Edward M. ”Eddy” Rubin

Edward M. ”Eddy” Rubin is an internationally-known geneticist and medical researcher at the Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, where he became head of the Genomic Sciences
Division in 1998. In 2002 he assumed the directorship of the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI) to lead
the JGI ’s involvement in the Human Genome Project (HGP). Under his leadership, the JGI completed the
sequencing and analysis of human chromosomes 5, 16 and 19 (~13% of the human genome). After
completion of the HGP, Dr Rubin led the reorientation of the JGI as a next-generation genome science
center, applying genomics to studies related to bioenergy and the environment, sequencing and
analyzing the genetic code of thousands of plants, fungi and microbes.Dr. Rubin’s research has involved the development and application of computational and biological
approaches for studying genomes. His early work focused on decoding the human genome. He then
championed its functional exploration, harnessing sequence comparisons between species for the
discovery of genes and non-coding sequences of pivotal evolutionary and biomedical importance. Other
related work included sequencing and analysis of regions of the genomes of extinct cave bears and
Neanderthals. More recently, he has expanded the frontiers of the new science of metagenomics,
deriving important insights from his investigations of microbial communities inhabiting environments
ranging from gutless ocean-dwelling worms to cow rumen.He has organized and chaired major genomics meetings, sits on the scientific advisory boards of several
technology companies and public research organizations, and is a member of the Jackson Laboratory
Board of Trustees.