2021 RNA Society Lifetime Achievement in Science Award
Posted on January 30, 2020

Please join us in congratulating Melissa J. Moore for being selected as the recipient of the 2021 Lifetime Achievement in Science Award from the RNA Society.

Melissa J. Moore is well known for her mechanistic and structural analyses of spliceosomes and mRNPs, co-discovery of the exon junction complex (EJC), and studies of intracellular RNA transport and quality control pathways. She was also instrumental in developing multiple enabling technologies for the field, including methods for introducing site-specific modifications into long RNA molecules and single molecule methods for observing the dynamics of RNP complex assembly and disassembly. Following a nineteen-year run as an HHMI Investigator (1997-2016), Melissa resigned from HHMI to become the Chief Scientific Officer of Platform Research at Moderna Therapeutics, where she leads the translation of RNA biology to drug development. By designing new strategies to increase the functional output and longevity of therapeutic mRNAs, Melissa´s insights were key for the success of the Covid-19 vaccine. One overarching piece of advice Melissa offers women looking to advance their career: No fear. “Fear holds you back and prevents you from taking the types of risks that can pay off with huge rewards”, she said. ​