Vice Chair of Undergraduate Education, Professor Jorge Torres has been awarded the prestigious 2024 E.E. Just Lecture Award from the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB).
The E.E. Just Lecture Award from the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) is an important award in the field of cell biology, named in honor of Ernest Everett Just, an influential African American biologist known for his work in cell biology. The award is given annually to an outstanding scientist who has made significant contributions to the field of cell biology and who also exemplifies the legacy of E.E. Just by promoting diversity and inclusion in the scientific community.
“Jorge Torres is the ideal recipient of the Just Lecture Award,” said Dean of Physical Sciences, Professor Miguel García-Garibay. “Jorge’s passion for science and the impact of his research are only surpassed by his dedication and commitment to the success of our students. He is a wonderful mentor and role model.”
The 2024 E.E. Just Lecture Award will be presented to Torres at the 2024 ASCB annual meeting in San Diego, where he will deliver the E.E. Just Lecture.
Born to Mexican immigrant parents in Texas, where he worked as a fruit picker to support his family, Torres is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the sciences. He credits much of his success to the mentors who inspired him to pursue a career in science. Torres received a bachelor’s degree in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1998, where he conducted research under the mentorship of Professor Eduardo Orias. He received his Ph.D. in molecular biology from Princeton University in 2004 under the direction of Professor Virginia A. Zakian. He conducted his postdoctoral research at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Genentech Inc. with Professor Peter Jackson before joining the UCLA faculty in 2009.
Torres’s research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cell division and how these processes contribute to human health and disease. His work integrates cell biology, chemical biology, and biochemistry to explore how cells maintain genomic stability and how disruptions in these processes can lead to cancer and other diseases. Torres’s research has provided significant insights into the regulation of the cell cycle and the role of specific proteins in ensuring accurate chromosome segregation. By employing advanced multidisciplinary approaches, his studies aim to identify potential therapeutic targets for diseases associated with cell cycle dysregulation.
Torres has served as a mentor for several UCLA diversity outreach programs, including the Amgen Scholars Program, the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Initiative, and the Minority Access to Research Careers program, and has directed the NIH-funded Cellular and Molecular Biology (CMB) graduate student training program since 2018.
His recent awards and honors include The UCLA Faculty Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award (2023), the NIH R35 Maximizing Investigator Research Award (2021), the UCLA Hanson-Dow Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching (2020), named to Cell Press’ List of 100 Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists in America (2020), the ASCB Prize for Excellence in Inclusivity (2019), the ASBMB Ruth Kirschstein Diversity in Science Award (2019), the Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study (Advisor-Student pair), the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) 2019 Outstanding College/University Mentor Award and the 2019 Outstanding Hispanic Student Mentor Award, and the UCLA Academic Senate Student Development Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award (2019).
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.