Section: Biography

Thoru Pederson, Ph.D.

Academic Role: Professor

Faculty Appointment(s) In:
   Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology

Other Affiliation(s):
   Cell Dynamics Group
   Interdisciplinary Graduate Program

Academic Background

Thoru Pederson received a Ph.D. in Zoology from Syracuse University and was a NIH postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cell Biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.  He then joined the Worcester Foundation as a Staff Scientist in Cell Biology and was promoted to President of this institute in 1985.  In 1997 the Worcester Foundation merged with UMass.   Dr. Pederson holds the Vitold Arnett Professorship at UMass, an endowed position, and is also Associate Vice-Chancellor for Research .

He has held a Scholar Award from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America and has served on the N.I.H. Cell Biology Study Section, the N.I.H. Molecular Biology Study Section, and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Cell Biology.  He currently serves on the Minority Affairs Committee of the American Society for Cell Biology, and on the editorial board of Molecular Biology of the Cell.  He is an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Academy of Microbiology.  He recently was awarded the Wilhelm Bernhard Medal for his research in the cell nucleus.  He presently serves as the Chair of the Keith Porter Endowment Fund in Cell Biology, which supports the career development of young cell biologists, and also serves as Chair of the Fellowships Review Committee at the Marine Biological laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, which evaluates proposals for summer research grants- again emphasizing young scientists.  Beyond his biomedical research career, Dr. Pederson serves on the board of several charitable organizations, including one that funds the healthcare and mental health needs of the uninsured and the safety and good health of children

Track record of most recent graduate student :

Qian Huang was the most recent graduate student to finish in the Pederson laboratory.  She post-doc’d in the laboratory of Richard Young at the Whitehead Institute, MIT, and is now a Staff Scientist at the Novartis Research Institute, Cambridge, MA

Office: B4-337
Phone: 508-856-8667
Fax: 508-856-8668
E-mail: Thoru.Pederson@umassmed.edu
Keywords: RNA Biology, Stem Cell Biology, Gene Expression, Nuclear Architecture, RNA Interference (RNAi)

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