A Transition for Sankar Ghosh, PhD

Dear Colleagues,

I write to share that Sankar Ghosh, PhD, the Silverstein and Hutt Family Professor of Microbiology, will be stepping down from his role as chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. I am very grateful that Dr. Ghosh will continue his groundbreaking immunological research as a faculty member in the department.

A world-renowned immunologist and biochemist, Dr. Ghosh joined Columbia as chair in 2008 and led a remarkable transformation of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology over more than seventeen years. Under his leadership, the department was rebuilt and revitalized through the recruitment of outstanding faculty, major modernization of its physical and research infrastructure, renewal of its training programs, and the establishment of a strong and cohesive scientific identity. These efforts have significantly elevated the department’s national visibility and scientific impact.

Dr. Ghosh is internationally recognized for his seminal contributions to the understanding of NF-κB, a transcription factor central to immune responses and inflammation. His pioneering work includes the cloning of NF-κB and IκB proteins, elucidation of key regulatory mechanisms, and foundational structural studies that have shaped the field. More recently, his laboratory has made pioneering advances in elucidating the biological roles of long noncoding RNAs. His discoveries have had broad impact across immunology, cancer biology, and molecular pathology, with important implications for inflammatory diseases, cancer, and muscular dystrophy.

In recognition of the depth, originality, and lasting impact of his scientific discoveries, Dr. Ghosh has received some of the highest honors in biomedical science. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Ghosh joined Columbia from Yale University School of Medicine, where he began his independent research career in 1991 and served as professor in the Departments of Immunobiology and Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, as well as an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He earned his PhD in molecular biology from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed postdoctoral training as an Irvington Institute Fellow at the Whitehead Institute at MIT. He received his BS in chemistry and MS in biochemistry from the University of Calcutta.

I extend my thanks to Stavros Lomvardas, PhD, chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and interim vice dean for basic science research, who will chair the search committee to identify a successor to continue Dr. Ghosh’s legacy.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Ghosh for his extraordinary leadership as chair, his sustained scientific contributions, and his lasting impact on our institution.

All my best,

Katrina Armstrong, MD
Dean, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences