Interview with Celia Schiffer

Abstract

Celia Schiffer, a Professor in Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology; a former Director of UMass Center for AIDS Research; and a Founder and Co-Director for the Institute for Drug Resistance (University of Massachusetts Medical School, MA, USA). Schiffer has an undergraduate degree in physics from the University of Chicago, with a PhD in biophysics from University of California, San Francisco (CA, USA). She was a postdoctoral associate first at the ETH in Zurich and then at Genentech in San Francisco. Schiffer has published more than 100 peer reviewed journal articles. Her laboratory primarily uses structural biology, biophysical and chemistry techniques to study the molecular basis for drug resistance in anti-virals including: HIV, Hepatitis C, Influenza and Dengue. Her laboratory designs, synthesizes and tests new antiviral inhibitors that should be more robust to resistance. She has overseen more than US$30 million in research funding. She is also an outstanding mentor and educator, receiving a faculty mentoring award, a highly sought after PhD advisor. Interview conducted by Hannah Coaker, Assistant Commissioning Editor.