Alice S. Huang

Alice S. Huang

Alice S. Huang was previously professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Harvard Medical School, and subsequently dean for Science at New York University. She has served on the Boards of the Waksman Foundation for Microbiology, Public Agenda, N.Y., and the Rockefeller Foundation. She consults widely for institutions, universities and governments on research, science policy, education and gender equality.

Huang is a distinguished virologist. The American Society for Microbiology gave her the Eli Lilly Award in Immunology and Microbiology (1977) and the Alice C. Evans Award (2001). She is a past- president of that society. She has also served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the largest pan-science organization in the world. She has honorary doctorates of science from Wheaton College, Mt. Holyoke College, and the Medical College of Pennsylvania. Her past board service includes the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Keystone Center, Keystone, Co., University of Massachusetts, the Johns Hopkins University, and Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA. She is a fellow of the Academia Sinica in Taiwan (1991), American Women in Science (1998), the Academy of Microbiology, and the AAAS (1999).

Her academic career began as assistant professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Harvard Medical School in 1971. During that time she also served as coordinator of the Virology Unit at the Channing Laboratories of Infectious Diseases at Boston City Hospital and director of the training program funded by the National Cancer Institute on “Virus-Host Interactions in Cancer.” She became full professor in 1979, as well as the director of the Laboratories of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital in Boston.

Born in China, Huang emigrated to the U.S. in 1949. She grew up attending Episcopal girl’s schools on the East Coast and Wellesley College. She received B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees (microbiology, 1966) from Johns Hopkins University.

As an administrator, Huang is particularly interested in interdisciplinary scientific research, organization of educational and research institutions, and in policy issues related to science and technology. Since coming to Caltech in Pasadena, CA, Huang continues to consult on medical research and the establishment of new research institutions in developing countries. She has joined the Pacific Council on International Policy and supports many community organizations. She is a certified private pilot.

Huang served on the CCST Council from 2004-2009.