of RNA transcription and splicing. His current research is focused on the role of single cell diversity in neural connectivity, and on the molecular mechanisms that underlie the neurodegenerative disease ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).
Dr. Maniatis’ research contributions have been acknowledged by membership in the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, and by numerous awards, including the Eli Lilly Research Award in Microbiology and Immunology, the Novartis Drew Award in Biomedical Research, the Richard Lounsbery Award for Biology and Medicine, and the Lasker Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science. He has received honorary PhD degrees from the Cold Spring Harbor Graduate School, the University of Athens, and the Rockefeller University.
After receiving his BA and MS degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his PhD in molecular biology from Vanderbilt University, Dr. Maniatis carried out postdoctoral studies at Harvard University and the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. He has held faculty appointments at Harvard University, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology during his career.
