Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine Dean Duane Compton, PhD, has announced that cell biologist Jamie Moseley, PhD, has been named the chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (BCB). Moseley, a professor of biochemistry and cell biology, succeeds Charles Barlowe, PhD, who is stepping down as chair but will continue with his other duties in the department. Moseley’s five-year, renewable term will start on July 1.
“It gives me great pleasure to appoint Dr. Moseley as the next chair of the department,” says Compton. “He is an outstanding scientist, and he brings vast professional experience to the role in faculty recruitment and promotion, for example, that he’s learned through his extensive institutional service. He will continue the succession of outstanding leadership for the department in taking over from Dr. Barlowe who served as chair for almost two decades.”
Moseley has built a successful research program at Geisel focused on understanding how cells coordinate cell growth and division. At the heart of this coordination are signaling pathways that link cell growth proteins with the core cell cycle machinery. Moseley and his team use a multi-disciplinary approach to identify these pathways, and then to understand how their activities are controlled by changes in cell size and shape.
“My lab uses a model system of fungus called fission yeast that allows us to employ a wide range of research tools—which include genetic, genomic, biochemical, and microscopy techniques—that are hard to do in human cells,” he explains. “Since basic cell growth and cell cycle systems are well conserved between fission yeast and human cells, we try to understand how the process is supposed to work correctly. We can then go in and make very specific mutations in these genes and see what goes wrong.
“This, I think, provides a foundation of knowledge for people who are working with the same genes and proteins in human cells and cancer cells,” adds Moseley. “Some of the close collaborations that we have with other labs and the supportive environment we have here at Dartmouth greatly enhance these efforts.”
As the new chair, Moseley’s overall goal is to build on BCB’s previous successes and to keep it operating at a high level—from its recruiting, training, and mentorship programs to its research activities. “We have a lot of really smart, talented people who work very well together. The more we interact and support each other, the stronger our research programs are going to be. I’m excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for us.”
“I want to thank Charlie (Barlowe) for his excellence leadership and service,” says Moseley. “He deserves much recognition for his 17 years guiding the department to a very strong position. I’ve been really inspired by the great people and the great work that has been done here. I’m excited to now have the opportunity as chair to help support my colleagues in the same way I’ve been supported.”
Moseley’s honors include being named a Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences, serving on the Editorial Board of Molecular and Cellular Biology, receiving the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant, and serving as a member and then chair of the Cell Signaling and Regulatory Systems Study Section at the NIH.
A member of the Geisel faculty since 2010, Moseley received his AB from Bowdoin College and his PhD from Brandeis University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at The Rockefeller University.
Founded in 1797, the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth strives to improve the lives of the communities it serves through excellence in learning, discovery, and healing. The Geisel School of Medicine is renowned for its leadership in medical education, healthcare policy and delivery science, biomedical research, global health, and in creating innovations that improve lives worldwide. As one of America’s leading medical schools, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine is committed to training new generations of diverse leaders who will help solve our most vexing challenges in healthcare.