Cell biologist Fred Chang, MD, PhD, has been named a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through its Science family of journals.
The fellowship is a highly esteemed lifetime honor within the scientific community. Fellows are elected each year by the AAAS Council, in a tradition dating back to 1874.
Chang studies fundamental questions of how cells are built from molecules, and he has been fascinated by microorganisms since he was an undergraduate at Princeton. He joined UC San Francisco’s Medical Scientist Training Program in 1984 and did his PhD with pioneering geneticist Ira Herskowitz, whom Chang credits with helping him develop as a scientist and a mentor.
After training at Oxford, University and UC Berkeley, Chang started his own lab at Columbia Medical Center in 1997 and returned to UCSF in 2016 as a Professor in the Department of Cell and Tissue Biology.
Using fission yeast as a model organism, his lab explores fundamental aspects of cells, including how they grow and divide; how they sense their own size and shape; and how the density of the gelatinous liquid inside them, which is known as cytoplasm, affects cellular functions.
Chang’s lab is highly interdisciplinary, utilizing expertise from cell biologists, geneticists, physicists, engineers and modelers to understand how cells perform their magic.
In addition to his scientific achievements, this award also recognizes his contributions in advocacy for LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented identities in science. He currently works with the American Society of Cell Biology to foster supportive communities for LGBTQ+ cell biologists and trainees.
He is also a classically trained violinist who has played with professional and amateur orchestras and continues to perform in various Bay Area venues.
Chang will join 470 others in a class of distinguished scientists and leaders across disciplines, from research and teaching to government and academic administration. They will celebrate their election at a forum in Washington, D.C., on June 7.