Richard Palmiter

Palmiter's valuable research has contributed greatly to the molecular biology field; therefore, he has received numerous awards and accolades as well as given lectures at notable conferences throughout his career. His lectures include the Vern Chapman lecture in 2004 at the 18th International Mouse Genome Meeting as well as the Wallace Rowe lecture in 1999 at the American Association of Laboratory Animal Sciences 50th Annual Meeting. In 1999 he became a Tyner Eminent Scholar at Florida State University, in 1998 he was distinguished as a Second International Fellow of the Garvan Institute in Sydney, Australia, and in 1988 he was elected to both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His awards include the Julius Axelrod Award in Pharmacology in 2004, (the Charles-Leopold Mayer Award from the French Academy of Sciences in 1994, the Distinguished Service Award from the US Department of Agriculture in 1989, the New York Academy Award in Biological and Medical Sciences in 1983, and the George Thorn Award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 1982.

Richard Palmiter (born April 5, 1942) is a cellular biologist. He was born in Poughkeepsie, NY and later went on to earn a BA in Zoology from Duke University and a PhD in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. He is employed with the University of Washington where he is a professor of biochemistry and genome sciences. His current research involves developing a deeper understanding of Parkinson's disease. His most notable research is a collaboration with Dr. Ralph Brinster where they injected purified DNA into a single-cell mouse embryo, showing transmission of the genetic material to subsequent generations for the first time.

Richard Palmiter was born in Poughkeepsie, NY on April 5, 1942. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Zoology at Duke University in 1964 followed by a PhD in Biological Sciences from Stanford University in 1968. He has been employed with the University of Washington since 1974. He was appointed as Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute two years later in 1976. His research is notable in the cell biology community which is evidenced by his funding by the National Institutes of Health and The Michael J. Fox Foundation. He has been a contributing member to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences since 1984. Due to his background education and passions, his work primarily centers around molecular biology and animal physiology.  In addition to his research, he is a professor of biochemistry at the University of Washington.