Rate My Professor Igor Roninson

Igor B. Roninson, Ph.D., serves as Professor Emeritus in the Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy, following his retirement in 2026. A native of Moscow who emigrated from the former Soviet Union, he obtained his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1982. Prior to joining the University of South Carolina in 2011, Roninson was Director of the Cancer Center at the Ordway Research Institute in Albany, N.Y., and held faculty appointments at Albany Medical College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the State University of New York at Albany. Upon his arrival at USC, he was named the SmartState Endowed Chair in Translational Cancer Therapeutics and founding Director of the COBRE Center for Targeted Therapeutics. In this capacity, he spearheaded interdisciplinary research initiatives in targeted therapeutics, mentored numerous scientists, and relocated Senex Biotechnology along with ten researchers to South Carolina. His leadership secured a landmark $11.3 million NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence grant in 2014, established essential core facilities for microscopy, flow cytometry, functional genomics, and drug discovery, and generated over $3 million in economic impact for the state through NIH Small Business Innovation Research grants, private investments, and licensing fees. These facilities also proved instrumental in addressing statewide needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Roninson is an internationally renowned cancer researcher whose work has elucidated molecular mechanisms governing cancer progression and therapeutic responses. His pioneering contributions include investigations into multidrug resistance, chemotherapy-induced senescence in tumor cells, and the transcriptional regulatory functions of CDK8 and CDK19 Mediator kinases, leading to the development of small-molecule inhibitors with potential applications in cancer and aging-associated diseases. Among his influential publications are "Tumor cell senescence in cancer treatment" (Cancer Research, 2003, cited over 900 times) and "Molecular determinants of terminal growth arrest induced in tumor cells by senescence-like states" (2001). Recognized as one of the world's top-cited researchers, Roninson earned the USC Breakthrough Leadership in Research Award in 2016 and the USC Educational Foundation Research Award for Health Sciences in 2024. Collaborating closely with his spouse and research partner Eugenia Broude over more than a decade at USC, he bridged basic science and translational applications to advance cancer treatment strategies. As Professor Emeritus, he remains available to advise colleagues, assist with publications, and support students.