Scott Hawley, Ph.D., joined the Stowers Institute in 2001, and is an Investigator for the Institute and Dean Emeritus for the Graduate School. Hawley is a noted researcher for his groundbreaking work on meiosis and a dedicated teacher, having trained more than 400 undergraduates over his career.

Throughout graduate school at the University of Washington and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute for Cancer Research in Philadelphia, Hawley continued to define the mechanisms behind what he terms the “meiotic ballet,” the tightly choreographed dance of elements and processes involved in meiosis. Hawley later became a faculty member at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, followed by a faculty position at the University of California, David.

At the Stowers Institute, Hawley became the founding Dean for the Graduate School, building a program that emphasizes hands-on scientific experience and critical thinking skills. Today he teaches undergraduates, graduates students and medical school students at the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Hawley has received several honors and awards throughout his career. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2008, and received American Cancer Society’s Excellence in Research Award in 2015. In recognition of his commitment to undergraduate education, he received the Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in teaching from the Genetics Society of America, which also elected him president in 2010.