Joan A. Steitz, Ph.D

Joan A. Steitz, Ph.D., Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, was one of five recipients of the For Women in Science Program award from L’Oreal Beauty Company and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2001. Steitz was recognized for advances that could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of auto-immune diseases such as lupus. She discovered small particles, called snRNPs, that are necessary for converting raw genetic material into active proteins.