Robert D. Goldman

Robert D. Goldman is the Stephen Walter Ranson Professor Emeritus and Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, where he has been a faculty member since 1981. He previously served as Chair of the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology from 1994 to 2019, following earlier roles as Chair of Cell Biology and Anatomy and Cell, Molecular, and Structural Biology. Goldman earned a B.A. and M.S. in Zoology from the University of Vermont in 1961 and 1963, respectively, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Biology from Princeton University in 1967. His postdoctoral training included positions at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in London and the MRC Institute of Virology in Glasgow. Earlier in his career, he was Professor of Biological Sciences at Carnegie-Mellon University (1977-1981), Associate Professor there (1973-1976), and Assistant Professor of Biology at Case Western Reserve University (1969-1973). He has also been a Summer Investigator at the Marine Biological Laboratory since 1977 and Founding Director of its Science Journalism Program from 1990 to 2008.

Goldman's research centers on the structure, assembly, dynamics, and functions of intermediate filaments and nuclear lamins, essential components of the cytoskeleton and nucleoskeleton that maintain cellular architecture, support mechanotransduction, regulate motility, and influence signaling pathways. His investigations link dysregulation of these structures to diseases including muscular dystrophies, cardiomyopathies, lipodystrophies, and progeria. He has authored or co-edited key texts such as Cellular and Molecular Biology of Intermediate Filaments (1990), Cells: A Laboratory Manual (1997), Live Cell Imaging: A Laboratory Manual (2004, 2009), and The Cytoskeleton (2017). Highly cited papers include Nuclear lamins: building blocks of nuclear architecture (Genes & Development, 2002) and Nuclear lamins: major factors in the structural organization and function of the nucleus and chromatin (Genes & Development, 2008). Goldman has received the MERIT Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (1999-2009), Ellison Senior Scholar in Aging (2004-2008), Fellowship of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1988), and an honorary Doctor of Medical Sciences from Charles University (2018). He served as President of the American Society for Cell Biology in 2008 and has held editorial positions for journals including Molecular Biology of the Cell and The FASEB Journal. His contributions have significantly advanced understanding of cytoskeletal and nuclear mechanics in cell biology.

Professional Email: r-goldman@northwestern.edu