New Director for NIH Institute

NIH has selected cell biologist Chris A. Kaiser to direct the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). Kaiser, a professor and head of the biology department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, plans to take the helm in the spring of 2012. He replaces Acting Director Judith H. Greenberg, who has led the institute since the departure of Jeremy M. Berg last July (C&EN, June 20, page 28). The NIGMS director oversees a budget of about $2 billion; the institute supports about 4,500 grants each year and funds more chemistry-related research than any of the other 27 institutes within NIH. Kaiser is ideal for this position because of his “tremendous energy and enthusiasm for research and training—two key components of the NIGMS mission,” NIH Director Francis S. Collins said in a statement. Kaiser’s research involves the use of genetic, biochemical, and structural biology tools to unravel mechanisms of protein folding and intracellular transport. Kaiser says he is looking forward to building and sustaining a strong and diverse scientific workforce at NIGMS.