Dear Members of the HMS and HSDM Community,
I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Susan M. Dymecki, the George Fabyan Professor of Genetics in the Field of Comparative Pathology, as the next chair of the HMS Department of Genetics, effective Jan. 2, 2027.
Susan will succeed Clifford Tabin, the George Jacob and Jacqueline Hazel Leder Professor of Genetics, who will step down after 20 years of distinguished service leading the department. Cliff will remain on the faculty, continuing his research into the genetic basis of form and structure in embryonic development and how gene networks are modulated to drive evolutionary change. I want to thank Cliff for his many contributions to the department: tirelessly supporting genetics faculty, staff, and trainees; prioritizing mentorship of junior faculty; strengthening ties to our affiliated institutions through our Quad B faculty; and championing the needs of HMS genetics as well as fellow preclinical departments and the School as a whole. His service exemplifies the highest standards of dedication and excellence.
Susan will become only the third chair of the HMS Department of Genetics, which was founded in 1981 following the recruitment from the NIH of Philip Leder as the inaugural chair. Today, the department is home to faculty whose research ranges from human and computational genetics to genomics and genomic technologies to developmental, cancer, synthetic, and plant biology — all using genetics as a frame for elucidating the code of life. Since 2024, Susan has served as one of two vice-chairs of the department, alongside Jeannie Lee, HMS professor of genetics and chair of molecular biology at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The Dymecki Lab works at the intersection of genetics and neuroscience, studying how the brain develops and what goes wrong in brain disorders. Their focus is the brainstem, one of the brain’s most ancient and essential regions, and specifically its serotonergic neurons: a network governing functions as varied as circadian rhythms, emotional balance, breathing, memory, and body temperature. Susan pioneered techniques for precisely controlling genes and transgenes, now standard across biology, and applies them to uncover how the serotonergic system drives such diverse processes — work that sheds light on conditions including bipolar disorder, sleep apnea, and sudden infant death syndrome.
Susan is the recipient of numerous research awards including the Irvine Page Lectureship Award from the International Society for Serotonin Research, and she is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her strengths as an educator have also earned her many honors, including the HMS Morgan-Zinsser Teaching Faculty Fellowship Award, the Biological and Biomedical Sciences PhD Program Mentoring Award, and Harvard’s A. Clifford Barger Excellence in Mentoring Award.
In addition to those scholarly achievements, Susan is a dedicated and highly effective academic leader. She served as director of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) PhD Program, the largest bioscience PhD training program at Harvard, after having served previously as associate director. Most recently, Susan has proven indispensable in co-directing the Advisory Committee on Research Sustainability (ACRS) alongside David Ginty, the Edward R. and Anne G. Lefler Professor and chair of the Department of Neurobiology. This committee is an extraordinary example of shared faculty governance over our research enterprise. The committee has championed strategic thinking, informed decision-making, and open-minded dialogue in a time of immense challenge and uncertainty for our research mission.
Please join me in congratulating Susan on her new role. I know that she will excel in this position and will lead our preeminent genetics department with vision, energy, and optimism.
Sincerely,
George Q. Daley
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Harvard University