Marcus Bustamante Smolka

Marcus Smolka is the Interim Director of the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, and a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. He received a Ph. D. in Brazil, at the State University of Campinas and worked as a visiting fellow at the Institute for Systems Biology (Seattle, WA). In 2003, Dr. Smolka moved to San Diego, CA, for a post-doctorate at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. He joined Cornell in 2008.Smolka pioneered the use of mass spectrometry for the study of kinase substrates and mapping of phosphorylation signaling networks. With grants and awards from the NIH, ACS, Emerson Collective and various Cornell Initiatives, his lab applies proteomic approaches, in combination with genetics and biochemistry, to investigate fundamental mechanisms of genome maintenance, and their connections to cancer and reproductive biology. The Smolka Lab has mapped the action of DNA damage signaling kinases in yeast and mammals, leading to the understanding of the mechanisms by which kinases control DNA repair, checkpoints, cell cycle and transcription. As a Research Scholar for the American Cancer Society, Smolka uncovered novel mechanisms for deactivation of DNA damage checkpoint signaling kinases, establishing novel paradigms for signaling regulation. Current work in the Smolka Lab continues to expand the network of DNA damage signaling in the context of cancer biology and meiosis. Smolka also engages in a range of collaborative efforts using quantitative proteomics to elucidate fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic control, cell polarity, protein trafficking, neurodegenerative diseases and bacteria-host interactions. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)