Bio
Dr. Scott is now President of the Carnegie Institution for Science (carnegiescience.edu), and is emeritus at Stanford. The Scott lab's research was aimed at learning fundamental molecular mechanisms of development, including gene regulation and cell-cell signaling. He also studied the formation and function of brain circuitry. He worked with cultured cells, Drosophila, and mice to investigate how normal embryos grow and what goes wrong in birth defects, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease. A major goal was to identify and explore new genes and proteins that control development. The lab group investigated the development of the nervous system, especially the cerebellum, using cell and tissue culture, genomics, and transgenic animals. Cells were grown on controlled and patterned surfaces to govern neurite outgrowth. To investigate signal transduction between and within cells, the group studied regulators that control cell morphology and intracellular trafficking. Time-lapse video of engineered proteins was combined with genetic modifications that alter cell-cell signaling and the assembly and transport of organelles. Imaging and image processing were important tools. Collaborative engineering projects included the invention of an embryo sorting instrument and the development of new injection methods applicable to high-throughput screens of gene functions.
Dr. Scott did undergraduate and graduate work at M.I.T., with Prof. Mary Lou Pardue as his Ph.D. thesis advisor. He moved to Indiana University for his postdoctoral work as a Helen Hay Whitney fellow with Profs. Thomas Kaufman and Barry Polisky. He then set up his own lab at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Scott came to Stanford in 1990 to join the newly formed Department of Developmental Biology, and the Department of Genetics. His research focus is on genes that control development, and how damage to them leads to birth defects, cancer, and neurodegeneration. He discovered the "homeobox", an evolutionarily conserved component of many genes that control development. His lab group discovered the genetic basis of the most common human cancer, basal cell carcinoma, and of the most common childhood malignant brain tumor, medulloblastoma. He served as Associate Chair and Chair of the Department of Developmental Biology for a total of six years. He chaired the Bio-X program from 2001-2007. He is presently co-chair of the Center for Children's Brain Tumors. He has been recognized by election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Institute of Medicine, and served as President of the Society for Developmental Biology. His awards include the Passano Award (1990), the Conklin Medal of the Society for Developmental Biology (2004), and the Pasarow Award in Cancer Research (2013). He is now at the Carnegie Institution for Science, based at Stanford and in Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Pasadena.
Dr. Scott is married to Margaret Fuller, who is Professor of Developmental Biology and Genetics at Stanford. Together with their children, they enjoy exploring wild places around the world by foot, on bicycles, and underwater. Dr. Scott spends a lot of time looking through cameras: matthewscottphotography.com.
Academic Appointments
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Emeritus Faculty, Acad Council, Developmental Biology
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Member, Bio-X
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Member, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Administrative Appointments
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Chair, Developmental Biology (1996 - 1998)
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Associate Chair, Developmental Biology (1999 - 2002)
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Co-Chair, Center for Children's Brain Tumors (2005 - Present)
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Chair, Bio-X Program (2001 - 2007)
Honors & Awards
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Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellow, Helen Hay Whitney Foundation (1980-1983)
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Searle Scholar's Award, Searle Foundation (1985-1989)
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Passano Young Investigator Award, Passano Foundation (1990)
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Einstein Professor, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2008)
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Conklin Medal, Society for Developmental Biology (2004)
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Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (1993-)
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President, Society for Developmental Biology (1997-1998)
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Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1996)
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Member, National Institute of Medicine (2007-)
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Member, National Academy of Sciences (1999-)
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Pasarow Prize in Cancer Research, Pasarow Foundation (2013)
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Excellence in Teaching, School of Medicine, Stanford University (2008-2012)
Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations
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Member, Institute of Medicine (2007 - Present)
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Member, National Academy of Sciences (1999 - Present)
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Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1996 - Present)
Professional Education
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Ph.D., M.I.T., Biology (1980)
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B.S., M.I.T., Biology (1975)
Community and International Work
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Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal
Topic
Advisor
Partnering Organization(s)
Patan Hospital
Populations Served
Medical Trainees
Location
International
Ongoing Project
No
Opportunities for Student Involvement
No