Richard Losick

Education and career Losick received his AB in Chemistry from Princeton University in 1965, and his PhD in biochemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1969 working under supervision of Phillips Robbins. Following his graduate studies, Losick was named a Junior Fellow of the Harvard Society of Fellows, and there initially worked in the laboratory of Jack L. Strominger. He has held the position of chairman in the Departments of Cellular and Developmental Biology and Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Research Losick's research interests include RNA polymerase, sigma factors, regulation of gene transcription, and bacterial development. He is known for his studies of asymmetric division in Bacillus subtilis, which divides to form one endospore and one nurturing cell. Notable trainees include Robert Tjian.

Awards and honors Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation (1973) Member, National Academy of Sciences (1992) Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1996) Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science (1998) Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology (elected prior to 2000) Selman A. Waksman Award in Microbiology, National Academy of Sciences (2007) Gairdner Foundation International Award (2009) Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, Columbia University (2012)