| 1 | Name: | Dr. Matthew S. Meselson | |
| Institution: | Harvard University | ||
| Year Elected: | 1981 | ||
| Class: | 2. Biological Sciences | ||
| Subdivision: | 207. Genetics | ||
| Residency: | Resident | ||
| Living? : | Living | ||
| Birth Date: | 1930 | ||
A geneticist and molecular biologist, Matthew Meselson has conducted groundbreaking research that showed how DNA replicates, recombines and is repaired in cells. His brilliant Meselson-Stahl experiment (with Frank Stahl), in particular, showed that replication of the DNA molecule happens semi-conservatively. After receiving his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 1957 and working as a research fellow there, Dr. Meselson joined the Harvard University faculty in 1960. Currently he heads the Meselson Laboratory there, studying the evolutionary genetics of ancient asexuality, and serves as Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Meselson has also made influential studies of ecological damage in war and has been an active participant in weapons disarmament policy. | |||