Cell Biologist to Deliver 50th Faculty Research Lecture at UCSF

Updated May 1 with new location. The Academic Senate has selected Peter Walter, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the UCSF School of Medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, to be the Academic Senate's 50th Faculty Research Lecturer. A longtime member of the UCSF faculty, Walter is known for his groundbreaking research in cell signaling, protein localization and the regulation of organelle abundance. He was a leader in the development of UCSF's 43-acre life sciences campus at Mission Bay. Each year, this distinction proudly acknowledges the outstanding scientific achievements made by a member of the UCSF Academic Senate. Academic Senate members are asked to consider the contributions of their colleagues, so that their achievements may be recognized by the University community. The campus community is invited to hear Walter's lecture on Tuesday, May 1, at 3:30 p.m. in Robertson Auditoriam, in the Campus Community Center at UCSF Mission Bay. A reception will follow the lecture. Walter's research aims to understand how proteins become properly localized within a cell -- a process that is essential for maintaining order and compartmentalization in all living cells. His lab studies the pathways that allow certain classes of proteins to become selectively targeted to the cell's endoplasmic reticulum, the organelle involved in protein synthesis and other vital functions. Walter also studies regulatory pathways within cells that control growth and turnover of organelles. He seeks to learn how cells of higher organisms regulate the abundance of their organelles according to need. The recipient of numerous honors and awards, Walter was elected in 2004 to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his distinguished achievements in original research. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the nation's preeminent learned society and a research institution, in 2002. Related Links: The Walter Lab Peter Walter: Organelle Biogenesis and Protein Sorting Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Abstract Profile of Peter Walter, ASCB Newsletter, January 2005 (PDF)