Ronald Breaker, a pioneering biochemist and longtime leader in the sciences at Yale, has been named the next dean of science in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Breaker is a 1982 graduate of Tigerton High School.
Breaker will begin a five-year term July 1.
Breaker, Sterling professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology and professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry, joined Yale in 1995 after completing his Ph.D. at Purdue University and conducting groundbreaking work as a postdoctoral researcher at The Scripps Research Institute.
A Sterling professor is the highest academic rank at Yale University, awarded to tenured faculty members who are considered the best in their field. This position recognizes top scholars for exceptional research, teaching and service, with only about 30-40 professors holding the title at once.
“Amid a rapidly changing landscape for academic science, Yale’s research and teaching missions will forever remain critical for our collective success,” Breaker said. “I am eager to help our faculty, students and staff meet these challenges and thrive as they pursue their highest goals.”
Breaker has a long track record of leadership in the FAS and service to Yale.
Since 2023, he has served as the chair of the department of molecular biophysics and biochemistry. From 2010-16 he chaired the department of molecular, cellular and developmental biology, where he oversaw the recruitment and retention of faculty and guided the department as it provided crucial input toward the redesigned Yale Science Building, which officially opened in 2019.
Breaker has also been a member of dozens of university committees.
“Ron’s extensive experience working across the physical and biological sciences and his collaborations with Yale School of Medicine and other units across campus will make him an invaluable member of our team,” FAS Dean Steven Wilkinson said in his message to the Yale community.
From the earliest stages of his career, Breaker has helped to revolutionize the understanding of DNA and RNA. His findings have been published in more than 240 scientific papers, book chapters and patents. Since establishing his laboratory at Yale in 1995, he has continued to explore the advanced functions of nucleic acids, including through research on ribozyme reaction mechanisms, molecular switch technology, next-generation biosensors and catalytic DNA engineering.
The Breaker lab established the first proof of messenger RNA elements known as riboswitches, which sense molecules and help control genes. His research team has discovered more than 60 distinct classes of riboswitches in bacteria and published the first studies validating riboswitches as targets for antibiotics — paving the way for new medical therapies.
More recently, Breaker and his team uncovered the first examples of riboswitches in humans, many of which regulate genes relevant to neurological functions.
Breaker is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Academy of Microbiology. At Yale, he has taught numerous courses on topics of biology, biochemistry and biotechnology.
Beyond Yale, Breaker has been the co-founder of two biotechnology companies: Archemix, which developed engineered aptamers as sensors and therapeutic agents, and BioRelix, which developed antibiotics that target bacterial riboswitches. Breaker was also an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute from 2005-25 and has served on the editorial boards for the scientific journals.
