Pierre D. McCrea, Ph.D.

Dr. McCrea was raised in Bethany CT, attended public high school in Leonia NJ and undertook undergraduate studies in biochemistry at Bowdoin College. His graduate training took place at Yale University under the direction of Dr. Donald Engelman and Dr. Jean-Luc Popot, where he addressed the transmembrane topology of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Postdoctoral work followed at UCSF in the laboratory of Dr. Barry Gumbiner, leading to the purification, cloning and characterization of vertebrate beta-catenin, and initiating a life-long interest in the developmental and cellular functions of varied catenin proteins. Dr. McCrea joined the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UT MDACC as an Assistant Professor and is currently a Professor in the Department of Genetics, and Director of the Genetics and Epigenetics Program. Since his arrival to Houston, Dr. McCrea has engaged in efforts directed towards the training of graduate and postdoctoral fellows, both in his own lab group and within the wider context of UT MDACC and UT GSBS. In common with many of his colleagues across disciplines, Dr. McCrea views scientifically-based and engaging training of our upcoming generations as enabling individuals and fields to identify wise questions to address, as well as to reach critically informed decisions that promote ambitious societal goals. Dr. McCrea thanks the many people and groups whose collaborative contributions helped make possible this UT ROTA 2018 recognition.