Two electected to National Academy of Sciences

Dr. Dora E. Angelaki, professor and Wilhelmina Robertson Chair in Neuroscience, and Dr. Martin M. Matzuk, director of the Center for Drug Discovery and vice chair of pathology & immunology at Baylor College of Medicine, have both been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

The two are among 84 new members from 15 countries recognized for their distinguished and continuing achievements in research.

“It is extremely gratifying to have two faculty leaders at Baylor College of Medicine elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Dora Angelaki, chair of neuroscience, and Dr. Martin Matzuk, director of the Center for Drug Discovery, are true leaders in their fields and both highly deserving of this honor,” said Dr. Paul E. Klotman, president and CEO of Baylor. “Baylor’s stronghold in science is well documented and the election of these two scientists to the National Academy adds to our prominence.”

“These two new Academy members have opened up new areas of science at Baylor – Dr. Angelaki in systems neuroscience and Dr. Matzuk in drug discovery,” said Dr. Adam Kuspa, senior vice president for research. “Their contributions are evident at the college and throughout the scientific community.”

Angelaki, who holds a joint appointment with Rice University, joined Baylor in 2011 to lead the department of neuroscience. She received her undergraduate degree from the National Technical University in Athens and went on to earn both her master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Her postdoctoral fellowships were completed at the University of Texas Medical Branch and at the University of Zurich.

Her research focuses on understanding how multisensory information is processed, integrated and transformed into either commands for movement or perceptual decisions.

Matzuk, who holds the Stuart A. Wallace Chair in the department of pathology and immunology, joined the faculty in 1993 after completing his postdoctoral work at Baylor. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago followed by his M.D. and Ph.D. from Washington University School of Medicine.

Matzuk’s research focuses on discovering the critical proteins and mechanisms involved in both normal and abnormal reproductive development. He is also a professor with the department of molecular and human genetics and co-director of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at Baylor. Matzuk is also a member of the NCI-designated Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at Baylor.

There are now nine Baylor faculty members named to the Academy. Angelaki and Matzuk join Drs. Wah Chiu, the Alvin Romansky professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and director of the National Center for Macromolecular Imaging; Arthur Beaudet, chair of molecular and human genetics; Thomas Caskey, professor of molecular and human genetics; Mary Estes, professor of molecular virology and microbiology and medicine; Bert O’Malley, chair of molecular and cellular biology; Salih Wakil, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology; and Huda Zoghbi, professor of molecular and human genetics, pediatrics, neurology and neuroscience and director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital.