Susan Baserga

Susan J. Baserga is an American physician who is the William H. Fleming Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University. Her research considers the molecular basis of ribosomes, and the mechanistic basis of inherited human disease.

Early life and education Baserga's father, Renato Baserga, was a pathologist and cancer researcher. In 1977, Baserga became inspired by pre-RNA splicing. As an MD–PhD candidate, Baserga studied nonsense-mediated decay mammalian cells. She later moved to Joan A. Steitz's laboratory at Yale University, where she started working on ribosome biogenesis.

Research and career Baserga started her academic career at Yale in 1993. She was promoted to professor in 2007. Her research sought to identify how ribosome production is regulated in mammalian cells. She uses Xenopus tropicalis as a model system for ribosomopathies, and is interested in Fanconi anemia repair factors. She is the Chair of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Women in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Committee. In 2023, she joined the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on RNA modifications, "Towards Sequencing and Mapping of RNA Modifications".

Awards and honors 2014 Charles W. Bohmfalk Prize 2016 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology William C. Rose Award 2018 Connecticut Technology Council Women of Innovation Category Winner in Research Innovation and Leadership 2018 National Academy of Inventors 2023 Elected Fellow of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2023 Elected to the National Academy of Medicine 2024 Elected as a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Selected publications