Alan Saltiel Reappointed as Director of the Life Sciences Institute
July 22, 2005
ANN ARBOR, Mich--- At their monthly meeting July 21, 2005, the Regents of the University of Michigan approved the reappointment of Alan R. Saltiel as director of the Life Sciences Institute (LSI). First appointed by President Mary Sue Coleman in September of 2002, Saltiel is the John Jacob Abel Professor of Life Sciences and is LSI's second director.
"I am pleased to note that we are recommending Alan Saltiel for reappointment as Director of the Life Sciences Institute," said UM President Mary Sue Coleman.
"Alan has done an excellent job in launching the Institute. In a highly competitive environment, he has been very successful at recruiting outstanding faculty, and he has nurtured an exciting and innovative approach to collaborative science within the Institute.
"He has overseen the move into the LSI Building, and he has launched very promising centers in structural biology and chemical genomics, which will be great assets for the campus.
"I look forward to continuing to work with him in achieving the vision for the LSI."
The Regental announcement states:
"Alan Saltiel, the first faculty member recruited to the Life Sciences Institute, since assuming the directorship, he has demonstrated great leadership in guiding the Institute to achieve a number of critical milestones. He has worked hard to recruit outstanding faculty to the Institute - the total faculty now stands at 17, a large step toward full capacity. He has overseen the completion of the Institute building and the move of the Institute into its permanent home. He has fostered a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary environment, effectively utilizing the innovative open lab design in the building. He has raised $6 million in gifts for the Institute, including funds to establish the Perrigo Undergraduate Fellowship Program. Under his leadership, the LSI has launched exciting strategic initiatives in structural biology and chemical genomics. These centers are providing opportunities for faculty around campus to engage with cutting-edge research techniques that are at the heart of modern life science. The Institute has established a working relationship with a sister institute, the Weizmann Institute in Israel, around faculty collaboration and student exchange. A program of internal sabbaticals, allowing faculty from across the University to spend time in the Institute, has been launched. During his time as director, he has also continued to work as a first rate life scientist in the area of insulin resistance and diabetes."
The Institute serves as Michigan's hub for collaborative biomedical research on human health problems. Housed in a state-of-the-art building, the LSI is located between central campus and the medical complex in Ann Arbor. Currently 350 researchers work in the LSI on faculty-led teams, including more than 80 students.
