Charles Zuker
Encyclopedia
Charles S. Zuker is an American molecular geneticist
and neurobiologist of Chile
an descent. His lab has contributed to our understanding of mammalian taste, in collaboration with Nicholas Ryba's laboratory at the NIH beginning in the 1990s. Prior to working on mammalian taste, his lab focused on visual signal transduction pathways in Drosophila melanogaster
(fruit fly). He is an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
. Zuker has recently been elected as a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences
. After nearly 20 years at University of California, San Diego
, his new appointment at Columbia University
begins in 2009.
. He did his postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley
with Gerald Rubin.
Molecular genetics
Molecular genetics is the field of biology and genetics that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. The field studies how the genes are transferred from generation to generation. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology...
and neurobiologist of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an descent. His lab has contributed to our understanding of mammalian taste, in collaboration with Nicholas Ryba's laboratory at the NIH beginning in the 1990s. Prior to working on mammalian taste, his lab focused on visual signal transduction pathways in Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster is a species of Diptera, or the order of flies, in the family Drosophilidae. The species is known generally as the common fruit fly or vinegar fly. Starting from Charles W...
(fruit fly). He is an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a United States non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded by the American businessman Howard Hughes in 1953. It is one of the largest private funding organizations for biological and medical research in the United...
. Zuker has recently been elected as a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
. After nearly 20 years at University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
, his new appointment at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
begins in 2009.
Education and training
Zuker attended the Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso in Chile, and obtained his Ph.D. from MIT with Harvey LodishHarvey Lodish
Harvey F. Lodish is a molecular and cell biologist, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, and textbook author...
. He did his postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
with Gerald Rubin.