Girirajan named head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Santhosh Girirajan, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and interim head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has been named head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Penn State's Eberly College of Science, effective July 1.
 
“Santhosh is first and foremost an incredible scientist with exceptional international stature, and his remarkable research is transforming the way that we think about human genetics and neurodevelopmental disorders,” said Mary Beth Williams, acting dean of the Eberly College of Science. “He has thoughtfully led the department as interim head during a period of transition over the last year, and demonstrated true passion for the success of all in the department. After successfully recruiting two outstanding faculty to the department this year, he is absolutely committed to leading BMB to grow and achieve excellence for the future. I am grateful for his leadership and so excited to work with him!”
 
Girirajan has a strong research record spanning the fields of genomics, neuroscience, bioinformatics, and molecular biology and appreciates the importance and breadth of research in the BMB department. His service on advisory boards for rare disease organizations and editorial boards of journals such as PLOS Genetics, and as a standing member of an NIH study section, reflects his reputation in his field. Santhosh has served in important leadership roles at Penn State and beyond, including chairing BMB department faculty search and climate and diversity committees and serving as a member of the college’s Next Steps committee, mentor for the college’s Launch program, and director of the NIH Computation, Bioinformatics, and Statistics training program.
 
He has mentored 70 undergraduate and graduate students in his research group and works to foster an inclusive and healthy work climate. He is a dedicated educator and has won awards for his teaching and research excellence at the departmental and college levels, including the C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Eberly College of Science Alumni Society in 2018, the Basil O’Connor Award from the March of Dimes foundation in 2014, the Young Investigator Award from the Brain and Behavior Foundation in 2014, and the Daniel R. Tershak Memorial Faculty Teaching Award from Penn State in 2015.
 
“I am deeply honored and excited to continue serving a diverse set of outstanding faculty, students and staff in BMB,” Girirajan said. “With the support of my colleagues, I am confident we can advance all areas of research and teaching represented in the department while maintaining a collaborative and inclusive environment.”
 
Girirajan joined Penn State as an assistant professor in 2012 in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Department of Anthropology. He was promoted to associate professor in 2018 and to professor in 2023, and he served as interim head of the BMB department from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. Prior to Penn State, he was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle. He earned his doctoral degree in human genetics from the Medical College of Virginia of the Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, in 2008 and his bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery degree from Bangalore University, India, in 2001.