Philip Siekevitz

Philip Siekevitz (February 25, 1918 – December 5, 2009) was an American cell biologist who spent most of his career at Rockefeller University. He was involved in early studies of protein synthesis and trafficking, established purification techniques to facilitate study of the cell nucleus, worked with Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine winner George Palade on cell membrane dynamics, and published extensively on the subject of postsynaptic density.

Early life and education Siekevitz was born on February 25, 1918, in Philadelphia to a working-class immigrant family.

Academic career Siekevitz officially joined the faculty at Rockefeller in 1959 and became a full professor in 1966. He remained there until his retirement, assuming professor emeritus status, in 1988. and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1978.

Personal life Siekevitz married his wife Rebecca Burstein in 1949; they were married for 60 years and had two daughters. Siekevitz enjoyed playing the piano and writing fictionhe published two novellas during his lifetime and left several unpublished short stories after his death. He was noted as a vocal advocate of ethics in science and wrote often on the subject. He also published commentary and science writing pieces aimed at explaining his work to the public. Siekevitz died of a stroke on December 5, 2009.