Ronald Vale

Ron Vale received his Ph.D. in Neurosciences from Stanford University in 1985 and was a faculty member at the University of California from 1986-2020. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Janelia Research Campus and Vice-President of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Vale discovered the motor protein “kinesin”, and his laboratory was involved in understanding how motor proteins produce movement using structural and single molecule approaches. His lab also investigates the cell biological and biochemical mechanism of T cell and macrophage signaling.

Vale received the Lasker Award in Basic Medical Research, Canada Gairdner Award for Biomedical Research, Shaw Prize in Life Sciences, Massry Prize, Wiley Prize, and the Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the European Molecular Biology Organization, and the Indian National Science Academy.