Barbara A. Schaal, Ph.D.,is the the Mary-Dell Chilton Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences, Washington University and vice president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. She is a plant evolutionary biologist who uses DNA sequences to understand evolutionary processes such as gene flow, geographical differentiation, and the domestication of crop species. Schaal received her doctorate from Yale University and was on the faculty of the University of Houston and Ohio State University before joining Washington University in 1980, where she has served as chair of the biology department. She has been president of the Botanical Society of America and president of the Society for the Study of Evolution. She has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Key award from the American Genetics Association, and is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She currently chairs the Division of Earth and Life Studies of the National Research Council.

In May of 2009, President Obama appointed Dr. Schaal to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). PCAST is an advisory group of 20 of the nation's leading scientists and engineers who will advise the president and vice president and formulate policy in the many areas where understanding of science, technology and innovation is key to strengthening the nation's economy and forming policy that works for the American people.

Susan K. Dutcher, Ph.D.,Professor and Head, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Dutcher is interested in the basic biology of cilia and uses Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model system to study these organelles. Cilia are required for many developmental processes including left-right asymmetry, heart development, maintenance of the renal epithelium, respiratory function, electrolyte balance in the cerebrospinal fluid, and reproductive fecundity.

Robert P. Mecham, Ph.D., Alumni Endowed Professor of Cell Biology, Department of Cell Biology & Physiology, Professor of Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Mecham obtained his Ph.D. and postdoctoral education at Boston University studying the biology of elastin. He is world-recognized expert in the biology of the extracellular matrix. His studies on vascular development have led to novel understanding of the pathogenesis of a number of important cardiac and pulmonary diseases of children.

Steven L. Teitelbaum, M.D., Wilma and Roswell Messing Professor of Pathology, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Teitelbaum is a graduate of the Washington University School of Medicine and has been a long-standing faculty member in the Department of Pathology. He is a renowned scientific leader in bone and muscle biology and has served as President of the prestigious Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Dr. Teitelbaum’ s current research focuses on the biology of the osteoclast and has recently been recognized with the distinguished Rous-Whipple Award Lecture from the American Society for Investigative Pathology.

Michael J. Welsh, M.D., Roy J. Carver Professor of Medicine and Cell Biology, Investigator Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa. Member, National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Welsh’s research focuses on the diagnosis and pathophysiology of airway disease in patients with cystic fibrosis and other lung disorders and on the physiology of DEG/ENaC family of Na+ channels. He is a recipient of numerous professional awards and has been elected to membership in several leading scientific organizations, including, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Welsh is past President of the Association of American Physicians and recipient of the Francis Blake Award from this organization. A graduate of the University of Iowa Medical School, he completed his fellowship in pulmonology at the University of California in San Francisco. Most recently, he received the Second Annual Award for Distinguished Mentoring for his outstanding devotion to teaching at the University of Iowa College of Medicine.

Huda Y. Zoghbi, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Molecular and Human Genetics, Neurology and Neuroscience, InvestigatorHoward Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine. Member, National Academy of Sciences. A graduate of the American University of Beirut, Dr. Zoghbi completed her education in Pediatrics and Neurology at the Baylor College of Medicine. Her research interests focus on the genetic, behavioral and cell biological mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopment diseases. In 1999, her laboratory identified the gene for Rett syndrome, opening up broad new avenues for research into the basic biology of brain development. She is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including the Sidney Carter Award from the American Academy of Neurology, the Derek Denny-Brown Neurological Scholar Award from the American Neurological Association and the Javits Award from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Zoghbi is amongst the most prominent scientists in her field, is a member of the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences and serves on numerous boards including the Lasker Award Jury.