Gregory J. Hannon
The information listed below is current as of the date the transcript was finalized.
Interview Details
Interview Sessions
Abstract of Interview
Gregory J. Hannon was raised in New Castle, a town in western Pennsylvania just north of Pittsburgh, the elder of two children in a large Irish-Catholic family. His father worked as a quality inspector at Johnson Bronze Company; his mother was a homemaker. After completing high school, Hannon attended Case Western Reserve University, choosing to major in biochemistry. During his sophomore year he began working in Joyce E. Jenhoft's laboratory, which served as a pivotal moment in his scientific career. The experience of scientific research in the Jenhoft lab encouraged Hannon to participate in a program for early admission to Case Western's graduate school. Upon starting his graduate career, he entered Timothy N. Nilsen's lab and began his work on RNA processing, developing new techniques to answer his research questions. Hannon completed his PhD at Case Western and then chose to continue his studies as a postdoctoral fellow with David Beach at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. In Beach's lab he worked on cell cycle interacting proteins and RNA interference (RNAi). It was during this time that Hannon began collaborating with Yue Xiong (Pew Scholar, Class of 1995) and Manuel Serrano on CDK. He accepted a permanent research position at Cold Spring Harbor, and worked through the complexities associated with transitioning from someone else's lab to one's own research lab at the same institution; he also started his work with Genetica, Inc. Throughout the remainder of the interview, Hannon talks about partnerships and collaborations between academia and industry; the privatization of scientific research; and trademark issues. He also discusses his perspectives on the grant-writing process; the peer review system; and gender issues in science. The interview concludes with his reflections on balancing his career and his family life, his scientific aspirations, and the impact of the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences on his work.
Education
Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Case Western Reserve University | BA | Biochemistry |
1991 | Case Western Reserve University | PhD | Molecular Biology |
Professional Experience
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Honors
Year(s) | Award |
---|---|
1982 to 1986 | Andrew J. Squire Scholar |
1986 | Phi Beta Kappa |
1992 to 1995 | Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Cancer Research Fund Fellowship |
1997 to 2000 | Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences Grant |
2000 | Rita Allen Scholar |
2002 to 2005 | US Army Breast Cancer Research Program Innovator Award |
Table of Contents
Family background. Parental expectations. Growing up in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Early schooling. Influential high school teachers. Love of reading. Extracurricular activities in high school. Religion. Case Western Reserve University. Majors in biochemistry. Decides to pursue a career in research after working in Joyce E. Jenhoft's laboratory at Case Western ReserveUniversity during his sophomore year. Participates in a program for early admission to graduate school at Case Western Reserve University. Reasons for doing PhD research in Timothy W. Nilsen's laboratory. Doctoral research on RNA processing. Develops new techniques to answer research questions. Nilsen's mentoring style.
Timothy W. Nilsen' s laboratory. Criteria for judging a laboratory forpostdoctoral research. Postdoctoral fellowship with David Beach at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Beach's mentoring style. Work in Beach's laboratory on cell cycle interacting proteins and RNA interference. Collaborations with Yue Xiong and Manuel Serrano. Accepts a position at Cold Spring Harbor. Setting up hislaboratory. Relationship with David Beach and Genetica Inc. Partnerships and collaborations between academia and industry. Privatization of scientific research. Patents, intellectual property ownership, and rights of the inventor. Trademark issues.
Grant-writing process. Peer review system. Funding history. Laboratory management style. Watson School of Biological Sciences at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Teaching responsibilities. Faculty levels at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Gender. Wife and children. Typical day. Wife's career. PewScholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences award. Current research on the biochemistry and biology of RNA interference. Clinical applications of his work. Future research plans. Assessment of professional goals.