Mark Johnston

Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics. Leader in the field of genetics whose research has focused on two important areas of yeast genetics. His lab has been at the forefront of elucidating how cells respond to glucose, the primary carbon source of most cells, including those of humans. He advanced understanding of how glucose controls gene expression and how cells take it up from the growth medium. Second, he is a leader in the genomics of yeast. He played a vital role in the sequencing of the yeast genome, the first eukaryotic genome to be sequenced, and did some pioneering work in comparative genomics. He then spearheaded the yeast gene deletion project, the construction of approximately 6,000 yeast strains, each missing a single gene, that has been an important resource for countless scientific advances. As editor of the journal GENETICS (a peer-edited journal of the Genetics Society of America), he reorganized and invigorated a journal that has led the field for 100 years.  In 2008 he received the Beadle Award of the Genetics Society of America.