The Rockefeller University

Rockefeller's Steve Bonilla has been named a 2026 scholar by The Pew Charitable Trusts! Steve is recognized for his work investigating how RNA molecules fold into three-dimensional structures to drive complex biological processes.

Congratulations!

Learn more: https://bit.ly/43ERsoE

A new study led by researchers from University College London and contributed to by Hermann Steller’s lab at Rockefeller identifies genetic mutations that interfere with the body’s ability to degrade the protein clumps characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

These mutations cause a protein called PI31 to malfunction, rendering it unable to transport protein-degrading machines called proteasomes to synapses, which results in protein clumps.

“Based on work in model organisms, we had originally proposed that insufficient proteasome transport causes a local shortage of proteasomes at synapses, and that this may be the root cause of age-related neuronal degeneration,” says Steller. “The new study is an exceptionally important and exciting advance, as it provides direct evidence for the clinical relevance of the PI31 proteasome transport mechanism.”

The Rockefeller University » Evidence builds for the role malfunctioning protein removal systems play in neurodegenerative diseases New research reveals genetic mutations contributing to the buildup of protein clumps and disruption of synaptic function.

Last month, Rockefeller's Women & Science initiative held its annual spring event featuring our very own Vanessa Ruta, where she spoke about her pioneering research deciphering how smell works.

Vanessa is the Gabrielle H. Reem and Herbert J. Kayden Professor at Rockefeller and she uses cryo-electron microscopy to study insect olfactory receptors—work that is laying the foundation for the development of novel strategies to prevent the transmission of insect-borne diseases. Her studies are also contributing to the potential creation of an 'electronic nose' which could capture molecular signatures of our breath and help diagnose health issues from diabetes to cancer.

📸 Scott Rudd Events

Last week, 36 students received Ph.D.s at Rockefeller’s 68th convocation.

“I am incredibly proud of each of these incredible scientists,” says Tim Stearns, dean of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies. “Their creativity, fortitude, and vision will serve them well in meeting the scientific challenges of the future.”

Joseph L. Goldstein received the David Rockefeller Award for Extraordinary Service, which is granted to an individual from the community who exemplifies David Rockefeller’s commitment to our scientists, their research and mission. Scientifically, Goldstein is renowned for discovering the LDL receptor and advances that led to the development of life-saving drugs called statins.

Honorary degrees were also awarded to Carolyn Bertozzi and Francis S. Collins. Bertozzi is a Nobel-winning chemist whose work has allowed scientists to visualize sugar molecules in living cells and organisms. Collins, a renowned geneticist, is well known as the 16th director of the National Institutes of Health from 2009 to 2021.

Congratulations to all!

The Rockefeller University » 36 students receive Ph.D.s at Rockefeller’s 68th convocation On June 4, The Rockefeller University’s 2026 graduating class received their Ph.D.s in Caspary Hall in a ceremony that began with a luncheon in Welch Hall, followed by the traditional procession across campus.

Gabriel Victora's team at Rockefeller has turned germinal centers into a living laboratory for one of biology's oldest questions: how much of is shaped by chance?

Victora's lab focuses on how B cells mutate and compete inside lymph nodes during infection or vaccination, producing progressively stronger antibodies within molecular bootcamps known as germinal centers. These B cells face a tightly constrained evolutionary challenge that plays out over days rather than millennia and, because many germinal centers operate simultaneously, the same evolutionary process is replayed again and again. In a new study, they bring germinal centers one step closer to an experimentally tractable system for studying evolution in real time, capable of answering the most fundamental questions of evolution.

We spoke with Victora and Ashni Vora, a graduate fellow in the lab, about how the immune system may offer an unprecedented window into the evolutionary process.

🔗: https://bit.ly/4fB23bm

Congratulations to Lucas Tian, Rockefeller postdoc in the Freiwald lab and recipient of the 2026 Tri-I Breakout Award!

Lucas is being recognized for pioneering research that explores one of the most fundamental questions in neuroscience: how the brain uses existing knowledge to solve new problems. By developing innovative drawing tasks for macaque monkeys and combining them with large-scale neural recordings, he established a powerful new model system for studying combinatorial generalization, the ability to recombine learned components in novel ways.

Lucas's work revealed that specific brain regions represent both the symbolic building blocks of actions and the grammatical rules used to combine them into new behaviors. These discoveries are providing some of the first direct insights into the neural mechanisms that support flexible thinking, problem solving, and intelligence.

The Tri-Institutional Breakout Awards were established in 2015 by three winners of the 2013 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences to honor outstanding postdoctoral investigators at the Tri-I institutions: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, and Rockefeller.

Congratulations, Lucas, on this outstanding achievement and well-deserved recognition!

A new study from Rockefeller's Gabriel Victora reveals how germinal centers produce powerful antibodies through noisy rounds of mutation and selection. The findings overturn longstanding ideas about how germinal centers function, revealing that they are far more selective than once thought, and challenge the idea that antibody improvement is driven mainly by rare growth “bursts” among the most successful B cells.

This discovery could have implications for immune cell evolution, and ultimately guide the design of against rapidly mutating pathogens like . It could also lead to new ways of studying itself.

“The traditional, mechanistic view of germinal centers is to think of them as selection machines sorting out the best antibodies,” says Victora. “But when you look very, very closely, you see a process that’s almost essentially random—a little bit better than a coin toss—which repeats many times until the immune system arrives at the right answer consistently. That’s much more akin to how evolution operates than the way a machine does.”

The Rockefeller University » How the body creates reliable antibodies out of biological chaos Side-by-side images of germinal centers before and after photoactivation. Researchers used a novel technique to study in fine detail the evolution of high affinity B cells. (Credit: Tatsuya Araki, Victora Lab)

🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ Rockefeller University hit the ground running at the JPMorganChase Corporate Challenge!

Team members from across campus came together for an evening of fitness, camaraderie, and friendly competition in Central Park. Whether chasing a personal best or enjoying a walk with colleagues, participants showed up with energy, enthusiasm, and plenty of team spirit.

Thank you to everyone who laced up their running shoes and represented the Rockefeller community. Events like these are a great reminder that some of our strongest connections are built outside the lab, office, and classroom.