The Department says farewell to Dr. Frank Pugh

After 28 years of Service to Penn State, and the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Dr. Frank Pugh is leaving to start the next chapter in his career at Cornell University.  During his time as a member of the faculty, Dr. Pugh has been a valued and instrumental part of the Department's overall success. 

His research regarding the understanding of how genes are regulated has been at the forefront of scientific discovery.  Utilizing high resolution mapping techniques such as ChIP-exo, a technique in which he discovered, he and his lab have been able to define the positional organization of factor binding across the genome, allowing for analysis of their binding and positional patterns in response to genomic reprogramming or in response to factor removal.  He and his lab have also moved into biochemical systems on a genomic scale, in an attempt to build genome-wide regulation using purified proteins.  His research has provided mechanistic insights into how nearly a thousand different kinds of proteins work together to regulate all aspects of genome function.

Dr. Pugh earned his Bachelors of Science Degree in Biology from Cornell University in 1983.  He continued his education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earning his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology in 1987.  From 1987 - 1988 he served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, under the guidance of Dr. Michael Cox.  In 1988 he moved to California where he served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of California-Berkeley working with Robert Tjian, a position he would hold until 1991.

Dr. Pugh came to Penn State in 1992 as an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.  In 1998 he received a promotion to the title of Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.  Dr. Pugh's leadership was instrumental in establishing the Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, a center currently composed of ten laboratories and over seventy students and staff, and in 2004 he was named its Director, a role he retained until 2019.  Over the years his leadership as Director has made it possible for the Center to further its mission of providing a conducive learning environment for making cutting edge discoveries on fundamental mechanisms of eukaryotic gene regulation.

In 2005, Dr. Pugh was again promoted to the title of Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and in 2007 was given the additional title of Willaman Professor of Molecular Biology.  In addition to his work at Penn State, he served as an editor of the publication Molecular and Cellular Biology from 2008 - 2017.  In 2014 Dr. Pugh was given yet another title as he was named an Evan Pugh Professor, and was also named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, both titles he retains today.

Over the years Dr.Pugh has retained many titles and has held many roles.  As his Penn State career comes to a close and we reflect back on a storied career, his roles/titles and their impact on the University, as well as the students he has served, can be summed up as follows: Researcher, Innovator, Advocate for Science, Mentor, Teacher, Colleague, and Friend. 

Congratulations on an amazing and impactful career at Penn State, Dr. Pugh.  Your impact on the Department, the University, and the students you have mentored is beyond measure!  We wish you the best of luck as you begin the next chapter of your career at Cornell University.  Remember though, no matter where you go, a part of you will always be in University Park, State College, and in the hearts of all that have had the privilege of working with you!