The Presidential Professorship of Biochemistry and Biophysics

The Presidential Professorship in Biochemistry and Biophysics was the first awarded at the University. Supported in part by The Pew Charitable Trusts, Presidential Professorships are awarded to exceptional scholars of any rank who will contribute to the diverse experiences, perspectives, and eminence of Penn faculty. They were established in 2011 to strengthen the University’s ability to recruit, retain and mentor distinguished scholars who are preeminent in their fields and have demonstrated a commitment to sustaining an inclusive and vibrant academic community.

Current Chairholder

Cornelius Y. Taabazuing, PhD

Dr. Taabazuing is the Presidential Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the Perelman School of Medicine. The focus of his lab is to understand molecular mechanisms of cell death.

Prior to joining the faculty at Penn, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Chemical Biology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center where his research was focused on understanding the molecular regulation of inflammatory cell death. He earned his bachelor’s and his Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Dr. Taabazuing has won numerous awards, including the Tri-Institutional Breakout Prize for Young Investigators, the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, and the Vanderbilt University Juneteenth New Investigator Award for 2022. He is currently an Ernest E. Just Early Career investigator. Dr. Taabazuing is passionate about increasing diversity in the life sciences and has been a champion for institutional policy changes that improve DEI in STEM.   

Previous Chairholders

• Benjamin A. Garcia, PhD 2012–2017