Dear Members of the HMS and HSDM Community:
Clifford Tabin, the George Jacob and Jacqueline Hazel Leder Professor of Genetics, has informed me of his intention to step down as chair of the HMS Department of Genetics as of Jan. 1, 2027, which will mark 20 years of distinguished service. He will continue his research as a member of the department’s faculty.
Cliff was named chair in 2007, just four years after the completion of the Human Genome Project — a turning point that ushered in transformative advances in human genetics, cancer biology, synthetic biology, and computational genetics. Under Cliff’s leadership, the department has embraced collaborative science, engaged in fundamental and translational research with clinical departments, and been a hotbed of discovery and development of transformational experimental technologies.
Prior to his long tenure as chair, Cliff had already been a fixture in the HMS community, having joined the HMS Department of Genetics in 1987 and rising to full professor in 1997. His research has focused on how genes regulate the emergence of form and structure in vertebrate animals during embryonic development.
Cliff is a treasured mentor and educator, having received the HMS William Silen Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award in 2014 and the Distinguished Faculty Award from the HMS Division of Medical Studies in 2018. He is also a celebrated researcher, having received the U.S. National Academy of Sciences Award in Molecular Biology (1999), the March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology (2008), and the Edwin G. Conklin Medal from the Society for Developmental Biology (2012). He has also been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2000), the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (2007), the U.K. Royal Society of London (2014) as a foreign member, and the American Philosophical Society (2019). Cliff received his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago in 1976, followed by a PhD from MIT in 1984.
Cliff is only the second chair of the department, following Philip Leder, the legendary founding chair. While Cliff leaves big shoes to fill, I am confident that the future of the department is strong. We have two excellent vice chairs in Susan Dymecki, the George Fabyan Professor of Genetics in the Field of Comparative Pathology, and Jeannie Lee, HMS professor of genetics and chair of molecular biology at Massachusetts General Hospital — who have both earned multiple distinctions for their commitment to research and education. In the coming weeks I will be convening a search advisory committee and fielding nominations of candidates for the chair role. I know that our important work in genetics will continue to thrive.
Please join me in thanking Cliff Tabin for his extraordinary, decades-long service as chair of the HMS Department of Genetics.
Sincerely,
George Q. Daley
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Harvard University