HSRC 2023
Stimulate curiosity. Foster originality. Explore scientfic research.
The application is now closed.
Keynote Speakers
Andrew Berry, a native of London, holds a Bachelor’s degree in zoology from Oxford University and earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in evolutionary genetics from Princeton University. He initially came to Cambridge, Massachusetts, as a Harvard Junior Fellow and is currently a Lecturer on Organismic & Evolutionary Biology at Harvard. Additionally, he holds the position of Assistant Head Tutor of Integrative Biology at the university. Dr. Berry’s research expertise lies at the intersection of field biology and molecular biology, where he explores DNA-level evidence of Darwinian natural selection. His diverse range of publications spans topics such as the study of giant rats in New Guinea, examining mice populations on Atlantic islands, investigating aphids from the Far East, and exploring the unassuming fruit fly. Within the academic sphere, Dr. Berry is actively involved in co-teaching courses at Harvard. His areas of instruction encompass evolutionary biology, the development of evolutionary thinking, and the physical foundations of biological systems. Beyond his research and teaching commitments, Dr. Berry has a keen interest in genetic and statistical approaches to detect adaptive evolution in genomes, with a particular fascination for evolutionary innovations often found on islands. Furthermore, Dr. Berry has a profound interest in the history of science, notably focusing on the life and work of Alfred Russel Wallace, a co-discoverer of evolution by natural selection alongside Charles Darwin. His broader academic curiosity extends to exploring natural history's role in shaping evolutionary thought's development.
Dr. Andrew Berry
Pamela Silver is the Elliot T and Onie H Adams Professor of Biochemistry and Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School. Pamela Silver is one of the founding members of the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School, where she runs the Silver Lab. She was the first Director of the Harvard University Graduate Program. Dr. Silver is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and her work was recognized by an Innovation Award at BIO2007, and Innocentive Award. Her research has been funded by grants from the NIH, DARPA, DOD, DOE, NSF, Novartis, Merck and The Moore Foundation. Dr. Silver was awarded an NIH MERIT award and became a Fellow of the Radcliffe Institute. She has been named one of the top twenty Global Synthetic Biology Influencers, top 300 people in the Bioeconomy and was the Joseph Henry Lecturer at the Washington DC Philosophical Society. Dr. Silver has served on numerous government and private advisory panels. She has served on numerous editorial boards including Nature Molecular Systems Biology, BMC Systems Biology, Genes and Development, ACS Synthetic Biology and BioRxiv. She was the Editor of Molecular Biology of the Cell and has served on the Council of the American Society for Cell Biology and on the Committee for Women in Cell Biology. She is one of the founders and on the Board of iGEM.org.
Dr. Pamela Silver
Karestan C. Koenen is a professor of psychiatric epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) and an institute member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Dr. Koenen leads the NIMH-funded Training Program in Psychiatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics (T32) and the Interdisciplinary Concentration in Population Mental Health. She also advises master’s and doctoral degree students in the Departments of Epidemiology and Social Behavioral Sciences. In addition, Dr. Koenen leads the Trauma Epidemiology and Population Mental Health Research Group for her students and post-doctoral fellows. At the Broad, she leads the Biology of Trauma Initiative and the Global Neuropsychiatric Genomics Initiative of the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research. The Biology of Trauma Initiative was launched in 2022 and seeks to discover the biological underpinnings of trauma in both the brain and other organ systems. The Global Neuropsychiatric Genomics Initiative was launched in 2014 and seeks to diversify genetic sample collection outside of the United States and Northern Europe to include Asian, Latin American, and African populations and important population isolates such as that in Finland. Koenen leads the Neuropsychiatric Genetics of African Populations (NeuroGAP) and Neuropsychiatric Genetics in Mexican Populations (NeuroMex) programs, which aim to conduct collaborative neuropsychiatric genetics research and capacity building in historically underrepresented populations in Africa and Mexico.
Dr. Karestan C. Koenen
Dr. Joan Reede (MD, MPH) is the first Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership at Harvard Medical School, leading in the mentorship and recruitment of underrepresented faculty. She has developed numerous programs at HMS, including the Biomedical Careers Program and the HMS Minority Faculty Development Program, which have been quintessential to expanding diversity at HMS. Reede is a Professor of Medicine at HMS, a National Academy of Medicine member, and has served on several NIH committees. She has attained various awards, including the Boston NAACP Health Award, the Herbert W. Nickens Award from the Society of General Internal Medicine, and the American Association of University Administrators Exemplary Models of Administrative Leadership.
