Gerald Francis "Jerry" Joyce (born 1956) is president and professor at the

Salk Institute for Biological Studies The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a scientific research institute in the La Jolla community of San Diego, California. The independent, non-profit institute was founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vaccine; among th ...

and was previously the director of the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation. He is best known for his work on in vitro evolution, for the discovery of the first DNA enzyme (

deoxyribozyme Deoxyribozymes, also called DNA enzymes, DNAzymes, or catalytic DNA, are DNA oligonucleotides that are capable of performing a specific chemical reaction, often but not always catalytic. This is similar to the action of other biological enzymes, s ...

), for his work in discovering potential

RNA world The RNA world is a hypothetical stage in the evolutionary history of life on Earth in which self-replicating RNA molecules proliferated before the evolution of DNA and proteins. The term also refers to the hypothesis that posits the existence ...

ribozymes, and more in general for his work on the

origin of life Abiogenesis is the natural process by which life arises from abiotic component, non-living matter, such as simple organic compounds. The prevailing scientific hypothesis is that the transition from non-living to organism, living entities on ...

Biography

Joyce was born in Kansas and grew up in Chicago, where he first became interested in science. His mother was a grade-school teacher, father was a business executive, and maternal grandfather was an Italian immigrant with a Ph.D. in engineering, whom Joyce credits for providing him with a "science gene." Inspired by novelist

Thomas Pynchon Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr. ( , ; born May 8, 1937) is an American novelist noted for his dense and complex novels. His fiction and non-fiction writings encompass a vast array of subject matter, Literary genre, genres and Theme (narrative), th ...

, Joyce became curious about the natural processes that enable

Darwinian Evolution ''Darwinism'' is a term used to describe a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others. The theory states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural sele ...

and began to focus on biochemistry and molecular genetics in high school. Joyce decided to pursue both medical and doctoral degrees, so that his future did not hinge on a successful career as a Darwinian engineer. As of 2022, Joyce says he still keeps his medical license up-to-date, despite working primarily as a researcher at Salk Institute. Between graduating with his M.D. and Ph.D. in 1984 and launching his own research program in 1989, Joyce married his wife, psychiatrist Nancy McTigue, in the Salk Institute courtyard.

Education

Joyce received his Bachelor of Arts from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1978, then completed his M.D. and Ph.D. at the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...

in 1984. He was a postdoctoral fellow and senior research associate at the Salk Institute from 1985 to 1989, and joined the faculty at

Scripps Research Scripps Research is a nonprofit American medical research facility that focuses on research and education in the biomedical sciences. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the institute has over 170 laboratories employing 2,100 scientists, tec ...

in 1989. ed his postgraduate medical training at Mercy Hospital in San Diego in 1984, and his postdoctoral research training at the Salk Institute from 1985 to 1989.

Career and research

When he first joined the Salk Institute in 1985, Joyce worked under prominent

researcher Leslie Orgel. He was a professor at

The Scripps Research Institute Scripps Research is a nonprofit American medical research facility that focuses on research and education in the biomedical sciences. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the institute has over 170 laboratories employing 2,100 scientists, tec ...

until 2017 and served as their dean of the faculty from 2006 to 2011, during which time he was instrumental in founding a second campus in Jupiter, Florida. Joyce has served as the chair of the JASON advisory group, which he joined in 1996. Joyce also served as the institute director of the Genomics Institute of the

Novartis Novartis AG is a Swiss multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical company, pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland. Novartis is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and was the eighth largest by re ...

Research Foundation. In 2017, Joyce returned to the Salk Institute as a professor, where he then became chief science officer in 2022 and president in 2023. In 2009, Joyce's lab was the first to produce a self-replicating in vitro system, capable of exponential growth and continuing evolution, composed entirely of RNA enzymes.

Awards

* NAS Award in Molecular Biology, 1994 * Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry, 1995 * JASON (advisory group), 1996 * Herbert W. Dickerman Award, 1997 * Hans Sigrist Prize, 1997 *

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

Member, 2001 *International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (ISSOL) H. C. Urey Award, 2005 * Dannie Heineman Prize, 2009 * Stanley Miller Medal, 2010 *

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

Member, 2012 *

National Academy of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...

Member, 2014 *Harvard Origins Prize,

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, 2016 *

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

Fellow, 2017 *

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences () is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special responsibility for promoting nat ...

Foreign Member, 2019 *

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...

honorary member, 2024

References

External links

Summary of Joyce's researchGerald Joyce profile

The Joyce Laboratory
a
The Scripps Research InstituteGerald Joyce at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joyce, Gerald 1956 births Living people Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences American biochemists Academics from San Diego Scientists from San Diego University of California, San Diego alumni Scripps Research faculty Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members of JASON (advisory group) Honorary members of the Royal Irish Academy Novartis people Salk Institute for Biological Studies people Members of the National Academy of Medicine