Raymond L. Erikson

Raymond L. Erikson (January 24, 1936 – March 30, 2020) was a molecular biologist and virologist who noted research on cell growth and regulation. He also served as the John F. Drum American Cancer Society Professor of Cellular and Developmental Biology at Harvard University.

Childhood Erikson was born in Eagle, Wisconsin, on a dairy farm that was settled by his father and grandfather. Being from a small village, Erikson went to school in a one-room school house before going off to college. It was not until his junior year where he gained interest in molecular biology after taking a course at college. After focusing on RNA bacteriophages, Erikson led a research team to begin research on the oncogene v-Src. The two divorced after sometime. He later remarried to his second wife Donna. They were married for 32 years until his passing and had a daughter named Amanda.