Squire Booker has been named the Richard Perry University Professor in the Department of Chemistry in the School of Arts & Sciences and the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, beginning Jan 1. The announcement was made by Interim President J. Larry Jameson and Provost John L. Jackson Jr.
Booker, a world-renowned interdisciplinary chemist, brings together methods from chemistry, biochemistry, medicine, and microbiology to study the mechanisms by which enzymes containing iron-sulfur clusters catalyze chemical reactions. This research, as well as his related research into the functions of proteins in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, have wide implications for advancements in human health and innovative new treatments of disease.
Booker is an investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is currently the Evan Pugh University Professor and the Eberly Family Distinguished Professor of Science at Penn State University, where he has taught since 1999.
“Groundbreaking life science research is essential to human health and flourishing,” Jameson said. “Professor Booker brings the caliber of expertise, novel scientific approaches, and interdisciplinary insights necessary to advance this work. His track record of advancing foundational discoveries and mentoring young scientists makes him an ideal fit for Penn’s signature approach.”
Booker’s professional awards include, most recently, the Merck Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, honoring outstanding contributions to research in biochemistry and molecular biology; the Ruth Kirschstein Diversity in Science Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, honoring a sustained commitment to mentoring scientists from historically marginalized or excluded groups; and the Hans Neurath Award from the Protein Society, honoring recent contributions of exceptional merit to basic protein research.
He serves on the editorial boards of numerous leading professional journals and has delivered major named lectures at more than a dozen universities. He received a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a B.A. in chemistry from Austin College, and postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Paris V and the Enzyme Institute of the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
“Squire Booker’s ambitious and creative research,” Jackson said, “exemplifies the mission of our strategic framework, In Principle and Practice, to lead on the great challenges of our time. He will be a galvanizing leader on campus, bringing together the insights of multiple disciplines to make a powerful impact on health outcomes around the world.”
The Penn Integrates Knowledge program is a University-wide initiative to recruit exceptional faculty members whose research and teaching exemplify the integration of knowledge across disciplines and who are appointed in at least two schools at Penn.
The Richard Perry University Professorship is a gift of Richard C. Perry, a 1977 graduate of the Wharton School who founded the investment management firm Perry Capital. He is a University Trustee and a former member of the Undergraduate Executive Board of the Wharton School. His 2005 gift created the first four Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professorships.
