Photo: UMass Chan Medical School
Erik J. Sontheimer, PhD, the Pillar Chair in Biomedical Research, professor and vice chair of RNA therapeutics, has been appointed chair of the RNA Therapeutics Institute, effective in January of 2027, according to Terence R. Flotte, MD, the Elisabeth Chair for the Dean of Medicine, executive deputy chancellor, provost and dean, T.H. Chan School of Medicine.
Dr. Sontheimer will succeed Phillip D. Zamore, PhD, when he steps down from the role in January 2027.
“We are deeply grateful to Dr. Zamore, who will stay on as an adjunct faculty member when he transitions to a new institution,” Dr. Flotte said. “His visionary leadership has made a lasting impact on the RNA Therapeutics Institute (RTI) and the broader UMass Chan Medical School community.”
Flotte said one of Zamore’s legacies is the exceptional academic community he helped build as founding chair of the RTI, recruiting innovative scientists, fostering a culture of scientific rigor and collaboration, and helping establish UMass Chan as an international leader in RNA biology, therapeutic innovation and drug discovery.
Sontheimer is a pioneering leader in the field of CRISPR gene editing.
“Dr. Sontheimer brings outstanding scientific expertise and leadership to this role, and Chancellor McManus and I are confident he will continue to advance the institute’s mission,” Flotte said. “His research has advanced understanding of RNA biology, RNA interference and CRISPR immune systems, including early work showing that CRISPR systems target DNA directly and helping define the potential for RNA-guided genome engineering.”
Sontheimer came to UMass Chan in 2014 from a faculty position at Northwestern University. He earned his PhD from Yale University and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago.
He has received numerous honors for his research and teaching, including a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation; New Investigator Award in the Basic Pharmacological Sciences from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund; Basil O’Conner Award from the March of Dimes; Scholar Award from the American Cancer Society; Distinguished Teaching Award from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern; Nestlé Award from the American Society for Microbiology; Mid-Career Award from the RNA Society; and election to the American Academy of Microbiology.
