Leland Hartwell writing on whiteboard in a classroom with students.

Leland Hartwell

Nobel laureate, National Academy of Sciences member
Professor, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Professor, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Professor, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Professor, College of Global Futures

Leland Hartwell won the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He discovered the genes that control cell division; genes that turned out to be the universal machinery for cell growth in organisms from fungi to frogs to humans. Hartwell's discoveries led him and other scientists to explore ways to stop abnormal cells from dividing; work that could lead to new and better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. Hartwell is a faculty member in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and a chief scientist in the Biodesign Institute’s Center for Sustainable Health. He also leads the HoneyBee program at ASU, overseeing a series of clinical trials using wearable devices. He came to ASU from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, where he served as president and director. Hartwell is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He received his BS from the California Institute of Technology and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.