BIO
Jan Witkowski is Special Advisor to Bruce Stillman, CSHL President, and the former Executive Director of the CSHL Banbury Center. He was educated at Handsworth Grammar School in Birmingham, UK, obtained his B.Sc. in Zoology at the University of Southampton, UK, and his Ph.D. in biochemistry at the National Institute for Medical Research, London, UK (Dr. William Brighton). He carried out postdoctoral research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London, (Professor Victor Dubowitz) and at the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota (Dr. Andrew Engel.)
In 1984, Dr. Witkowski went to the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London to pursue research on oncogenes (Dr. Gordon Peters.) In 1986, he was invited to join the Institute for Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston (Dr. C. Thomas Caskey), where he ran a laboratory performing DNA-based diagnosis of human genetic diseases.
Dr. Witkowski moved to his present position at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in 1987. As executive director of the Banbury Center, he was responsible for selecting the topics and organization of some 20 meetings each year. These covered topics in molecular and cell biology, genetics, biotechnology, and societal issues of modern biology. During his 30-year tenure as director, the Center held 600 meetings attended by over 12,000 participants. His work at Banbury was recognized by his election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
His special interests are human molecular genetics, the interaction of science and society, and the history of modern experimental biology. He has published many papers on these topics and was a coauthor with Dr. James D. Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA double helix, of the second and third editions of Recombinant DNA. Most recently he was co-editor with Alex Gann of a new edition of Watson’s classic book The Double Helix. They have added over 250 illustrations, a similar number of annotations, five appendices and an index to create The Annotated and Illustrated Double Helix. His latest book is The Road to Discovery: A Short History of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Witkowski has edited and contributed to ten other books. He was also an editor on the Image Archive on the American Eugenics Movement and DNA from the Beginning projects.
Dr. Witkowski is on the Faculty of the School of Biological Sciences, a former member of its Executive Committee (1999-2004) and a former instructor of the Scientific Ethics and Exposition course. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the James A. Baker Veterinary Research Institute (Cornell University) and was formerly Editor-in-Chief of Trends in Biochemical Sciences
He used to be a keen rockclimber, leading hard very severe grade (equivalent to American 5.8/5.9). This activity has been curtailed by the absence of rock on Long Island. Instead he devotes his energy to looking after his 1974 Jensen Interceptor, a classic English Grand Tourer.
In 1984, Dr. Witkowski went to the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London to pursue research on oncogenes (Dr. Gordon Peters.) In 1986, he was invited to join the Institute for Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston (Dr. C. Thomas Caskey), where he ran a laboratory performing DNA-based diagnosis of human genetic diseases.
Dr. Witkowski moved to his present position at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in 1987. As executive director of the Banbury Center, he was responsible for selecting the topics and organization of some 20 meetings each year. These covered topics in molecular and cell biology, genetics, biotechnology, and societal issues of modern biology. During his 30-year tenure as director, the Center held 600 meetings attended by over 12,000 participants. His work at Banbury was recognized by his election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
His special interests are human molecular genetics, the interaction of science and society, and the history of modern experimental biology. He has published many papers on these topics and was a coauthor with Dr. James D. Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA double helix, of the second and third editions of Recombinant DNA. Most recently he was co-editor with Alex Gann of a new edition of Watson’s classic book The Double Helix. They have added over 250 illustrations, a similar number of annotations, five appendices and an index to create The Annotated and Illustrated Double Helix. His latest book is The Road to Discovery: A Short History of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Witkowski has edited and contributed to ten other books. He was also an editor on the Image Archive on the American Eugenics Movement and DNA from the Beginning projects.
Dr. Witkowski is on the Faculty of the School of Biological Sciences, a former member of its Executive Committee (1999-2004) and a former instructor of the Scientific Ethics and Exposition course. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the James A. Baker Veterinary Research Institute (Cornell University) and was formerly Editor-in-Chief of Trends in Biochemical Sciences
He used to be a keen rockclimber, leading hard very severe grade (equivalent to American 5.8/5.9). This activity has been curtailed by the absence of rock on Long Island. Instead he devotes his energy to looking after his 1974 Jensen Interceptor, a classic English Grand Tourer.
COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY APPOINTMENTS
- Special AdvisorCold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, United States1995
DEGREES
- Ph.D.University of London, London, United Kingdom1972
- B.Sc.University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
DESIGNATION
- SBS Professor