Robert G. Roeder (Rockefeller University)

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Robert G. Roeder - Professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Rockefeller University in New York - received the title of Honoris Causa on the 15th of October 2018.

Photo : Robert G. Roeder © Mario Morgado
Robert G. Roeder © Mario Morgado

Robert G. Roeder is a world famous biochemist and molecular biologist. His research work over the last 50 years has created and continues to shape an entire field of modern biology, the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes.

Research, collaboration, distinctions

Prof. Roeder's discoveries of the three enzymes (RNA polymerases I, II and III) at the heart of this process, and their respective general transcription factors, are monumental contributions that form the basis of our current understanding of transcriptional regulation in humans. His uncovering of eukaryotic transcription activators and coactivators and their function in chromatin have enabled researchers in this field to understand the regulation of gene expression in the context of the cell nucleus. These discoveries are crucial to unravel the mechanisms that lead to the development of serious diseases such as cancer.

Bob Roeder’s work has been rewarded with some of the world’s most prestigious research awards (e.g. “Lasker Award”, “Gairdner Award”). He is a member of the most renowned academies of science in the United States and in Europe (e.g., “National Academy of Sciences of the United States”, “European Molecular Biology Organisation”).

Robert G. Roeder’s relations and collaborations with the University of Bordeaux go back over 15 years and have been the foundation for several publications in the past and certainly for many more projects in the future!

The DHC for Prof. Roeder was proposed by Martin Teichmann, Professor of genetics and director of the Doctoral School of Health and Life Sciences, University of Bordeaux.