Erika Holzbaur

Erika L F. Holzbaur (born 1960) is an American biologist who is the William Maul Measey Professor of Physiology at University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Her research considers the dynamics of organelle motility along cytoskeleton of cells. She is particularly interested in the molecular mechanisms that underpin neurodegenerative diseases.

Early life and education Holzbaur grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York. She became interested in American history as a teenager, and in particular was inspired by the women's rights advocate Frederick Douglass. She eventually graduated from the College of William & Mary with a major in chemistry and history. She worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Pennsylvania State University and the Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research. During her postdoctoral research, Holzbaur studied cytoplasmic dynein. She recognized that the cytoplasmic dynein-associated proteins closely resembled a Drosophila gene called Glued, which was known to cause neurodegeneration in the fruit-fly. Holzbaur studies various motor proteins, including dyneins, myosins and kinesins.

Awards and honors Pfizer Award for Research Excellence William Maul Measey Endowed Professor Fellow of the American Society for Cell Biology Jane M. Glick Teaching Award National Institutes of Health Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award Keith R. Porter Fellowship Award Sandra K. Masur Senior Leadership Award

Selected publications