Robert Pollack (biologist)
Encyclopedia
Dr. Robert Pollack is an American
biologist who studies the intersections between science and religion. He currently works at Columbia University
, where he serves as the director of the university's Center for the Study of Science and Religion
and lectures for its Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. Additionally, he is a professor of religion at the Union Theological Seminary
. From 1982 to 1989 he served as Dean of Columbia College
. In addition to teaching, Pollack has authored more than one hundred reviews, articles, and opinion pieces on molecular biology, medical ethics and science education.
Pollack grew up in the New York City
borough of Brooklyn
, where he attended public schools. From there he went on to Columbia College, where he graduated with a major in physics in 1961. He obtained his Ph.D. in biology from Brandeis University
. He has conducted research at the Weizmann Institute in Israel
and at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
, served as an assistant professor of pathology at New York University Medical Center
and taught microbiology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook
. In 1978 he became a professor of biological sciences at Columbia, ascending to the deanship of Columbia College in 1982.
In 1994 Pollack chose to stop his laboratory work and focus on the interaction between science and other disciplines, most notably religion. He has authored three books on the subject, Signs of Life: the Language and Meanings of DNA (1994), which won the Lionel Trilling
Award and has been translated into six languages, The Faith of Biology and the Biology of Faith: Order, meaning and free will in modern science (2000), and The Missing Moment: How the unconscious shapes modern science (2001).
Pollack is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
and the World Economic Forum
. He also serves on the advisory boards of several student and university associations at Columbia and Harvard, as well as a director of several biotechnology companies.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
biologist who studies the intersections between science and religion. He currently works 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...
, where he serves as the director of the university's Center for the Study of Science and Religion
Center for the Study of Science and Religion
The Center for the Study of Science and Religion is a center inside The Earth Institute at Columbia University. It "was founded in the summer of 1999 as a forum for the examination of issues that lie at the boundary of these two complementary ways of comprehending the world and our place in it...
and lectures for its Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. Additionally, he is a professor of religion at the Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
. From 1982 to 1989 he served as Dean of Columbia College
Columbia College of Columbia University
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King George II...
. In addition to teaching, Pollack has authored more than one hundred reviews, articles, and opinion pieces on molecular biology, medical ethics and science education.
Pollack grew up in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, where he attended public schools. From there he went on to Columbia College, where he graduated with a major in physics in 1961. He obtained his Ph.D. in biology from Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. He has conducted research at the Weizmann Institute in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is a private, non-profit institution with research programs focusing on cancer, neurobiology, plant genetics, genomics and bioinformatics. The Laboratory has a broad educational mission, including the recently established Watson School of Biological Sciences. It...
, served as an assistant professor of pathology at New York University Medical Center
New York University School of Medicine
The New York University School of Medicine is one of the graduate schools of New York University. Founded in 1841 as the University Medical College, the NYU School of Medicine is one of the foremost medical schools in the United States....
and taught microbiology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook
State University of New York at Stony Brook
The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....
. In 1978 he became a professor of biological sciences at Columbia, ascending to the deanship of Columbia College in 1982.
In 1994 Pollack chose to stop his laboratory work and focus on the interaction between science and other disciplines, most notably religion. He has authored three books on the subject, Signs of Life: the Language and Meanings of DNA (1994), which won the Lionel Trilling
Lionel Trilling
Lionel Trilling was an American literary critic, author, and teacher. With wife Diana Trilling, he was a member of the New York Intellectuals and contributor to the Partisan Review. Although he did not establish a school of literary criticism, he is one of the leading U.S...
Award and has been translated into six languages, The Faith of Biology and the Biology of Faith: Order, meaning and free will in modern science (2000), and The Missing Moment: How the unconscious shapes modern science (2001).
Pollack is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
and the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
. He also serves on the advisory boards of several student and university associations at Columbia and Harvard, as well as a director of several biotechnology companies.