Dean tapped to helm UGA branch; Zou named chair at Duke
Zou named chair at Duke

Lee Zou has been selected to serve as chair of the department of pharmacology and cancer biology at Duke University effective March 1. Prior to this appointment, he operated a research lab at Harvard University and was a professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School and the scientific co-director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.
The Zou lab studies the detection of and cellular response to DNA damage. Zou’s work has important implications in oncogenesis, cancer development and cancer therapy. The lab recently published a research article on molecules that promote the lengthening of telomeres in cells.
Zou earned his Ph.D. from Stony Brook University and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in 1999 and then completed his postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. He has received numerous awards including the National Cancer Institute’s Outstanding Investigator Award, the Kraft Prize for Translational Research and a Breakthrough Award from the Department of Defense.
Zou also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Dean tapped to helm UGA’s Griffin branch

The University of Georgia has named Jeffrey Dean assistant provost and director of its Griffin campus effective Jan. 1. In this new role, he oversees all research, extension and academic programs at UGA Griffin.
Before this appointment, Dean was a professor and head of the department of biochemistry, molecular biology, entomology and plant pathology at Mississippi State University, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Under his leadership, this department doubled enrollment for its bachelor’s degree program in biochemistry, launched an accelerated five-year master’s degree program for top students and renovated its buildings. Earlier in his career, Dean held teaching, research and leadership roles at UGA.
Dean’s research spans the fields of forestry, plant biology and biochemistry. In recent years, he has studied how wood forms and biodegrades, and how to boost growth and efficient use of biomass. While at UGA, he also explored how environmental stresses shape the way conifers grow and develop. His lab has won more than $4 million in funding from federal agencies ranging from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Dean received bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology from Stanford University and earned his doctorate in biochemistry from Purdue University. He is the author or co-author of more than 90 peer-reviewed journal articles and other publications.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in People
People highlights or most popular articles

Castiglione and Ingolia win Keck Foundation grants
They will receive at least $1 million of funding to study the biological mechanisms that underly birds' longevity and sequence–function relationships of intrinsically disordered proteins.

How undergrad research catalyzes scientific careers
Undergraduate research doesn’t just teach lab skills, it transforms scientists. For Antonio Rivera and Julissa Cruz–Bautista, joining a lab became a turning point, fostering critical thinking, persistence and research identity.

Simcox and Gisriel receive mentoring award
They were honored for contributing their time, knowledge, energy and enthusiasm to mentoring postdocs in their labs.

ASBMB names 2025 Marion B. Sewer scholarship recipients
Ten undergraduates interested in biochemistry and molecular biology will each receive $2,000 toward their tuition and related educational costs.

Attie named honorary professor
This award includes $100,000 of research funding and recognizes faculty who have made major contributions to the advancement of knowledge through their research, teaching and service activities.

Meet the 2025 SOC grant awardees
Five science outreach and communication projects received up to $1,000 from ASBMB to promote the understanding of molecular life science.