Richard A. Young

Richard A. Young, Ph.D., is a member of the Whitehead Institute and professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In May 2012, he was elected into the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Young's research focuses on the regulatory circuitry that controls the gene expressions programs in each cell, including mapping the regulatory circuitry that controls cell state and differentiation in mice and humans. Experimental and computational technologies are used to determine how signaling pathways, transcription factors, chromatin regulators, and small RNAs control gene expression programs in embryonic stem cells. Dr. Young has served as an advisor to Science magazine and the World Health Organization. In 2006, Dr. Young was recognized as one of the top 50 leaders in science, technology, and business by Scientific American. His awards include a Burroughs Wellcome Scholarships, the Chiron Corporation Biotechnology Research Awards, and Yale's Wilbur Cross Medal. Dr. Young received his Ph.D. from Yale University.