From the Director’s Desk

As the new director of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine, it is a privilege to build on the extraordinary foundation established by Lucy Shapiro over more than two decades of visionary leadership. Her commitment to integrating basic discovery, technology development, and translational science has made Beckman a cornerstone of Stanford’s research enterprise and a model for other universities. It is an honor to steward that legacy into its next chapter.

My own work focuses on how the lung’s intricate three-dimensional architecture is encoded, renewed, and repaired, and applying that knowledge to uncover new approaches to lung cancer, COPD, and other devastating pulmonary diseases. That perspective has underscored for me how essential Beckman’s shared technologies, from advanced imaging and flow cytometry to cutting-edge genomics and bioinformatics, are for enabling the bold, curiosity‑driven science across disciplines for which Stanford is known.

Looking ahead, the Beckman Center will continue to invest in state-of-the-art instrumentation and in the people who drive innovation: faculty, trainees, staff scientists, and core facility leaders and their teams. The recent Five-Year External Review affirmed both the strength of our service centers and programs and the importance of sustaining them through strategic planning, thoughtful oversight, and close partnership with the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, the School of Medicine, and departments across campus.

In 2026, we will launch a series of Beckman events designed to bring our community more closely together. Details will follow in upcoming issues and on our website. Here we debut a new “Beckman Faculty in the News” section, highlighting recent discoveries, honors, and media coverage featuring Beckman-affiliated scientists and programs. This feature will showcase the transformative work done within our group and the technologies that make that work possible.

I look forward to working with you, learning from you, and supporting your science in the years ahead.