Gary J. Bassell, Ph.D. has been Chair of the Department of Cell Biology at Emory University School of Medicine since 2015. Gary came to Emory in 2005 after serving on the faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine for ten years. Dr. Bassell received his Ph.D. in Cell Biology, doing thesis research with Dr. Robert Singer at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. His postdoctoral research was with Dr. Kenneth Kosik at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Bassell’s research led to the discovery and characterization of mRNA transport granules in neurons, mechanisms of local protein synthesis regulation and how they go awry in neurological diseases. More recently, his research has developed methods to analyze mRNA and protein synthesis dysregulation in human iPSC derived neuronal disease models. Dr. Bassell has received several awards, including the Basal O-Connor Scholar Award from the March of Dimes Foundation, the Dana Foundation Award in Brain Imaging, a Trailblazer Award from the Autism Speaks Foundation and a Distinguished Investigator Award from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation/NARSAD.