Dr. Bonnie Bassler, Whose Breakthroughs are Leading to New Antibiotics, Receives N.J. Chamber's Woman in Innovation Award

Bassler says the Contributions of Women in Science have been 'Undervalued' 

Bonnie Bassler, whose work at Princeton University is changing the face of medicine and laying the groundwork for new antibiotics, was presented the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce's second annual Alice H. Parker Women Leaders in Innovation Award on Sept. 22.

Bassler thanked the N.J. Chamber for honoring women innovators, and noted that the work of women scientists has traditionally been "undervalued."

"If you had a genderless Leaders in Innovation prize, I would not be standing here tonight," said Bassler, during a ceremony at the National Conference Center in East Windsor. "What that means is my lab would not be recognized for its game-changing contributions to biomedicine. I thank you for singling us out. Prizes like these help all of the world's great women scientists. It is an honor to represent them, and it is also an honor to represent my lab group."

Bassler, Squibb Professor of Molecular Biology and Chair of Princeton University's Department of Molecular Biology, and her team discovered that bacteria "talk" with one another through a chemical process called "quorum sensing." Bacteria use quorum sensing to coordinate their invasions of plants, animals and people. Bassler's research into how quorum sensing works and how to interfere with it is laying the groundwork for new generations of antibiotics.

"The importance of Bonnie's work cannot be overestimated as medical professionals report more and more strains of bacteria becoming resistant to current antibiotics," said Tom Bracken, president and CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. "Bonnie's work is crucial to the medical field and equally important in ensuring New Jersey remains a leader in medical research."

Bassler, a Chicago native who earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry from Johns Hopkins University, has spent her entire career in Princeton. She thanked her department at Princeton University for hiring her 22 years ago at a time when "my science ideas" were not embraced and at a time when "science departments rarely hired women."

But, she added, "This New Jersey school bucked both trends when they took me on. I made my home here. I built my lab here. And ultimately people from all over the world moved to New Jersey to work with me. And I met and married my husband here. New Jersey has been good to me."

Bassler, who also is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, was accompanied by members of her team at the awards reception, and they spoke candidly about how she served as a strong leader and mentor with a unique ability to boil down complex topics into plain conversation.

Bassler, in turn, thanked her team. "They came because our science is crucially important and working on this project allows them the chance to change the world," she said. "They truly are fearless and they truly are innovators. Again, for my lab members, I accept and thank you for this prize that celebrates women's contributions to science and innovation."

Last year, the inaugural Alice H. Parker Women Leaders in Innovation Award was presented to former Bell Labs theoretical physicist and former Rutgers professor Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, now president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

A special thank you to RWJBarnabas, our Premier Sponsor, and our event sponsors: JCP&L, AT&T, PNC Bank, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ, QualCare, South Jersey Industries, USAS Technologies, Withum, and Morgan Stanley.

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