Susan K. Dutcher, PhD

Susan K. Dutcher, PhD, professor of genetics and of cell biology and physiology, is honored as a distinguished educator for her commitment to mentoring junior faculty.

Dutcher, interim director of the Elizabeth H. and James S. McDonnell III Genome Institute, is known for her passion for enhancing the visibility of innovative research among junior faculty and for supporting their scientific pursuits. At Washington University, Dutcher spearheaded new processes for the new-investigator selection committee that have increased the number of awards won by junior faculty. She is adept at mentoring young investigators in the creation of effective grant proposals and shows extraordinary leadership skills in mentoring rising young scientists within the McDonnell Genome Institute.

Dutcher has served as a member of numerous committees for national scientific organizations, including the Genetics Society of America (GSA), the American Society of Cell Biology (ASCB), the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the National Research Council. She is an internationally respected geneticist and uses comparative genomics to find human disease genes that affect cilia. She has served as organizer of the International Conference on Cell and Molecular Biology of Chlamydomonas, the EMBO meeting on Centrosomes and Spindle Pole Bodies, and a Gordon Conference on the Cytoskeleton. Dutcher is a past recipient of the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Award to Women Scientists and Engineers and is a Searle Scholar’s Award winner. She served on the ASCB and GSA leadership councils.

Dutcher earned her doctoral degree in genetics from the University of Washington in 1980 and completed postdoctoral training at Rockefeller University. She was on the faculty of the University of Colorado, Boulder from 1983 to 1999. She joined the Washington University faculty in 1999.