Silhavy earns first Novitski Prize

By Staff on Jan. 20, 2008, 6:13 p.m.

Thomas Silhavy, the Warner-Lambert Parke-Davis Professor of Molecular Biology, has received the first Novitski Prize from the Genetics Society of America.

Named for Edward Novitski (1918-2006), a noted geneticist, the prize is awarded in recognition of innovative experimental approaches and extraordinary creativity in solving a significant problem in genetics research.

Silhavy, a Princeton faculty member since 1984, is a bacterial geneticist who has made fundamental contributions to the field of cell biology. His work, using E. coli as a model system, has provided important insights into protein secretion and the mechanisms for sensing extracellular conditions and stimuli. His lab now is researching the cellular machinery that assembles the outer membrane, a barrier against antibiotics and other toxic molecules.

The Genetics Society of America represents nearly 5,000 scientists and educators. 

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