May 15, 2019—William Mair, associate professor of genetics and complex diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is the 2019 recipient of the Armen H. Tashjian Jr. Award for Excellence in Endocrine Research. Brendan Manning, professor of genetics and complex diseases, presented the award at a ceremony in the Kresge Building on May 13. Mair presented a brief overview of his research titled “The Molecular Mechanisms of Dietary Restriction” and discussed aging both as a key risk factor for non-communicable diseases and as a process that varies widely among species and individuals. “Aging is not a ticking clock,” Mair said. “Aging is a malleable process.”
Mair’s lab studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which animals modulate the rate at which they age and succumb to disease in response to changes in nutrition and the environment. His recent work has focused on the link between metabolism and aging, with the goal of developing new therapeutics for age-related diseases.
Armen Tashjian was professor of toxicology, emeritus, in the Department of Molecular Metabolism. He led the School’s toxicology program for nearly three decades. The award recognizes promising young faculty members and fellows at the School who are pursuing innovative research ideas in basic biomedical sciences.
Photo: Lisa Abitbol