Troy, N.Y. — Robert E. Palazzo, who previously served as professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Kansas, has been named professor and chair of the biology department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In addition to teaching and research, Palazzo has worked with several public service organizations including New York's own Wadsworth Center, the state laboratory dedicated to science in the pursuit of health.

Palazzo's appointment involves a cooperative arrangement between Rensselaer and the Wadsworth Center. As such, Palazzo will conduct a portion of his research with scientists there.

“Biotechnology is a major focus of the Rensselaer Plan and we are most fortunate to have recruited someone with Dr. Palazzo’s talent to lead biology, the core of that thrust,” said Joseph Flaherty, dean of Rensselaer’s School of Science. “This is also our first joint recruitment with Wadsworth. Our aim is to continue to strengthen this interaction to benefit both institutions, the state, and the nation.”

Palazzo received his B.S. in biology and doctorate in biological sciences from Wayne State University in 1979 and 1984, respectively. He spent four and a half years as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Virginia until 1989 when he joined the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) as a year-round scientist. He moved to the University of Kansas in 1992.

During his tenure at Kansas, Palazzo served in many professorial and leadership capacities, among them chair of the department of physiology and cell biology. In that position, he played a pivotal role in merging the departments of biochemistry and microbiology with his own. He streamlined the group’s administration process, and improved its infrastructure to better drive the university’s aggressive biomedical research agenda. Palazzo also helped pave the way for the hiring of 12 new professors and a new external chair for the unified and renamed department of molecular biosciences.

Palazzo has authored numerous journal and conference research papers in areas such as cellular organization, cell motility, and cell replication. He has served as chair of the Science Council and is an ex officio member of the board of trustees for the MBL. As a member of the American Society for Cell Biology Public Policy Committee, Palazzo has been a strong advocate for the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and K-12 Science Education.

Contact: Caroline Jenkins
Phone: (518) 276-6531
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