Rusty Gage Named President of Salk Institute

The neuroscientist had been serving as interim president since Elizabeth Blackburn stepped down last year following gender discrimination lawsuits against the institute.

Written byShawna Williams

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Following two stints as interim president, neuroscientist Rusty Gage has been appointed to a five-year term as the head of the Salk Institute, the institution announced last week (January 4). Gage stepped in for the previous president, Nobel laureate Elizabeth Blackburn, after she announced her retirement following several faculty members’ filings of gender discrimination lawsuits against the research organization.

“Aside from being a globally renowned scientist, Rusty is an inspiring leader whose energy, steadfastness and thoughtfulness have been invaluable in helping to guide the Institute. He has accomplished a great deal over the past year,” says Salk Board Chair Dan Lewis in the statement.

Blackburn led Salk for less than two years, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports, and her time as president was marked by controversy. In July 2017, three woman faculty members filed a lawsuit alleging gender discrimination. Blackburn announced in December 2017 that ...

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Meet the Author

Shawna Williams
Shawna was an editor at The Scientist from 2017 through 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Colorado College and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Previously, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, and in the communications offices of several academic research institutions. As news director, Shawna assigned and edited news, opinion, and in-depth feature articles for the website on all aspects of the life sciences. She is based in central Washington State, and is a member of the Northwest Science Writers Association and the National Association of Science Writers.
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