Viviana Gradinaru, Lois and Victor Troendle Professor of Neuroscience and Biological Engineering and director of the Center for Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience at the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience at Caltech, has been named the new director and Allen V. C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair of the Richard N. Merkin Institute for Translational Research (MITR).
Established by a grant from Caltech trustee Dr. Richard Merkin, the Merkin Institute’s mission is to maximize the full impact of Caltech discoveries and biomedical inventions to better the human condition. Gradinaru takes the reins from Barbara Wold, Bren Professor of Molecular Biology, who served as director and Allen V. C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair of the Merkin Institute for four years.