Montrose James Moses

Montrose James Moses (June 26, 1919 – September 26, 2011) was an American cell biologist known as one of the first scientists to describe the synaptonemal complex, a protein structure associated with chromosome pairing during meiosis. He was a professor at the Duke University School of Medicine, a founder and early officer of the American Society for Cell Biology, and the society's eighth president.

Early life and education Moses was born June 26, 1919, in New York City to Montrose Jonas Moses and Dorothy H. Moses; his father was a theatre and book critic and his mother was an actress.

He attended high school in Winsted, Connecticut, where he developed interests in biology, microscopy, and electronics. He characterized an axial structure associated with paired chromosomes during meiosis. Don Fawcett independently reported related observations.

In 2006, the Gordon Research Conference on meiosis marked the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of the synaptonemal complex with an introductory presentation by Moses. He was appointed associate secretary of the Provisional Executive Committee in 1961 and subsequently served as one of the society's first secretaries, from 1962 to 1967. He served as the eighth president of the ASCB in 1968–1969. During his presidency, Moses proposed that the society make a case for the public importance of cell biology and the importance of federal support of research; the resulting discussion led the ASCB Council to establish a Committee on Public Policy.

Selected publications