Prof. Blackburn is presently Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Blackburn is a graduate of the University of Melbourne, Australia with a B.Sc. in Biochemistry 1970 and an M.Sc. in 1972. She was awarded a Ph.D. in Molecular Chemistry from the University of Cambridge, England in 1975 and did postdoctoral studies at Yale University 1975-1977 in Molecular and Cell Biology.
Dr. Blackburn has received numerous prizes for her very innovative studies, most recently the Gairdner Foundation Award, the Australia Prize in 1998, and le Grand Prix Charles-Leopold Mayer Award. In addition, she is a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Sciences as well as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of London. Last year she served as President of the American Society for Cell Biology.
Professor Blackburn delivered the Keynote Address at the Opening Ceremony on Monday night.
Dr. Rohy received his B.A. in Physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his Ph.D. in Experimental Solid State Physics from Cornell University. From 1967 to 1970 he was employed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Subsequently he was employed by Solar Turbines, Inc., a major turbine manufacturer in Southern California, where he was the Director of the Advanced Turbine Systems program, until his appointment to the California Energy Commission.
Dr. Rohy was the Master of Ceremonies at the Awards Ceremony Tuesday afternoon.