It’s impossible not to be excited about science when you’re around Gillian Griffiths, PhD. That’s because many years into her career, Griffiths is still galvanized by research—her colleagues’, her own, and foundational work from decades past. Science thrills her, and when you talk to her, it thrills you too.
Griffiths took the helm as chair of the Department of Cell Biology in April, coming to Yale School of Medicine from the University of Cambridge.
“I got a call from Yale asking if I would be interested,” says Griffiths. While she was flattered by the invitation, such a major international move left her unsure. “But somehow as the conversation went on, it became clear that it could be a lot of fun.”
And it has been. Much like Griffiths herself, the faculty members of her new department “really enjoy their science,” she says. “When I go to a seminar or talk to someone about the science they’re doing, I’m in heaven.”
Griffiths studies cytotoxic T cells, also known as killer T cells. As part of the immune system, they recognize and destroy such harmful cells as those that have been infected with a pathogen or have become cancerous. “They’re absolutely fascinating,” she says. Killer T cells are also the bed- rock of the modern immunotherapies that have transformed cancer treatment.
This path—from fundamental understanding to clinical breakthrough—is what makes curiosity-driven research so important, says Griffiths. A desire to figure out how something works enables life-saving treatments down the line. She thinks of collaboration between fundamental cell biology and clinical science as the “golden interface”—a place where a researcher can harness the knowledge of both fields to generate groundbreaking discoveries.
That perspective was part of the department’s origin under George Palade, MD, who established its precursor in 1973, and it’s what Griffiths aims to continue cultivating as chair. Griffiths is looking forward to fostering excitement for science within the department. “It’s a fantastic age in cell biology—what we can do has expanded massively,” she says. “We can see the cell from the molecular side all the way up to rapid live cell imaging. And we can get down to the details of what’s making the cell work and how that relates to different diseases—which is always at the core of what we’re doing.”