Scientist
b. May 19, 1966
"Hopefully people can look at me and realize that it's okay to be open in their lives and be themselves and do great work and make contributions to the world as scientist."
Carolyn Bertozzi is the youngest scientist to receive the MacArthur "genius" award. A Professor of Chemistry and Molecular Biology at Berkeley, she oversees a cutting edge research lab. She has a reputation as an outstanding professor and mentor.
The daughter of a physics professor, Bertozzi worked summer jobs at MIT. Her early interests included sports and music.
Bertozzi found her niche in organic chemistry during her sophomore year at Harvard University. She graduated summa cum laude and received an award for best senior thesis. She completed her graduate studies at University of California, Berkeley, receiving her Ph.D. in 1993.
In 1996, Bertozzi joined the UC Berkeley faculty. Her research focuses on the glycobiology underlying diseases such as cancer and inflammatory disorders. Believing she can link sugar molecules' structures with the presence or absence of disease, Bertozzi developed a unique system to track cell development.
Her research team has published over 98 articles. Nature and Angewandte Chemie, an influential chemistry journal, has praised Bertozzi's work.
She co-edited "Glycochemistry: Principles, Synthesis, and Applications" and is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.
In 2001, UC Berkeley honored Bertozzi with its prestigious Distinguished Teaching Award.
