Posted on January 28, 2026 in ASRC News, Structural Biology Initiative
Message from the Director
Happy New Year, everyone! Looking back on 2025, I’m tremendously proud of our many accomplishments this past year. These came in many different forms, including promotions for Shana Elbaum-Garfinkle and Daniel Keedy to associate professors with tenure and myself to distinguished professor; a tremendously successful second 5-year external review for the Structural Biology Initiative; and multiple Ph.D. defenses, papers, and grants showing the world the strength and breadth of our research.
2025 has also been a challenging year for many in science, here and beyond, as fundamental changes at NIH, NSF, and other federal agencies have affected long-established grant programs in a variety of ways. While there are clear opportunities for improvement in these large governmental organizations, such changes need to be done more thoughtfully, deliberately, and with more input from the scientific community than we’ve seen over the past year.
Which brings us to 2026. I am very bullish on our direction as a floor, given all of the outstanding research we’ve got going, grant proposals that are in the mix, and new people who’ve joined us. I’m also keen on our ability to recruit a new lab onto the floor as part of the Spergel Initiative in AI, letting us bring new colleagues aboard to push us in new and exciting directions. I’m also hopeful that word is getting through to the funding agencies on the importance of clear and sustained funding for discovery, training, and national leadership.
I close by reminding everyone that we all have choices as to where we work, how we spend our time, and what we prioritize for our energy and efforts. Many thanks to all of you for sharing these with us here in SBI, and wishing you all the best for 2026.
Kevin Gardner
Director, Structural Biology Initiative
Download the Structural Biology Initiative Spring 2026 Newsletter
In this Issue:
- A Special Welcome
- New Arrivals
- Spotlight: Dr. Sebastiano Nigris
- Publications
- Achievements at a Glance
- Upcoming Events
- Congratulations, Graduates!