Karen E. Nelson Explained

Karen E. Nelson
Birth Place:Jamaica
Alma Mater:University of the West Indies
Cornell University
Known For:Human microbiome
Website:Thermo Fisher Scientific

Karen Nelson is a Jamaican-born American microbiologist (specializing in human microbiome research) who was formerly president of the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI). On July 6, 2021 she joined Thermo Fisher Scientific as Chief Scientific Officer.

Education

Nelson studied her undergraduate degree at the University of the West Indies and earned a Ph.D. from Cornell University.[1]

Career and research

Nelson is a prominent expert in microbial genomics and metagenomics, with applications to human health.[2] She is noted for her research on Thermotoga maritima at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) which resulted in the publication[3] of the genome of that bacterium, and which demonstrated the existence of horizontal gene transfer.[4] [5] Nelson is also known for her work in human microbiome research[6] and her current research focuses on interactions between human microbiome and various diseases. Her extensive expertise involves areas of microbial ecology, microbial genomics, microbial physiology and metagenomics, which led to her team publishing the first human microbiome study in 2006.[7]

Nelson was appointed president of JCVI in 2012 after serving as the director of its Rockville Campus since 2010.[8] Prior to being appointed President, she held a number of other positions at the Institute, including Director of JCVI's Rockville Campus, and Director of Human Microbiology and Metagenomics in the Department of Human Genomic Medicine at JCVI.

She has authored or co-authored over 200 peer reviewed publications, edited three books, and is currently Editor-in-Chief of the journal Microbial Ecology and the newly announced PNAS Nexus. Scientific American named Nelson as one of biotechnology's "leading lights" in its 2015 "The Worldview 100."[9]

Boards and panels

Professional organizations

Honors and awards

Notes and References

  1. J. Craig Venter Institute, Director (Rockville, MD Campus) American Society for Microbiology, retrieved March 27, 2015
  2. Web site: PNAS Member Editor Details. 2021-02-20. nrc88.nas.edu.
  3. "Evidence for lateral gene transfer between Archaea and Bacteria from genome sequence of Thermotoga maritima" Nature 399
  4. Karen E. Nelson, Ph.D., Named Director of J. Craig Venter Institute Rockville, MD Campus PR Newswire, retrieved December 2, 2014
  5. Karen Nelson - Spelling Out Microbial Genes Microbe World, retrieved March 27, 2015
  6. Gevers . Dirk . Knight . Rob . Petrosino . Joseph F. . Huang . Katherine . McGuire . Amy L. . Birren . Bruce W. . Nelson . Karen E. . White . Owen . Methé . Barbara A. . Huttenhower . Curtis . 2012-08-14 . The Human Microbiome Project: A Community Resource for the Healthy Human Microbiome . PLOS Biology . en . 10 . 8 . e1001377 . 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001377 . 1545-7885 . 3419203 . 22904687 . free .
  7. Metagenomic Analysis of the Human Distal Gut Microbiome. Science. 2006-06-02. 0036-8075. 3027896. 16741115. 1355–1359. 312. 5778. 10.1126/science.1124234. 2006Sci...312.1355G. en. Steven R.. Gill. Mihai. Pop. Robert T.. DeBoy. Paul B.. Eckburg. Peter J.. Turnbaugh. Buck S.. Samuel. Jeffrey I.. Gordon. David A.. Relman. Claire M.. Fraser-Liggett.
  8. Executive Profile Karen E. Nelson Ph.D. Bloomberg Businessweek, retrieved December 1, 2014
  9. Web site: The Worldview 100 : worldVIEW. www.saworldview.com. 2016-02-12.
  10. Web site: National Academy of Sciences launches New Open Access Journal, PNAS Nexus, in Partnership with Oxford University Press; Karen Nelson to Serve as Inaugural Editor-in-Chief . National Academy of Sciences . 9 June 2021 . PNASNexus.
  11. Board Members Board on Life Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, retrieved March 27, 2015
  12. Committee Biographies National Research Council, retrieved March 27, 2015
  13. Web site: Pioneering achievements in sequencing bacterial genomes: Karen Nelson receives Helmholtz International Fellow Award – Helmholtz Zentrum München – Helmholtz Zentrum München. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de. 2016-02-12. Helmholtz Zentrum. München.
  14. Web site: 2017 ARCS Scientist of the Year Dinner | San Diego. ARCS Foundation. 3 May 2017.
  15. Web site: May 2, 2017: NAS Members and Foreign Associates Elected. National Academy of Science. 3 May 2017.

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